Nissan Sparky EV ute

Here's something that could electrify the zero emission car market in Australia, an electric ute!

Based on the Nissan LEAF electric vehicle (EV), the Nissan Sparky was created by two industrious Nissan engineers who work at the company's technical centre in Arizona, USA.

Roland Schellenberg and Arnold Moulinet designed and developed the compact ute; their motivation for the project was simply: "why not?"

"I needed a project for a team building activity so we can bring the team together. We had a need for a truck. Something to drive around, a shop truck," explained Schellenberg.

The one-of-a-kind electric vehicle has a Nissan Navara tray (badged Frontier in the USA) wedged into the back and is powered by an unmodified 80kW/280Nm electric motor.

"We basically got the stock LEAF, and after reviewing a bunch of designs of pickup trucks that we have here at Nissan, we decided to go with a Frontier [Navara] bed," said Moulinet.

The Sparky is currently put to use at the technical centre in Arizona to move people and supplies around the grounds.

"My main job here is working on rough-road vehicles, rough-road testing. I'm pretty good at taking cars completely apart to the bare frame and putting them back together again to resume testing," added Moulinet.

In Australia, Nissan sold 23 LEAFs in August 2014, and for the first eight months of this year 118 of the electric vehicles have been sold, representing an increase of 18 per cent on last year's tally of 100 in the same period.

Priced at $39,990 drive-away in Australia, the LEAF is still very much a niche model in Australia, as is its closest competitor, the more expensive Holden Volt ($59,990). The Holden has had a much tougher year in 2014, with just three vehicles sold last month making for a total of 45 for the year, down from 85 in 2013.

It begs the question, could a vehicle like the Sparky help promote electric vehicles to a wider audience?

The battery-powered ute has been proven on Nissan's 3000-plus acre proving ground in Stanfield Arizona, but would it work in the Australian country?

A Nissan Australia spokesperson told motoring.com.au: "What a great creation! Zero emissions meets maximum practicality. Given Nissan's first commercial pick-up was built in 1933, this is a wonderful nod to both our heritage and technology."

The LEAF currently has a range of around 170km per charge, which can often take up to eight hours for a full charge, but the Nissan Sparky has thus far withstood the rigours of operating in the desert terrain of the Arizonian technical centre, which also has a 9.1km (5.7mile) high-speed oval.