Japan’s second and third biggest vehicle makers have agreed to start discussions about collaboration on the development of future electric vehicles. As rivals from China and America, including BYD and Tesla, appear to take the lead in the EV sector, Nissan and Honda will explore the possibilities of joint design and pooling purchasing power. 

The chief executives of the two companies appeared together at a news conference in Tokyo to make the announcement. At this stage it is not a binding agreement, but with both companies recognising the benefits of sharing R&D costs, a joint approach would seem on the cards. 

The plan is to direct efforts towards, "automotive software platforms, core components related to EVs, and complementary products." The agreement seems likely to also cover self driving technology as the press conference also mentioned "zero traffic-accident fatalities." 

Nissan was initially a leader in EV technology with its Leaf models, but has since fallen behind rivals. Honda has been collaborating with GM but that now seems to have run its course.