Don’t know about you, but I sure am ready for e-mobility to reach that critical mass, that tipping point, that hundredth monkey buying an EV. A couple of Nissan execs believe that the blessed event will occur around 2019-2020.

Speaking at Nissan’s Yokohama headquarters this week, corporate officers Hiroto Saikawa and Akiko Hoshino told reporters that stricter regulation and better batteries will cause EVs to go mainstream.

“The fuel consumption targets will become very stringent, and that will kick in at around 2019-2020, especially in the United States,” said Saikawa. “Suddenly there will be a surge of demand.” Nissan plans to increase EV sales to 5% of its total by then, and to 10% “in the near future,” he added.

“By that time, we will have [battery] products where people don’t need to have any concerns about driving range,” Saikawa said.

Nissan is widely expected to offer a 200-mile battery when the second-generation LEAF hits the streets in 2017 or 2018.

The Nissan spokespeople also said that the company will base all of its Japanese marketing on EVs and autonomous drive, as reported by the Daily Kanban. Welcome news for those who have been disappointed in automakers’ feeble EV marketing efforts to date.

Nissan will offer true autonomous driving “before anyone else,” said Akiko Hoshino.

SEE ALSO: New study: “Lack of coherent sales concepts” is responsible for weak EV sales

Sources: Daily Kanban, Green Car Reports