Nissan said on Wednesday that it will showcase a prototype electric minivehicle that can be charged using an onboard solar power generation system, at the Japan Mobility Show, which opens later this month in Tokyo.

The prototype, based on the Japanese automaker's Sakura electric minivehicle, has a roof-mounted solar panel. When parked, an additional panel extends forward from storage, boosting power generation capacity by more than 60%.

If the system generates enough electricity to provide an annual driving range of up to 3,000 kilometers, the vehicle can eliminate the need for grid-based charging if it is used mainly for short-distance driving including for commuting or shopping, Nissan said.

"We want to make a car that needs neither gasoline nor (grid-based) charging," said Junichi Inoue, who leads the project.

While most research on solar-powered electric vehicles focuses on enhancing the power-generation efficiency of compact panels, Inoue said "such an approach raises (vehicle) prices."

Nissan's prototype instead increases the total panel area to keep the price down while maintaining sufficient output.

The Japan Mobility Show will be open to the public from Oct. 31 to Nov. 9 at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center, where the prototype will be on display in a section featuring future mobility concepts.