By: IOL Motoring Staff
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - This is the first working prototype of Nissan's BladeGlider electric sports car, revealed this week as part of its contribution to the 2016 Olympics.
The BladeGlider has been developed from the concept first shown at the Tokyo motor show in 2013, as a step towards future technologies that will combine 'intelligent mobility' (the new buzzword for cars that are connected to the internet of things and use it to make decisions for you) with environmentally-friendly impact and sports-car performance.
Nissan is already the maker of the world's biggest selling zero-emission car, the Leaf city car. Presenting the BladeGlider, however, Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn said its aim was to combine environmental responsibility with driving pleasure.
“It's the electric car for car lovers,” he said.
The BladeGlider gets its name from its near-silent electric powertrain and its slippery shape, clearly showing its family resemblance to the Deltawing endurance racer and ZEOD experimental electric car. 4300mm long on a 2800 wheelbase, 18050mm wide and 1300mm high, it has their signature narrow front track and wider rear track, with an open roof, a built-in roll cage and high waisted, dramatically rear-hinged 'dihedral' doors.
Motorvation is provided by Williams Advanced Engineering (yes, that Williams), with a 130kW / 353Nm electric motor driving each rear wheel. Amperage is supplied by five lithium-ion battery modules, rated for a combined 220kWh, with specially-developed cooling systems for both motors and batteries.
Full tilt boogie
According to Williams, the BladeGlider weighs in at 1300kg ready to rock and will hit 100km/h from a standing start in less than five seconds. Top speed, it says, is 'more than 190km/h', while the batteries should be good for about half an hour of full tilt boogie.
The car's traction control system uses the independent rear-wheel drive to control torque delivery in corners; if the car starts to understeer it simply feeds less power to the inside wheel and more to the outside wheel to bring the front wheels back into line. The torque vectoring systems has three settings: off, agile and drift mode.
The BladeGlider is a three-seater, with the driver in the middle, slightly ahead of the passengers to give them the benefit of practically unlimited leg and shoulder room. The clamshell sports seats are deeply bolstered for maximum lateral support, each with a four-point harness and trimmed in a mix of fabric and epoxy resin that literally 'sticks' the occupant firmly in place.
Switchgear on the steering wheel controls a central dashboard display showing speed, battery charge, regeneration mode and a torque map. On either side of the central display there's a smaller screen showing the image generated by a rear-view camera mounted on each side, just behind the front wheels, making conventional mirrors unnecessary.
Two BladeGliders have been shipped to Brazil; one will be on static display during the Games, while this one will be used to give demo rides for media and VIPs.