Nissan made a working prototype of its BladeGlider EV hotrod
It's not coming soon to a showroom near you, though.
Nissan is getting serious again about its futuristic BladeGlider EV. The delta-shaped, single-front-seater (with two rear seats) was first introduced in 2013, but after saying it might sell the car, the automaker quietly dropped the idea. Now, Nissan has revealed two working BladeGlider prototypes in Rio de Janeiro that it built in conjunction with Formula 1 fabricator Williams. With twin 130-kilowatt motors producing 268 horsepower and 521 pound-feet of instant torque (yep), the EV can get to 62 mph in under five seconds and reach a 115 mph top speed.
No concept car is complete without weird doors, so the BladeGlider has rear-hinged, dihedral ones. Other touches to impress the auto show crowd include three custom displays that show charging, torque status and the view from rear-facing cameras, wing mirrors, an open roof design with a roll-over bar, "agile" and "drift" modes, and epoxy resin seats with four-point harnesses. It's equipped with a 220kW lithium-ion battery, but no endurance figures are provided.
Nissan is offering rides to the press in one of the vehicles, but the car still isn't going into production. However, it said the vehicles "symbolize future technologies that will combine intelligent mobility, environmentally friendly impact and sports-car driving capabilities." If even a bit of the styling makes it the Leaf, it'll have been worth it. Check the video above to see the BladeGlider in action.
