Nissan Lithium-Ion Electric Car

Concept cars are intended to be thought provoking. Nissan's NuVu, or 'New View,' city car concept is just that. It may make you smile, laugh, do a double-take, shake your head, draw you in for a closer look, or all of the above. One thing you can't do, however, is ignore it.

NuVu is nothing short of a complete rethinking of the car's role in an urban environment. It's not designed for highway use or cross-country travel, but rather just zipping around on congested city streets and squeezing into the tightest of parking spots. While the bubbly car is just 118 inches long, that's still about a foot longer than the two passenger smart fortwo. NuVu manages to squeeze three individual bucket seats inside with an asymmetrical arrangement.

Looking at the animated exterior profile, NuVu appears to be a front drive platform, but it's not. A pure electric vehicle, NuVu has a drive motor mounted out back powering the rear wheels. The drivetrain is said to be a fully working mobile test bed of the technology that will be used in Nissan's production electric vehicle that's scheduled for launch in 2010. As such, Nissan is tight lipped about exact specifications. We do know, however, that the NuVu has about a 77 mile range and top speed of about 75 mph.

Energy is stored in a laminated lithium-ion battery pack with a capacity of 140 watt-hours per kilogram. The battery is produced by Automotive Energy Supply Corp. through a joint venture between Nissan and NEC Group. Lighter and more powerful than traditional cylindrical cells, the modular laminated lithium-ion design is constructed in a thin, flat form factor that allows it to be mounted beneath the floor of the passenger compartment, yielding a low center of gravity.

While the NuVu's exterior design will attract plenty of attention, it's the interior that really gets people talking. The front passenger seat is farthest forward, with the driver seat located a bit rearward behind an exaggerated instrument panel and control pod that extends from the dash. A third seat on the right side shares space with an 'energy tree' to provide an urban oasis of sorts.

Yes, you read that right ... an energy tree. To lend a more organic feel to the interior, Nissan designers gave the energy tree a thin trunk that grows out of the driver's side rear cargo floor, reaching to the roof. The NuVu's roof is all glass, and where the trunk meets the glass it branches out to form a sort of solar canopy with leaf shaped photovoltaic solar panels. While it doesn't look like there's much surface area, Nissan claims that in one month the energy tree can collect the equivalent of a full overnight charge.

Driver controls are futuristic as well. An aircraft-style yoke is used to steer the NuVu and all major functions including steering, throttle, brake, and gear changes are by-wire, with no mechanical linkages. In tight spaces, the NuVu's tight 3.7 meter turning circle is slightly bigger than the car's overall length. Rear vision is displayed on two dash-mounted screens, with rear facing cameras taking the place of rear view mirrors. Natural and recycled materials are used throughout the concept.

According to Nissan, the NuVu delivers a more realistic interpretation of two of the most important design aspects of earlier electric concepts, the futuristic Pivo 2 and the sporty Mixim. The result? Nissan says it has designed a car 'that with just a few changes could go into production tomorrow.'