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NISSAN BLADEGLIDER anthony@ramsaymedia.co.za

Clearly, new-generation powertrains are giving car designers licence to explore body shapes that depart radically from the conventional – while remaining practical. Electric power lies at the heart of Nissan’s Bladeglider, a prototype high-performance electric vehicle that made its debut in Rio de Janeiro. The underlying premise: combining driving pleasure with environmental responsibility.

According to Nissan, the car’s advanced full-electric battery powertrain delivers stunning performance and dynamic handling. The driving experience combines a singleseater feel, with a central driving position and two passenger seats behind.

The Bladeglider was developed from concept cars first shown at the Tokyo Auto Show in 2013. The company sees it as a standard-bearer for future technologies that will combine intelligent mobility, environmental friendliness and sports- car driving.

It sounds like a big ask. Nissan’s president and chief executive officer, Carlos Ghosn, said the prototypes epitomise Nissan’s drive to expand its intelligent mobility philosophy. “Nissan believes that enthusiasts should look forward to a zero-emission future and Bladeglider is a perfect demonstration of that,” he said. “It’s the electric vehicle for car-lovers.”

Nissan is, of course, a leader in the EV world with its LEAF regarded as the world’s best selling zero-emission car, the LEAF. (More than a hint of the Leaf’s styling cues are evident in the Bladeglider.) The company says it is pioneering intelligent mobility systems that will be deployed in a range of vehicles in years to come. As well as zeroemission vehicles, there will be new automotive technologies including autonomous drive systems and connectivity.

With the Bladeglider, the company’s vision was for an agile, efficient EV that would provide new dimensions of driving fun and excitement – a car that would “glide”, thanks to the near-silent performance of its electric powertrain and aerodynamic shape.

After two years of design, engineering and development, the Nissan Bladeglider evolved into something rather more than was first envisaged: a real-life study into the potential of advanced EV performance. The demonstration models feature an advanced chassis configuration with a narrow front track and wider rear track for optimum aerodynamic efficiency and handling stability. High- waisted, rear-hinged dihedral doors provide a dramatic entry and exit to the cabin. The open roof of Bladeglider is reinforced with an integrated roll-over protection structure, providing, says Nissan, the exhilaration of an opentopped race car with the safety of a coupé.

System controls mounted on the wheel

feed into an advanced display showing speed, state of battery charge, regeneration mode and torque map. Two additional screens relay what’s being seen by rear-view cameras mounted behind the front wheels. Although these electronic rear-view mirrors aren’t particularly unusual, they do serve a particularly important function: they improve the car’s aerodynamic efficiency of Bladeglider.

There’s a similar double benefit for the triangular seating position: more legroom for the two passengers, as well as a panoramic view out for all occupants thanks to the seamless cockpit windscreen.

The powertrain, developed with Nissan’s technical partner for the Bladeglider project, Uk-based Williams Advanced Engineering, provides a maximum speed in excess of 190 km/h, with 0-100 km/h taking less than 5 seconds. Two 130 kw electric motors – one for each wheel – deliver power to the rear wheels.

New-generation handling assist (rather than stability control) by means of torque vectoring is integral to the system. If the car starts to understeer, more torque is sent automatically to the outside wheel to restore the handling balance. The torque vectoring system has three settings: off, agile and drift mode. Power is supplied by a high-performance five-module lithium-ion 220 kw battery. Bespoke cooling systems have been developed for both the battery and the motors.

The interior of the Bladeglider reflects the vehicles’ sporting intentions, with fourpoint safety harnesses for each occupant. The seats offer exceptional support to sides and legs of the driver and passengers. The seats are trimmed in a highly tactile blend of fabric and epoxy resin coating, resulting in a tough and grippy material that keeps occupants securely gripped in place.

Though the Bladeglider may be silent in operation, it’s pretty loud in respect of its styling. There are two colour trims – Cyber Green and Stealth Orange – used the upper portions of the seat back, framed with a silver reflective material to create an eye-catching look. The base of the seats are in black, patterned material, with a band of green and orange trim framing the cushion. – Source: Nissan