Previously, Nissan announced it wanted the BladeGlider to be in production by 2017 but now, according to insiders, there are no-longer any plans to sell the pure-electric sports auto.
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THE NISSAN BLADEGLIDER Concept was revealed at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show and Nissan has now revealed a working prototype of that concept in Brazil “to symbolize future technologies that will combine Intelligent Mobility, environmentally-friendly impact and sports-car driving capabilities”, Nissan said.
Two BladeGliders will be presented in Rio de Janeiro in August during the Olympics. Nissan claims this design provides aerodynamic efficiency and handling stability. And much like the concept, Nissan pegs the BladeGlider prototype as “high performance in a revolutionary sports vehicle design”.
Powered by twin electric motors developed by Williams Advanced Engineering, the BladeGlider has a maximum output of 268bhp and can hit 0-62mph in less than five seconds with a top speed of 115mph. Only the rear wheels are responsible for putting the BladeGlider’s power on the asphalt, and each one has its own 130 kW motor.
The 2016 BladeGlider has a redesigned body with an open roof design and a new integrated roll-over protection structure.
We know that the BladeGlider has five-module lithium-ion 220kW battery pack, but Nissan has not provided a range estimate for the prototype.
To quell understeer and improve handling, the BladeGlider is also fitted with a torque vectoring system. Working altogether, Nissan claims the pure-electric sports auto can sprint to 100km/h in less than 5.0 seconds and reach a maximum top speed of 190km/h.
The interior mirrors the prototype’s sporting intentions with the driver sitting front and centre and space for two occupants behind, each held in place with bucket seats and four-point harnesses.
The driver sits up front and controls many features through the steering wheel, which has a small, integrated screen that shows speed, state of battery charge, regeneration mode, and a torque map.
To help succeed in its mobile advertisement for pure-electric cars, Nissan has built two final prototypes.
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Nissan president Carlos Ghosn describes it as an “electric vehicle for car-lovers” – something its volume production Leaf hasn’t quite achieved – and sees it as a real-life study into the potential of advanced electric vehicle performance. One will be static while the other will be used to give what the car-maker is calling “dynamic rides” to media and VIPs.
