The Nissan Leaf is a pretty neat car. It has no gas tank or combustion engine. Instead, it’s powered by lithium-ion batteries and an 80kW electric motor. It lasts up to 100 miles on one charge. Unfortunately, the the Leaf isn’t sporty or fun to drive. The only thrill you get is from driving one of the first EVs on the road. Nissan, however, is capable of making some pretty good sports cars: the GT-R and 370Z. Nissan has recently previewed their new ESFLOW concept electric sports car planned for the Geneva Auto Show. Nissan wants to prove to the world — and Tesla — they can make EVs not only eco-conscious, but also fun.
The ESFLOW is a rear-wheel-drive two-seat sports car that can do 0-60s in less than 5 seconds all while maintaining a 150 mile range — 50% more than the Leaf. The neatest thing about new electric sports cars is the ability to power each wheel with separate electric motors. This method gives drivers the most torque in the right scenarios to power around turns and maintain grip, similar to what we experienced on the R8 e-tron.
More details will be known next month at the Geneva Auto Show.
[via plugincars]
Press Release
NISSAN ESFLOW ELECTRIC SPORTS CAR REMAINS ENVIRONMENTALLY SYMPATHETIC WITHOUT GIVING UP THE JOY OF DRIVING
NISSAN ESFLOW Concept puts the spark into electric vehicles
It looks like a sports car, handles like a sports car and performs like one too. But ESFLOW is different than every other sports car yet built: It’s electric. Using technology pioneered in the award-winning Nissan LEAF, the EV concept shows that driving can still be as much fun tomorrow as it is today.
At a Glance- ESFLOW – a pure EV sports car concept
- Rear-wheel drive two-seater
- Two electric motors, each driving a rear wheel
- Laminated lithium-ion batteries mounted low for best weight distribution
- Dramatic styling with wraparound windscreen for unobstructed visibility
- 0-100km/h in under 5 seconds
- Over 240kms on one charge
The Nissan ESFLOW
Nissan has a reputation for creating some of the most exhilarating sports cars on the market. Nissan has also developed the world’s first practical Zero Emission family car, the Nissan LEAF.
Now Nissan has put that expertise together. It has captured the excitement of a sports car and the environmental benefits of an electric vehicle and blended them into one dramatic two-seater concept: ESFLOW.
ESFLOW has been created from the ground up as a pure electric vehicle, to give an idea how a Zero Emission sports car of the future might look. Living ecologically has often been seen as an act of austerity – to save one’s environmental conscience sacrifices must be made. ESFLOW is here to address that misconception.
Owning an ecologically sound car does not have to come at the expense of driving enjoyment. The briefest glance at the ESFLOW is enough to tell you what kind of car it is: a long bonnet leading into a steeply raked, wrap around windscreen, the compact cabin placing the occupants bang on the car’s centre of gravity, hunched arches over ultra-low profile tyres wrapped around six spoke wheels. ESFLOW is unmistakably a sports car, and those in the know will recognize its heritage – hints of classic and contemporary Nissan sports cars abound.
Vitally, ESFLOW is not an existing ICE (internal combustion engine) powered vehicle that has been adapted to run on electricity, but a sports car that’s been designed from the outset as a Zero Emission vehicle. This means that Nissan’s forward thinking designers have had free rein to place the power train and batteries in the optimum positions to benefit the car’s handling and performance and enhancing the thrill of driving.
The Car
The future is coming. Fast.
This is the ESFLOW concept. Inspired by the design of the legendary Z™, the breathtaking performance of the GT-R, and the remarkable innovations that drive Nissan LEAF®. ESFLOW is our first 100% electric, no gas, high-performance sports car.