EV concept car: nissan pivo 3 at tokyo motor show

the nissan ‘pivo 3’ concept electric car

a zero-emission urban electric vehicle, the ‘pivo 3’ is one of three concept cars that nissan will present at the tokyo motor show from december 3rd through 11th, 2011, alongside the ‘esflow’ electric sportscar and ‘townpod’ electric cross-utility designs.

measuring just under 3-meters (9.8 feet) in length, the vehicle features a compact, 3-seat chassis, wherein the driver is seated centrally in front, with two passenger seats in the rear. the central driving position provides benefits of visibility, while side mirrors have been replaced with internal monitors that depict the car’s surrounds and help minimize blind spots.

the ‘robotic agent’ interface acts as personal assistant to a driver, utilizing cloud computing and technological infrastructure to display relevant information on a wide display screen. the car’s ‘automated valet parking’ feature automatically drives, locates a parking space, parks, and charges within the properly equipped parking lots of the future; and also permits the vehicle to be called by smartphone to pick up its driver.

designed for the demands of city streets, the narrow-tread rear tires and in-wheel motors with a wide steering angle allows the car to U-turn within the space of four meters on a zero turn gap, ensuring that if the front wheels can make the turn, the rear wheels can follow.

front view, doors ajar

side view, door ajar

3/4 rear view

the unusual seating arrangement places the driver centered in front, with two passenger seats in the rear

interior view of front

full view of dashboard, centralized behind steering wheel

the ‘pivo 3’ is the third iteration of a concept car originally debuted at the tokyo motor show in 2005.

evolution of the nissan ‘pivo’, clockwise from top left: ‘pivo 1’ (2005); ‘pivo 2’ (2007); ‘pivo 3’ (2011)

nissan designers discuss the ‘pivo 3’ concept

via autoblog