NISSAN BLADEGLIDER CONCEPT: LEADING EDGE EV TECHNOLOGY DRIVES THE FUTURE

From "driving" to "gliding" in a hyper-agile and ultimately efficient EV that shifts the engineering paradigm to reveal a new dimension of driving fun and excitement

YOKOHAMA, Japan (Nov. 8, 2013) - More than a concept, Nissan BladeGlider is both a proposal for the future direction of Nissan electric vehicle (EV) development and an exploratory prototype of an upcoming production vehicle from the world's leading EV manufacturer. BladeGlider was developed with form following function. Nissan crafted the vehicle's unique architecture to give the driver and passengers "sustainable exhilaration" - a fresh electric vehicle driving experience based on peerless technology and exotic styling.

Targeting the visionary individual seeking visceral driving and sustainability, BladeGlider goes beyond sheer power and acceleration to send the heart soaring into new realms of smooth "gliding" pleasure. It is a physical demonstration of the innovation and excitement of the Nissan brand and Nissan's Zero Emissions Mobility leadership. BladeGlider's pioneering spirit distinguishes it from anything yet envisioned for EVs and destines it to rule the roads of the not-so-distant future.

Re-inventing the Performance Car - A Game Changer Designed from Scratch

A clean slate was the starting point for this project, led by Francois Bancon, division general manager of Product Strategy and Product Planning at Nissan. "The goal was to revolutionise the architecture of the vehicle to provoke new emotions, provide new value and make visible for consumers how Zero Emissions can help redefine our conception of vehicle basics," said Bancon.

BladeGlider's shape alone, with its narrow front track, challenges the orthodoxy that has dominated the roads since the earliest days of the internal combustion engine. The revolutionary nature of the car is more than skin deep. New possibilities for the designers and engineers were opened up by the unique characteristics of electric vehicles.

BladeGlider has its conceptual roots in two aerial images: the soaring, silent, panoramic freedom of a glider and the triangular shape of a high performance "swept wing" aircraft.

It is therefore fitting that, in terms of engineering, BladeGlider's developmental focus was aerodynamics: achieving low drag (cdA) while generating road-hugging downforce.

Disruptive and challenging to the status quo, BladeGlider shares sustainable engineering values with both Nissan LEAF - the best-selling EV in history ─and the Nissan ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car), which will make its debut at next year's Le Mans 24 Hour race.

A Provocative Shift in the Engineering Paradigm

With its narrow, 1.0 metre lightweight front track and wide, stable rear track, BladeGlider looks as if it could have sprung from a "skunk works" project. But the radical architecture all boils down to aerodynamics and balance. Having the front wheels close together reduces drag and enhances manoeuvrability for high-G cornering power, assisted by its 30/70 front/rear weight distribution ratio. Aerodynamic downforce is created by the highly rigid yet lightweight carbon-fibre underbody, hence the lack of drag-inducing wings.

When BladeGlider matures into a production car, it could be Nissan's first use of in-wheel motors. The in-wheel motors provide rear-wheel propulsion with independent motor management, while also contributing to freedom of upper body design and space-efficient packaging.

To power the electric motors, BladeGlider employs Nissan's innovative lithium-ion battery technology, proven in Nissan LEAF. Battery modules are mounted low and towards the rear to enhance stability and handling.

Revolutionary Breakthrough in High-Performance Design

BladeGlider embodies a fearless vision of the EV future. Its tightly streamlined deltoid body comprises a tough and structurally optimised chassis wrapped in ultra-lightweight, yet strong and stiff, carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) finished in a pearlescent white colour that evokes the pristine freedom of a glider. The racing-inspired exterior features a sculpted contour that is both functional and breathtakingly beautiful. Starting from the low, flat and narrow nose, the body line rises gracefully to the cockpit canopy and then curves forcefully back over the large rear wheels, evoking a sense of dynamic movement even when the vehicle is standing still.

"BladeGlider was conceived around delivering a glider-like exhilaration that echoes its lightweight, downsized hyper-efficient aerodynamic form," said Shiro Nakamura, Nissan's senior vice president and chief creative officer. "This design is more than revolutionary; it's transformational, applying our most advanced electric drive-train technology and racetrack-inspired styling in the service of a new dimension of shared driving pleasure."

Inside the canopy, the cockpit seats three in a triangular configuration with the driver centre-forward. Seating appointments feature special light and comfortable coverings with yellow fluorescent lines. Amid simple yet edgy interior styling cues, an aircraft-type steering wheel and state-of-the-art instrumentation technology complete the glider-like image. To support maximum EV cruising efficiency, the IT system can display relief maps and atmospheric conditions.

"Free Soaring" Experience to be Shared with Friends

This efficient, aerodynamic, simple, and lightweight vehicle provides a "gliding" feel that combines the feeling of gravity-defying freedom and near-360 degree view of a glider with the pulse-quickening exhilaration of a race car.

"I think that the excitement of the racing car should be mirrored in the excitement of driving the road car," said Ben Bowlby, director of Nissan Motorsport Innovation, who has supported the BladeGlider's development. "I think there are elements we can bring from the race track to make these future road cars more exciting, more fulfilling and give greater driving pleasure."

As a rear-drive performance car, BladeGlider exhibits a coherent and linear handling that enables it to consistently hug road curves, providing feedback for intuitive and exhilarating steering control when cornering under threshold conditions.

Augmenting BladeGlider's aerodynamically-engineered precise feedback and control, the canopy-like visibility of the driving position engenders a synchronised feeling of oneness with the machine and the road. The result is a free soaring experience which the driver can share with two passengers in the V-shaped seating configuration. Passengers sit at the longitudinal centre of gravity to maintain the car's balance at all times. The centre-driving setting of the cabin space is designed to enhance the driver's sensatory experience.　

As a final touch, the driver's seat automatically slides laterally when you open the door, enabling easy access to passenger seats.

New EV Values for the Next Generation

By thinking outside the box, Nissan has created an EV that truly symbolises the unlimited potential of electric propulsion - balancing zero emissions with innovative excitement like never before.

With its narrow, 1.0 metre lightweight front track and wide, stable rear track, BladeGlider looks as if it could have sprung from a "skunk works" project. But the radical architecture all boils down to aerodynamics and balance. Having the front wheels close together reduces drag and enhances manoeuvrability for high-G cornering power, assisted by its 30/70 front/rear weight distribution ratio.

The Tokyo Motor Show is host to more than its share of unusual concept vehicles and one of the most intriguing has got to be Nissan BladeGlider.

This vehicle is an all-electric design study borrowing powertrain components and engineering know-how for the company’s all-electric Leaf as well as the phallus-shaped Zero Emission on Demand Racing Car. As you’d expect, it’s powered by a lithium-ion battery pack.

Not surprisingly this thing is built atop a unique architecture that supposedly gives the driver and up to two passengers “sustainable exhilaration,” thought I think what they meant to say is that it’s fun to drive an efficient. Hinting at entertaining dynamics power is sent to the BladeGlider’s rear wheels.

But this vehicle’s signature feature is its narrow front track, which is only 1 meter wide and dramatically less than the rear. Keeping mass in check the body is constructed of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic while its overall shape was supposedly inspired by a swept-wing aircraft.

Unlike other cars the driver sits front and center while the passengers ride behind. This supposedly gives the BladeGlider’s captain with an unobstructed view as well as a quote “free-soaring experience.”

Now, according to Nissan this vehicle targets “visionary individuals” and they claim that it’s more than just a concept. What could that mean? Well, it’s hard to believe a vehicle shaped like this could ever meet safety standards but some of its underlying technology is almost certainly more production viable.

Nissan’s radical BladeGlider electric sports car has led to the Japanese automaker being sued over the concept’s design. The company responsible for the original DeltaWing race car, DeltaWing Project 56, which is led by motorsport icon Don Panoz and formerly linked with Nissan, has filed a civil suit in a court in Georgia against Nissan and one of the BladeGlider’s key designers, Ben Bowlby.

Bowlby was previously involved with the DeltaWing project and since joining Nissan has helped design the automaker’s new ZEOD RC electric Le Mans prototype, another wedge-shaped car, as well as the BladeGlider. Also mentioned in the suit is Nissan motorsport boss Darren ***.

Automotive News (subscription required) is reporting that the suit is seeking a cease-and-desist order that would prevent Nissan from displaying, racing or selling cars with the distinctive ‘delta’ wedge shape made famous on the DeltaWing race car.

DeltaWing Project 56, which has spent millions in developing its wedge-shaped race car and proving that the concept works, is claiming intellectual property rights to the wedge shape and is hoping to license the design to automakers.

Nissan, meanwhile, has said that it plans to produce a sports car based on its BladeGlider concept. The wedge shape, though slightly odd for a car, remains effective on a track and offers advantages in weight and aerodynamic efficiency.

Stay tuned for an update.

Nissan showed the BladeGlider Concept at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show with claims that the car’s inspiration is a swept-wing aircraft, though Nissan’s former partner Delta Wing Project 56 disagrees.

They claim that the BladeGlider Concept’s design is a replica of the Delta Wing Concept car, which made its racing debut last year using Nissan engines for power. The lawsuit is seeking a cease-and-desist order that would stop Nissan from selling, racing or even displaying concept cars with that same wedge shaped design.

The man behind the Delta Wing race car was Ben Bowlby, the same man who Nissan hired on as its director of motorsport innovation after the company’s partnership with Delta Wing had ended. Bowlby also designed Nissan’s new ZEOD RC race car, which shares a similar design to both the Delta Wing and BladeGlider Concept.

The owner of Delta Wing Project 56, Dan Panoz, thinks that this design will inspire a new generation of street legal cars, and for that reason he wants to protect that design shape. ”Everybody else in the market would be open to that kind of design,” he told Automotive News. “And what do automobile companies do? They see something that’s taking off and they want to mimic it, don’t they?”

Nissan confirmed his theory when the company’s global product planning cheif Andy Palmer admitted that the BladeGlider is more than just a concept, saying ”this will be a production car.”

Check out the two galleries below to see the similarities between the two cars.

'Our intention is to do it'

Nissan's chief planning officer Andy Palmer told CAR the BladeGlider concept has chances of reaching production phase.

When Nissan introduced the BladeGlider concept at the Tokyo Motor Show last November they said it has what it takes to become "the best handling production car in the world." Now, Nissan's Andy Palmer says a production model derived from the concept is in the company's "mid-term plan" and their "intention is to do it."

The concept has a 1+2 seating layout and adopts a 30 : 70 weight distribution with the two in-wheel electric motors and lithium-ion batteries at the back.
The BladeGlider's front track is just one meter wide and according to Nissan this solution has improved not only the car's aerodynamics, but also its handling and agility.

Don't expect a production model in the immediate future since DeltaWing Racing has sued Nissan as they want to stop the Japanese marque from selling any type of car featuring a delta wing shape.

Will focus on volume products

Today we bring bad news from Nissan as the company has apparently decided to postpone indefinitely the launch of exciting niche models previewed by concepts.

According to Automotive News Europe, sources within Nissan have announced plans to focus on volume products to boost market share of both Nissan and its premium marque Infiniti. As a consequence, interesting concepts such as the IDx and BladeGlider along with Infiniti's Q50 Eau Rouge are unlikely to see the light of production day in the near future.

As for the BladeGlider concept, Nissan said it has the potential to be "the best handling production car in the world" and the company expressed its intentions of actually selling the car but it seems that won't happen.

Nissan doesn't have the best track record when it comes to putting concepts into production, so it comes as little surprise that the extreme BladeGlider concept looks like it's dead in the water.

While executives have previously said a production model was in their "mid-term plan," that appears to have changed as Nissan Chief Planning Officer Philippe Klein has told Autocar it's not a priority. Klein went on to say a production model is "still on the table" but "at the end of the day it has to make sense to the company."

As we have previously reported, the BladeGlider concept was introduced at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show and featured a unique Delta wing shape that echoed the ZEOD RC. The concept also had a McLaren F1-inspired 1+2 seating arrangement and was billed as having the "potential to be the best handling production car in the world."

If you were fond of Nissan’s DeltaWing race car, you should check the newly unveiled BladeGlider.

The radical vehicle is getting closer to series production, as Nissan unveils a working prototype that combines zero-emissions with high-performance in a revolutionary sports design.

The new version is an evolution of the original 2013 BladeGlider Concept, previewed at the Tokyo Motor Show the same year.

The BladeGliders are part of Nissan’s ongoing commitment to develop zero-emission vehicles and new automotive technologies, such as autonomous drive systems and connectivity, as Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan said:

"These prototypes epitomize Nissan's drive to expand its Intelligent Mobility philosophy, where driving pleasure combines with environmental responsibility. Nissan believes that enthusiasts should look forward to a zero emission future and Nissan BladeGlider is a perfect demonstration of that. It's the electric vehicle for car lovers."

Nissan’ engineers have worked for two years, refining the vehicle’s design and engineering, evolving it into an advanced, agile, and efficient EV. A car that would “glide”, thanks to its near-silent performance of its electric powertrain and aerodynamic shape, as Nissan puts it.

The demo models feature an advanced chassis configuration with a narrow front track and wider rear track for optimum aerodynamic efficiency, handling, and stability. Only the rear wheels are responsible for putting the BladeGlider’s power on the asphalt, and each one has its own 130 kW motor.

Supplying the juice is a high-performance, five-module lithium-ion 220kW battery pack with bespoke cooling, while a torque vectoring system keeps an eye on the car’s handling and corrects any form of unwanted oversteer. The latter was designed to improve the driving experience rather than govern it, even featuring three settings: off, agile and drift mode.

Total system output is 268 hp and 707 Nm (521 lb-ft) of torque, but since we’re talking about an electric car that weighs 1,300 kg (2,866 lbs), the acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) happens in less than five seconds.

Nissan wanted the BladeGlider’s cabin to reflect its sporty intentions, that’s why it comes with a motorsport-inspired steering wheel, four-point safety harnesses, and grippy seats.

Two Nissan BladeGliders will be presented in Rio de Janeiro in August; one will be on static display in Rio while the second will be offering dynamic rides to media and VIPs.