Nissan is to reveal a new version of its Pivo electric car concept at the forthcoming Tokyo Motor Show which opens on December 3, 2011.
It is the eight EV concept has shown since its first, the Pivo 1, was revealed back in 2005. The new Pivo 3 is designed to show a more ‘realistic’ electric vehicle which Nissan might launch in the near future. Of course, there is no hint that the vehicle will actually go into production at this stage, but Nissan wants to showcase the direction which new production models might take.
A compact city car, the concept also showcases how technology will make electric transport of the future more intuitive and easier.
Self-parking
With Automated Valet Parking (AVP) technology, the Pivo 3 is designed to park itself in specially designed parking spaces, meaning drivers can leave their vehicles to find a bay and park while they shop or do business in the city. Once it parks itself, the Pivo 3 also recharges itself while the driver is away. If fully charged, the car can sell excess power back to the grid. Later, the driver can call PIVO 3 and summon it to the driver’s location using a smartphone.
Francois Bancon, Deputy Division General Manager of Product Strategy and Product Planning Division, explains: “PIVO is one of the answers for active urbanists living in mature markets.
“Each of the eight concepts that we have created address different needs, different communities, different lifestyles for different markets. That makes zero emission mobility an ambitious statement for the company. At Nissan, we believe that the world is changing and mobility has a role to play to make it better,” he added.
Just 3 metres long, the Pivo seats three in a 1+2 layout. The compact body and narrow-tread wheels with IWM (in-wheel motors) enable an extremely small turning radius with zero turn gap. Such manoeuvrability means that if a driver makes a wrong turn the Pivo can make a legal U-turn in a road only 4m wide.
The car will makes its world debut to the press on December 3, 2011 when the Tokyo Motor Show opens.
