By showing off a new EV meant for sharing, and previewing the in-car technology to be used in the Leaf, Nissan proved that the most interesting technologies introduced on electric cars could have nothing to do with DC motors and lithium-ion batteries.
The New Mobility Concept (above), which appears to be loosely based on theRenault Twizy, envisions a future where cars are shared and their roles are repurposed throughout the day.
Nissan says the New Mobility Concept can be part of a “seamless mobility service” that connects the car with public transportation using a smartphone app. Though details are scarce, we envision armies of tiny shared EVs at central train and subway stations that get commuters to their final destination.
Additionally, Nissan’s “2-mode EV car-sharing” service allows individuals to share their New Mobility Concept with a corporate fleet during business hours. You get to drive the car to and from work, but the outside sales department gets to use it while you’re at your desk. We assume it charges at night, or while Bob is closing on the Peterson account.
According to Nissan, the vehicle is perfect for “elderly and single households, as well as the trend of driving short distances or in smaller groups.” In other words, with a smartphone and a city or corporate fleet of EVs, you don’t have to own a car to have private transportation.
Nissan also previewed the tech that will sit on the dashboard of the new Leaf, which goes on sale next month. Based on Nissan’s Carwings telematics system, Leaf owners will get maps showing not only charging stations and other attractions, butwarnings about slippery roads gleaned from data points where other Nissan owners had to use ABS.
An “expected reachable area map display” shows how far a Leaf can go in its current state of charge with a map overlay, and is accessible with a single touch of the screen. Route-planning functions take into account range and charging stations along the way. When you’re back home, the Leaf will tell you when it’s cheapest to juice up the batteries.
Perhaps our favorite function adds a bit of social media and competition to a drive to work. “Ranking” allows Leaf owners worldwide to compete with each other on metrics of electricity consumption, range and power produced by regenerative braking.
Photo: Nissan
