Nissan Nuvu

The Nissan Nuvu (Japanese 日産・ニューヴ Nyuuvu, literally meaning new view  – "new look") is a compact all-electric city car produced by Japanese car manufacturer Nissan and presented at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The concept featured 2+1 seating, with solar panels shaped like tree leaves on the roof that channel the sun's power through a "tree trunk" conduit in the centre of the vehicle. The concept car can reach about 75 mph and travel up to about 80 mi on an electric charge. A production model based on Nuvu was not created, but some of the technologies used on the model were subsequently installed on the production Nissan Leaf.

Concept
According to Nissan, most people at the beginning of the 21st century do not use cars to their full potential: out of five seats, only one or two are sometimes used, and five seats are used only 1–2% of the time. Nissan decided to create a car not for the city of the 2000s, but for the city of the mid-century, where, in its opinion, there will be even more people and traffic jams. Therefore, Nuvu is a small electric car and contains only 3 seats, of which one is foldable. Thus, at least a third of all available seats are used in the car during each trip.

The official presentation of the model took place at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008.

Design and construction
Inspired by a tropical fish, the concept is a two-door hatchback (no tailgate) with two permanent and one folding seats. The model is painted in a gold colour, the official name of which is "Soft Feel Sandy Gold". The windshield goes into a panoramic roof, on which solar panels are located, similar to leaves with three-ray symmetry. The taillights are located on the rear window.

The interior is quite unusual: the driver's seat is located in the usual place, behind it there is an area for storing luggage, the front passenger seat is folding, and behind it there is another permanent place for the rear passenger. The most unusual element is a tree trunk-shaped column located behind the driver's seat. It branches out on the roof and collects energy from solar panels, increasing the vehicle's range. In addition to this function, it is also a power element that increases body rigidity. There is no direct connection between the steering wheel and the wheels – Nuvu is equipped with By-Wire technology (previously used on the Nissan Pivo concept), thanks to which the steering mechanism and brakes are driven by servos, which receive signals from the steering wheel and pedals. The interior is made from recycled materials.

Specification
The model is built on a special platform created from scratch. The electric motor is located at the rear and drives the rear axle. No exact data regarding the engine has been published; all that is known is that the power reserve is 130 km and the maximum speed is 120 km/h. Lithium-ion batteries are located under the seats to keep the car's centre of gravity lower. Their characteristics were also not disclosed, since they were later used on the production model Nissan Leaf. According to Nissan, with fast charging, the car can be charged to 80% in 20 minutes. When using a regular 220-volt outlet, charging takes up to 4 hours.

Reviews and ratings
The Auto Express magazine conducted a test drive of the Nissan Nuvu in October 2008. The model was noted as "ideal for the city of the future." The only downside was the inconvenient location of the gear shift mechanism and hand brake. The overall rating was five stars out of five.