The car you see here is the culmination of the collaboration between Nissan and Ben Bowlby, the alien super-brain behind the DeltaWing racecar and Nissan’s upcoming ZEOD RC electric LeMans racer. It’s called the Blade Glider, and it just won all the car shows- the guys from Toyota and Mitsubishi might as well pack it up re: Tokyo, and just try harder at the next one.
As far as the hardware is concerned, Nissan’s Blade Glider reportedly uses a number of existing Leaf components, from drive bits to batteries, making it a simple enough thing to put into production if, you know, I’m a good boy and Santa grants all my Christmas wishes or something- and I might be! Nissan’s official word on the topic makes it seem like that’s a when, not an if. From the press release: “When Blade Glider 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.”
Oh, yeah!
As an exercise in packaging existing hardware into a sexier, slinkier package, the Blade Glider wins, hand-down. It’s the sexiest Nissan Leaf you’ll ever be able to buy, and- with three seats- you might even be able to talk the wife into one. Maybe. (Hopefully).
You can check out a quick video of the Blade Glider, courtesy of Nissan, below- and keep scrolling down to a few press photos showing the car’s slick profile and absolutely awe-inspiring cockpit, as well as Nissan’s comprehensive press release.
If you don’t want one, you’re dead inside.
Targeting the visionary individual seeking visceral driving and sustainability, Blade Glider 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. Blade Glider’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 revolutionize 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.
Blade Glider’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.
Blade Glider 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, Blade Glider’s developmental focus was aerodynamics: achieving low drag (cdA) while generating road-hugging downforce.
Disruptive and challenging to the status quo, Blade Glider 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 meter 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 maneuverability 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-fiber underbody, hence the lack of drag-inducing wings.
When Blade Glider 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, Blade Glider employs Nissan’s innovative lithium-ion battery technology, proven in Nissan LEAF. Battery modules are mounted low and toward 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 optimized chassis wrapped in ultra-lightweight, yet strong and stiff, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) finished in a pearlescent white color 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.
“Blade Glider 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 center-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 Blade Glider’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, Blade Glider 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 Blade Glider’s aerodynamically engineered precise feedback and control, the canopy-like visibility of the driving position engenders a synchronized 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 center of gravity to maintain the car’s balance at all times. The center-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 symbolizes the unlimited potential of electric propulsion — balancing zero emissions with innovative excitement like never before.
As an exercise in packaging existing hardware into a sexier, slinkier package, the Blade Glider wins, hand-down. It’s the sexiest Nissan Leaf you’ll ever be able to buy, and- with three seats- you might even be able to talk the wife into one. Maybe. (Hopefully).
You can check out a quick video of the Blade Glider, courtesy of Nissan, below- and keep scrolling down to a few press photos showing the car’s slick profile and absolutely awe-inspiring cockpit, as well as Nissan’s comprehensive press release.
If you don’t want one, you’re dead inside.
YOKOHAMA, Japan – More than a concept, Nissan Blade Glider 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. Blade Glider 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.
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 revolutionize 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.
Blade Glider 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, Blade Glider’s developmental focus was aerodynamics: achieving low drag (cdA) while generating road-hugging downforce.
Disruptive and challenging to the status quo, Blade Glider 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.
With its narrow, 1.0 meter 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 maneuverability 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-fiber underbody, hence the lack of drag-inducing wings.
When Blade Glider 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, Blade Glider employs Nissan’s innovative lithium-ion battery technology, proven in Nissan LEAF. Battery modules are mounted low and toward the rear to enhance stability and handling.
BladeGlider embodies a fearless vision of the EV future. Its tightly streamlined deltoid body comprises a tough and structurally optimized chassis wrapped in ultra-lightweight, yet strong and stiff, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) finished in a pearlescent white color 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.
“Blade Glider 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 center-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 Blade Glider’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, Blade Glider 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 Blade Glider’s aerodynamically engineered precise feedback and control, the canopy-like visibility of the driving position engenders a synchronized 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 center of gravity to maintain the car’s balance at all times. The center-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 symbolizes the unlimited potential of electric propulsion — balancing zero emissions with innovative excitement like never before.
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