In the wake of the financial problems that were spreading worldwide, the Paris auto show made a couple of things clear: consumers shift to buying smaller cars and manufacturers shift to hybrids and electric cars.
One of the manufacturers that came up with an exceptional concept car was Nissan. The Nuvu concept is an impression of Nissans view of the future. It is a progressive vision of ubran mobility as the Nuvu is an electric vehicle with zero emissions. The car is just 118 inches long and seats 2+1 in its roomy cabin. If not in use, the third seat can easily be folded away.
What makes the Nuvu special among the mini models of Nissans competitors? That is the glass roof with 12 solar panels in the shape of leaves. They are visible from inside the cabin and ‘catch´ energy when the sun is shining.
Inside the cabin is the ‘trunk of the tree´ that sends the energy to the batteries. Storing energy this way for a month, the Nuvu has enough to drive one day on its electric motor. But, of course, it is also possible to plug-in the little car to any power outlet. Charging takes about four hours and the full lithium ion batteries give the Nuvu enough power to go a distance of 77 miles.
We should not expect Nissans new electric vehicle that is due to arrive in 2010 to be equipped with a tree like the Nuvu, but the design could have a lot to do with that of the concept car.
