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Nissan Land Glider
Tuesday 20 October 2009
Sometimes, car designers take a step back and re-think the very essence of a car. The Nissan Land Glider is just the kind of concept that results.
Is it a car, or is it a motorcycle? In truth, a bit of both perhaps - four wheels, handlebars, and a pillion seating position (for a driver and passenger, in tandem.) Green credentials are intact, since there's no combustion engine. Instead, the Land Glider is powered by electric motors and produces no tailpipe emissions. So far, so electric car.
But the Land Glider has a clever party trick: it leans into corners.
Nissan's planning and design team were given a challenge: to explore new forms of zero emission mobility that redefined existing segments. With more than 50% of the world's population living in big cities in the near future, designers latched onto motorcycles as a credible base to start the design process. With four-wheel stability and a sense of safety that originates from a tilting cabin, the Land Glider will appeal to both two- and four-wheel driving enthusiasts.
The vehicle's two-seater tandem layout is enveloped in what seems like the canopy of a glider, while its unique `tilt' setup employs a special leaning function that holds occupants firmly in place even when the vehicle is cornering at angles.
Described as a `personal city commuter,' the Land Glider features steering-by-wire and a lean capability when cornering like a motorcycle that enables the vehicle and its tyres to lean by up to 17 degrees. Able to turn sharply at nearly any speed, the Land Glider employs sensors for vehicle speed, steering angle and yaw rate to instantly calculate the level of lean required to negotiate a corner. All the driver must do is turn and the cabin will lean accordingly. By enabling the car to lean, designers have succeeded in minimizing vehicle width and tyre tread width, thus achieving a sleek, futuristic look.
With very little weight and drive coming from two electric motors in the rear powered by lithium-ion batteries mounted beneath the floor, the zero-emissions Land Glider is quick off the mark. The car also features a non-contact charging system that can be charged whilst shopping at a supermarket or stopping at a motorway service station. This system enables vehicles to be charged cable-less at locations where the infrastructure exists.
To ensure maximum safety whilst driving, engineers have fitted a car-robotics style crash avoidance system in which sensors mounted in the body detect other vehicles in the same way as fish swim in schools without colliding. This system directs the vehicle's path away from any obstacles.
For now, the Nissan Land Glider is merely a cool concept car created for the Tokyo Motor Show. So should it be regarded, like many other wacky' concept cars, as a mere 'design study?' Nissan stresses not - it is already pushing hard to become a leader in battery electric technology, with the Leaf EV set to go into production.
And rumours are already circulating that a vehicle based on the Land Glider could form part of the Infiniti range - Nissan's premium luxury marque, just launched in the UK. The Land Glider, it seems, could be about to 'take off.'
