OREANDA-NEWS. Nissan is kicking off the preview week of the 2016 New York International Auto Show by looking into the future of mobility and discussing how emerging trends already are changing the way people get from place to place, especially in crowded urban environments.

"As large cities continue to grow into megacities globally, we need to better understand how transportation is changing and anticipate what transportation needs will look like in the future," said Rachel Nguyen, director, Nissan Future Lab. "With the fast-paced growth of smart technologies and the emergence of the sharing economy, we are studying how this size and package of electric vehicle fits in real life customer situations."

Based on the west coast, Nissan Future Lab was established in 2014 as an extension of Nissan's global advanced planning group and looks decades ahead to identify potential issues and opportunities for the business today and into the future. Nissan Future Lab looks beyond products and examines the future of mobility in a wider sense. The group is inspired by rapid developments in automotive technology such as electric, autonomous and connected vehicles and trends like ride sharing.

"Urbanization and the growth of megacities – particularly in developing countries – is the biggest challenge facing the automotive industry," added Nguyen. "It's mind boggling to think there's only about 10 megacities now and in 20 years there will be 30. Mobility is a major driving force central to how these megacities will develop."

In October, Nissan Future Lab partnered with Scoot Networks, adding 10 NNMC's to Scoot's fleet in San Francisco, a city that has many of the same traffic and parking challenges as New York City. These test NNMCs (known there as Scoot Quads) rent for $6 for a half hour use or $80 for a full day.

With their 7.6-foot length, about the size of four-tenths of the all-new Nissan TITAN XD pickup that will be on display at the New York International Auto Show, the NNMCs have the potential to help reduce pollution and traffic congestion in the city. Parking is also a major benefit, with three NNMCs able to fit head-in into one parking space (where permitted). For demonstration purposes in New York City, the four vehicles are wrapped in different primary colors with the hashtag #NissanFutureLab down the sides.

The NNMC is based on the Renault Twizy, which is currently available for sale in select European markets and will be offered in Canada beginning in summer 2016. The NNMC has been specially imported by Nissan for demonstration and testing purposes for the duration of this research project.

 

 

Nissan New Mobility Concept Specs

Wheelbase

66.4 in.

Overall length

92.0 in.

Overall width

48.7 in.

Overall height

57.2 in.

Powertrain

17-horsepower electric motor with 61 kWh Lithium ion battery

Weight

1,045 pounds

Range

Approximately 40 miles

Charging time

3.5 hours on

Top speed

25 miles per hour

Safety

Driver supplemental air bag, 4-point front seat belt, 3-point rear seatbelt


About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized annually by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year since 2010. 

About Nissan Motor Co.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 247,500 employees globally, Nissan sold 5.32 million vehicles and generated revenue of 11.38 trillion yen (USD 103.6 billion) in fiscal year 2014. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. Nissan leads the world in zero-emission mobility, dominated by sales of the LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle. It is the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment.