Nissan ESFLOW

The all-electric Nissan LEAF family car is barely on sale, but the company is already showing us an electric sports car concept in the form of the Nissan ESFLOW.

The ESFLOW is a rear-wheel drive, two-seater pure EV sports car concept that can accelerate from 0-62 mph in less than 5 seconds and can manage 150 miles on one charge.

The ESFLOW has been created from the ground up as a pure electric vehicle. It’s rear-wheel drive and runs on two motors which are placed above the axis of the rear wheels.

The motors independently control the left and right wheels, and so the torque is optimised to ensure vehicle stability and control as well as efficient power regeneration.

Power for the motors comes from the same laminated lithium-ion battery packs used in the Nissan LEAF, but in ESFLOW the packs are located along the axis of the front and rear wheels which centralises the mass of the car.

An aluminium chassis has been built around the drivetrain, with roll bars incorporated into the structure behind the seats. The car’s mirrors have been replaced with small rear view cameras.

The seats are sculpted into the rear bulkhead of the car, meaning that they are light but also immobile; instead the fly-by-wire steering and pedals adjust electrically.

The Nissan ESFLOW concept car will be unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, 3-13 March. Also see Nissan at the Tokyo Motor Show featuring the ESFLOW, TOWNPOD and PIVO 3.