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Nissan will test its self-driving taxi service in Japan next year
Nissan wants to have its fully-automated ride service on the road in Japan by the early 2020s. The plan is to start with a "public field test" for the Easy Ride service in Yokohama. Nissan has partnered with technology company DeNa for the venture, and the hope is to have everything from pick-up to payment and drop-off handled via mobile app. If you'd rather take the scenic route to your destination, options will be available for that as well.
Nissan's gold Olympics-edition EV, and more in the week that was
Tesla's Gigafactory is set to double the world's battery production, and this week it opened its doors for the first time. Tesla is also working on an electric truck, but Mercedes-Benz beat them to punch this week by launching the world's first all-electric big rig. In other transportation news, a sun-powered airplane completed an epic trip around the world -- and we highlighted eight milestones from its record-shattering flight. Nissan announced that it will give golden Leaf EVs to medal-winning Olympic athletes. And Norway unveiled plans to build the world's first floating underwater traffic tunnels, which will be suspended from pontoons.
Nissan has a glow-in-the-dark Leaf EV, but you can't buy one
Oh, Nissan, you tease. The company has just coated a Leaf EV with some custom-made glow-in-dark paint, which can apparently last for up to 25 years -- but it has no plans (not yet, anyway) to make it available for purchase. Nissan partnered with glow-in-dark pavement creator Hamish Scott to concoct a special paint as a symbolic representation of how Leaf inspires its owners to convert to solar energy. It's easy to find glow-in-the-dark paints these days, of course, and you can even do Tron-like designs on your car if you want, but the company claims the one it mixed up isn't like any other.
Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tennessee to start Leaf production by late 2012
No worries Nissan EV fans, more Leaves are on the way -- that's according to Bill Kreuger, the head honcho of Nissan's manufacturing and supply chain division. Kreuger tells Automotive News, the catastrophic earthquake in Japan that shut down several large plants was just a small speedbump in the release of the flagship electric vehicle. Nissan North America has been preparing a 1.6 billion dollar production complex in Smyrna, Tennessee, to begin rolling out EVs in the masses by late 2012. The plan is to have the plant assemble about 200,000 battery modules and as many as 150,000 Leafs each year, and we're guessing it'll have quite an easy go finding names for each and every one.
Nissan's Leaf EV will sound like a Blade Runner spinner, get better mileage
One of the major disadvantages of electric vehicles, for petrolheads at least, is the lack of engine noise. How can you be proud of your beastly motor if it doesn't roar? There are mundane considerations like pedestrian safety too, but that's beside the point. Nissan seems to have uncovered an old copy of Blade Runner in its toolshed and decided that, yes, it might be a good idea for the Leaf EV to emit a whooshing sound inspired by the Philip K. Dick adaptation. If implemented, this will raise the car's price somewhat, but wouldn't you pay a premium to have your auto sound like a jet taking off? The Leaf is expected to arrive in the US in 2010, replete with its reputed 367 miles per gallon efficiency. [Via Autoblog Green]
