nissan
Latest
The 2016 Nissan Leaf touts 107-mile range thanks to a larger battery
If you're looking to get over 100 miles out of your next EV before needing to recharge, Nissan hopes its retooled Leaf will grab your attention. Two of the 2016 models claim an EPA-estimated 107-mile range thanks to a bigger 30 kWh battery. And yes, that's both best-in-class and 27 percent further than the previous power pack would take you. Looking to park one in your driveway? The base S model is priced at $29,010 before a $7,500 federal tax credit lowers the cost to $21,510. There are also SV and SL models, priced at $26,700 and $29,290 (after tax credit) respectively, if you're after a new ride with more options than the standard model offers.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: next-gen EVs and bricklaying robots
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Now that the first wave of electric vehicles has established a strong foothold in the market, automakers are working on their successors -- and the green cars of tomorrow will blow you away. For starters, they'll be able to travel much farther. This past week, Volkswagen revealed that it's working on an electric car with a 186-mile range; Chevrolet announced plans to begin producing the 200-mile Bolt EV in 2016; and reports indicate that the next-generation Nissan Leaf will be able to travel over 310 miles on a single charge. Hydrogen cars are also gaining traction -- last week, Toyota announced that its Mirai is the only zero-emission vehicle that can travel 312 miles nonstop. Meanwhile, Tesla is tackling the range-anxiety problem by improving its charging network -- and it just launched a next-generation Supercharger that is lighter, faster and cooled by liquid. If you're looking for something even more futuristic, we have just the thing -- the world's first commercial jetpack is (finally) set to hit the market next year.
Nissan turns old electric car batteries into fixed energy storage
Mercedes and Tesla aren't the only electric car makers giving their batteries something to do besides getting you from A to B. Nissan is teaming up with Green Charge Networks to repurpose "second-life" (read: used) batteries from Leaf EVs as commercial energy storage. Much like the batteries you can buy for your home, the lithium-ion packs will help offices save money (and ideally, the environment) by storing cheap energy. Companies can charge up overnight to avoid painful peak electricity rates, for instance, or reserve power from solar and wind farms that would otherwise go to waste. The Leaf-based tech will see its first use at one of Nissan's own facilities this summer, but we'd expect it to spread to other businesses in short order.
Ride shotgun in this 360-degree Le Mans video
Sure, 360-degree video is practically old news at this point, but we've never seen an example that works as well as this. To coincide with the Le Mans 24 Hour endurance race, Nismo (Nissan's motorsports division) has uploaded a 360-degree lap of Circuit de la Sarthe, the course that plays venue to the contest. Although it's probably more immersive on your PC or laptop, we'd recommend also watching it through the YouTube app on your phone or tablet, as you'll be able to use your device's gyroscope to move the camera in any direction you chose.
Nissan and AT&T are connecting more cars, new or old
The New York Auto Show wraps up this weekend, where using technology to keep cars (and the people in them) both safer and more connected is receiving much of the attention. The 2016 Nissan Maxima is launching with new SiriusXM-powered NissanConnect Services that link your car to the network by satellite, paired cellphone or its built-in cellphone connection. In 2013 Nissan announced it's working with AT&T on the package, and AT&T is independently launching a new Car Connection 2.0 plug-in that will put some similar features into anyone's car. It's the same link that keeps Tesla's Model S connected to the cloud and downloading performance-enhancing OTA updates, but now it's coming to more vehicles. Read on to find out exactly what's included, plus a drones-eye view of the NYIAS floor.
Watch Nissan's glowing Leaf tear down a glowing stretch of highway
Daan Roosegaarde's Smart Highway concept saw a third of a mile of asphalt in the Dutch town of Oss festooned with phosphorescent stripes -- they spend the day soaking up sunlight and convert it into a slightly eerie blue/green glow to guide drivers for eight hours once night falls. Seeing the road is trippy in and of itself, so (naturally?) watching Nissan's glow-in-the-dark Leaf tear down it is a whole other story. Friendly reminder: You might want to have the Tron or Starlight Express soundtracks cued up before you press play.
You won't be able to buy Nissan's futuristic three-seater EV after all
Bad news for anyone who wanted a three-seated electric supercar, because Nissan's Batmobile-esque BladeGlider isn't coming to market. Autoblog is reporting that recent executive changes at the company have meant that new executives are having second thoughts about selling the insane vehicle to the public. Incoming planning officer Philippe Klein told Autocar that the long-awaited retail model was "not among the [company's] immediate priorities," which is executive speak for shut up and stop asking.
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.
Racing game fanatics win one of the world's toughest endurance races
Three years ago, Belgium's Wolfgang Reip and Germany's Florian Strauss were likely at home, speeding around famous racetracks on their PlayStations. While being down-right awesome at a popular video game was their primary goal, yesterday they achieved something incredible: winning one of the world's toughest endurance races. It's definitely a story they'll tell the grandchildren, but thanks to Sony and Nissan, it might not be the first time you hear of a gamer showing professionals how it's done.
The 10 most-tweeted commercials from Super Bowl XLIX
It was a great night for Rob Gronkowski and the New England Patriots, but it wasn't so good for our friend Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks. It also was a great night for brands trying to hold your attention for seconds with ads to get you talking on Twitter. From the usual highbrow suspects selling soda and beer, to toe fungus medication and superglue, here's our take on the most-talked about spots from last night's big game.
NASA and Nissan team up to on self-driving cars and space rovers
NASA and Nissan believe they've got a lot to learn from each other when it comes to autonomous vehicle technology. So, the two have decided to team up for the next five years and develop a self-driving system that they can use not just on Earth, but also in space. A team of scientists from both organizations will design an autonomous vehicle technology at the NASA Ames Research Center, home to Moffett Field, where Google is also testing its self-driving auto prototypes. The duo will start by conjuring up a fleet of zero-emission robotic cars, presumably modified Nissan Leafs, as that's exactly what's pictured above. They expect to start test driving the first one by the end of 2015.
Engadget Daily: Internet security flaws, iOS 8 fixes and more!
The past 24 hours have been quite a ride, eh? We've seen just how easy it can be to pilfer goods from an Apple store, discovered that there's yet another internet security flaw and Cupertino has a fix for the latest version of iOS' problems. However, there are even more stories than that! For those, check out the gallery below.
Engadget Daily: Haven's barricade-style smart lock, Nissan's electric pickup truck and more!
Need to catch up on the last 24 hours of tech news? Read on for our daily highlights, including Nissan's EV pickup truck, a heavy-duty smart lock that can withstand a battering ram, the deal with Apple's iOS 8 bugs and more.
Engadget Daily: We made 'magic' butter, sorted iOS 8 keyboards and more!
Today marked a special occasion in Engadget history: it was the day we published a story about making butter infused with marijuana. That isn't all that's happened in the past 24 hours, though, we also have a guide to the new iOS 8 keyboards, spotted that Aubrey Plaza is voicing Grumpy Cat and a whole lot more. Just check out the gallery below!
So what is it like to drive with Nissan's Smart rearview mirror?
Despite all the changes going on in automobiles lately, one thing that's remained pretty consistent in every car I've driven has been the rearview mirror. We can check that one off now though, now that I've taken a test drive in a Nissan Rogue equipped with the new Smart rearview mirror. Due to roll out on the company's cars in North America next year, it's a simple augmentation that combines a traditional mirror with a video screen. Flipping the dimmer switch usually meant for night driving drops you into video camera mode, with a feed streamed directly from a 1.3MP camera mounted in the trunk that drops out the usual blockages from the car's interior for a clear view of what's behind you. Back up cameras are already common -- and highly necessary if you have my (lack of) parallel parking skills -- but is it time to change out something that's worked pretty well for the last century or so?
Want to be a race car driver? Start playing video games
The Nissan GT Academy is a racing competition that sees winning drivers transition from Gran Turismo's digital realm to an honest-to-goodness race car. Lucas Ordóñez was the very first GT Academy winner and he not only went on to race outside the virtual realm, but grabbed some podium finishes, too. Fast forward five competitions (and as many years) and Road & Track reports that four Academy grads will be racing at Le Mans for 2014, proving that this feeder route is the real deal. Nissan's own entry in the famous 24-hour event, the hybrid electric ZEOD RC, will be driven by Ordóñez and 2012 winner Wolfgang Riep with Satoshi Motoyama as the third in the team. The Lotus entry in the gruelling full-day race will see 2011's victor Jann Mardenborough -- now actually racing in GT3 -- and 2012's Mark Shulzhitskiy competing with F1 commentator and ex-driver Martin Brundle's son Alex Brundle. So next time your mom gives you grief for wasting all your time and rotting your brain playing video games, let her know you're training for your future career as a professional race car driver. [Image credit: Nissan]
Nissan offers free electricity to entice EV customers
Though "fueling" an EV costs a pittance next to a gas-guzzler, hunting for that next compatible charging network can bring on cold sweats. Nissan Leaf buyers in 25 markets will soon be able to relax, though. A new "EZ-Charge" card will grant two years of free charging across four major networks: ChargePoint, Blink, AeroVironment and NRG's eVGO. The automaker may have been motivated by its free charging trials in Texas, which led to a three-fold Leaf sales increase at one dealership. The expanded program will roll out to owners in 10 markets this July, provided they bought their Leaf after April 1st. There are other restrictions too: just one hour max of free charging at a Level 2 station and a half hour on a fast charger. The latter option will give an 80 percent charge, but a Level 2 station will only dole out 20 miles' worth of electrons in an hour -- so plan accordingly.
Japan looks to next-gen 3D printers for a return to manufacturing success
American 3D printer manufacturers have stolen a lead on the competition, but a Japan-based alliance is looking to fight back... it'll take a year or two, is all. The group includes universities, 27 companies including the likes of Panasonic, Nissan and Kawasaki, as well as the Japanese government. Rather than cheerfully-colored figurines and trinkets, the group plans to use titanium-based materials to craft complicated components like airplane parts and artificial joints for medical use. For the government's part, it's promising 3.8 billion yen ($36.5 million) this year, with each member organization adding another 500,000 yen per year to the research group. According to the Nikkei, work will focus on advanced tech that will allow 3D-printed components through (awesome-sounding) "molten metal powders." The aim is to have prototype machines by 2015, with some 3D printers ready for sale as commercial products. Final finished machines for making medical equipment and aircraft manufacturers will apparently take another four years to perfect.
Nissan's BladeGlider electric concept car should definitely race the Batmobile (eyes-on)
We already knew that Nissan's eye-catching electric car concept looked fit for a superhero, but it's honestly not just comic-book premise. A Nissan spokesperson told us that the BladeGlider is a very early prototype aimed towards for-real vehicle production. To its credit, with some geometry skills and practice, you could probably fit two BladeGliders into a standard parking space. Perhaps even more incredibly, the BladeGlider also apparently uses less energy than Nissan's eponymous Leaf EV. The car draws on a lot of design cues from the DeltaWing, a car that Nissan worked on and one that previously did the rounds at Le Mans, among other raceways. Development then judiciously plucked design and engineering pointers from the ZEOD RC, its hybrid electric race car. As you'd expect from a car that's striving towards the future, the twin doors rise upwards rather than swinging out. Sure, we've seen that before -- 30 years earlier -- but in this concept car the entire cockpit also pitches to the side to make space for the driver's exit or entrance. It's no solo car, however, and there's space for two passengers in the back. And that shape: the front of the car is a meter wide, opening up to 1.8 meters along the back. There aren't many cars out there like the BladeGlider -- check out a shot of the HUD after the break.
NYC's Taxi of Tomorrow hits a roadblock, judge rules city overreached its authority
Mayor Bloomberg, New York's Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) and Nissan have been working to bring the NV200 "Taxi of Tomorrow" to the Big Apple since 2011, but it looks like its planned October 28th launch won't go without a hitch. In a lawsuit brought by Evgeny Freidman and the Greater New York Taxi Association against the TLC, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Schlomo Hagler ruled that the agency can't force taxi owners to buy the Japanese manufacturers' autos. "Simply stated, the power to contract and compel medallion owners to purchase the Nissan NV200 from Nissan for ten years does not exist in the City Charter," Hagler's decision reads, according to the Wall Street Journal. While this certainly complicates things for Bloomberg and Co., it doesn't mean that the Taxi of Tomorrow's fate is sealed. Naturally, NYC is bent on appealing the decision. "We believe the Court's decision is fundamentally wrong, and we intend to appeal immediately," wrote the city's corporation counsel Michael Cardozo in a statement. If an appeal doesn't change the ruling however, Gotham could be on the hook for a sum in the neighborhood of $50 million or more, which would cover the car maker's design and production costs. According to the WSJ, a city official says they may not have to pony up the cash, as the contract would be rendered void by the court, not New York City's whim. Despite the setback, Nissan says its plan to fill the taxi fleet with new autos hasn't been derailed. "We are disappointed in the court's decision, but it will not prevent our plan to start upgrading the NYC taxi fleet with the Nissan Taxi of Tomorrow at the end of the month," a Nissan spokesperson told Autoblog in an email. Something tells us this will be a long legal road, so don't get used to the idea of shiny new rides just yet.