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Kawasaki's concept cycle can morph into a three-wheeler, comes from your cyberpunk dreams
Does Kawasaki's new electric cycle have two, three wheels or four? Well, it depends. According to the conceptual sketches and a terse explanatory panel, the "J vehicle" concept EV can switch between a lie-down two-wheel Akira / Tron-baiting cycle and a four three-wheel drive mode, with the latter designated as "comfort" mode. The model, revealed at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, is apparently powered by Kawasaki's biggest onboard battery pack, the Gigacell, although (any other) details aren't forthcoming. That's probably because it's from the future and is tearing the space-time continuum apart. (Update: According to those aforementioned concept images, only the front wheels separate outward in comfort mode, turning it into a three-wheeled vehicle, not a quad-bike. We apologize for the error.)
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.
Toyota's FV2 concept vehicle has a customizable LCD surface and you can drive it while standing
Toyota's new one-person EV even managed to draw our attention away from cars that look fit for superheroics, Announced at the Tokyo Motor Show 2013, the FV2 concept practically slaps you around the face with how much future...ness it's been plied with. In its 'parked' state (measuring 90cm high), it looks a lot like a Tron cycle also-ran, but once the door / roof is raised [seen above], this all changes. Once that happens, you can steer (pilot?) the FV2 while standing: by shifting your body weight to the left or right, it'll tend in that direction. The vehicle only carries one, but distributes the weight across four wheels, which are arranged in a cross layout. There's one at the front, one at the back and two primary drive wheels underneath the driver. This pair, alongside the tail section of the FV2, are coated in light-up displays, able to cycle through colors and patterns, although we're not entirely clear what degree of customization you'd get if the concept eventually made it to retail. We know some people's tastes are pretty out there. Accompanying the vehicle, there were several touchscreen displays that allowed you to... cycle through some custom paint jobs. That's not where the technology ends, however, as that raised windscreen will reportedly act as a augmented reality display, offering up driving advice on traffic conditions, soccer scores and the weather. A spokesperson told Engadget that this information could be gleaned from surrounding vehicles and other wireless data points -- well, we're talking about the future, remember? For a closer glimpse at what Toyota thinks the mirai will look like, take a look through the galleries below.
Toyota is taking fuel cells seriously, unveils concept car and reaffirms launch in 2015
Fuel cells are very much back on the energy agenda. It's not smartphones this time, however, but vehicles. From Toyota, no less. The company's fuel cell program is about to bear fruit and it's revealed a sleek, shiny concept design that's promising a range of "at least" 500 km and a refuel time comparable to good ol' gasoline vehicles.The eventual production model car is planned to go on sale in 2015, which would ensure Toyota keeps the promise it made way back in 2010. The blue color scheme and softened design curves are meant to evoke the "key characteristics" of fuel cell cars: turning air into water. There's even a wave motif fuel cap -- it's all about the details. Once filled and plugged into a compatible home, the FCV is also apparently capable of providing enough electricity to power an average Japanese home for over a week (10 kWh). To accomplish this, two high-pressure hydrogen tanks are stored along the undercarriage, but if you're depending on the FCV to function as, well... a car, then you'll be happy to hear that it can carry around three passengers, alongside the early-adopting driver.
Nissan's BladeGlider: an electric sportscar fit for a superhero
It's the Batmobile, it's a Star Wars Starfighter, no it's actually Nissan's BladeGlider. This is the Japanese company's futuristic electric sportscar design that's built with speed in mind. It has a carbon fiber-covered body that's shaped like a rocket with a narrow nose and a wider rear. Beyond its Lambo-like doors is a sci-fi-worthy steering wheel placed smack dab in the middle where the driver seat is -- the two passengers that can fit in the vehicle will have to make peace with being backseat drivers. The automaker's keeping mum on the finer details (don't hold your breath for an anti drunk-driving tech, though), but it says the rear tires will be fitted with in-wheel electric motors powered by lithium-ion batteries. Company officials also say that due to the car's design and reduced weight, it consumes less energy than its popular Leaf EV. While this looks very much like just another fancy concept, Nissan claims the car is much more than that, even calling it an "exploratory prototype" that it wishes to bring to production. It'll likely take some time before you can cruise the streets in the BladeGlider, but those in Japan can catch a glimpse of it at the Tokyo Motor Show in late November.
