Nissan's quirky electric concept car

Friday, October 05, 2007

Nissan is showing off a new development of is Pivo electric concept car at this year's Tokyo motor show at the end of the month.

The Pivo 2 is an evolution of the Pivo shown at the 2005 Tokyo motor show, which had a rotating cabin and was powered by lithium-ion batteries.

Pivo 2 has each of these features, but adds a 'robotic agent' which allows the driver to communicate with the car on everything from basic vehicle functions to the nearest parking spot - in English or Japanese.

When you find that spot, the Pivo 2 has made reverse parking a thing of the past. Its wheels rotate through 90 degrees so that the car can drive sideways as well as forwards.

If you do want to reverse, though, you'll find the lack of a reverse gear isn't a problem. You just rotate the cabin to face the way you want to go.

Pivo 2 also has advanced lithium-ion batteries and uses 'drive-by-wire' technology for braking and steering.