Formula E has been driving the power and technology of electric cars for the world to see. Now on its sixth season, carmakers from all over the globe will compete in 14 races across 12 cities in this supercharged race.
Nissan made their debut last December, being the first Japanese carmaker to compete in Formula E. This year they will be using the new “Gen 2” Formula E car, which promises to highlight a new “performance side” of Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility.
Similar to its Formula One counterpart that uses a single-seater car, Formula E instead is all about electric vehicles with the aim of bringing it to a global reality. It’s a big event that works toward introducing electric and hybrid cars to help reduce carbon emissions.
Nissan’s Formula E car will don a new, Japan-inspired look as it returns for another season of the electric street racing series to demonstrate the power and performance of the company’s EV technology.
Nissan unveiled the new race car livery today in Yokohama, ahead of season six of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship series. The red, black and white design is inspired by the Japanese kimono garment, a traditional symbol of longevity and good fortune. It will also be featured on the Nissan LEAF NISMO RC, the dual electric-motor performance vehicle based on the Nissan LEAF electric car.
“As we approach the beginning of our second season of Formula E competition, our design team proposed a new look, one that celebrates our Japanese heritage and vibrant technology DNA,” said Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s senior vice president for global design. “We used our iconic Nissan racing red, black and white colors layered diagonally in a kimono pattern, which creates a dynamic and powerful impression.”
Nissan invited its nearly 40 in-house designers, working in key markets around the world, to submit concepts for the new design.
Drivers Sebastien Buemi and Oliver Rowland will be back behind the wheel for the Nissan e.dams team. The team entered the championship to showcase its zero-emission vehicle technologies, communicate the company’s Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision, and learn lessons that will be used to develop better road cars for customers.
Highlights of season five included achieving second in championship, six podium finishes (including the last five races), six pole positions (the most for any team), and 16 Super Pole qualifying appearances combined by Buemi and Rowland, making Nissan e.dams the best qualifying team in the championship. The team ended the season with its first ever victory during the final race weekend in New York.
Nissan has developed an updated powertrain for season six, in line with new series regulations. It replaces the dual electric-motor system that delivered record-setting results for Nissan e.dams in season five.
“The second season is sometimes harder than the first,” said Michael Carcamo, Nissan’s global motorsports director. “With a major change to a single-motor solution, we had plenty to do in the off-season. We’ll use everything we learned from season five to improve our package, with an even greater emphasis on battery and energy management.”
The Nissan e.dams team hit the track last week at a series pre-season test in Valencia, Spain. The team posted times in the top ten of every session throughout three days of testing.
“Finishing second as a team last year was great,” said Buemi, who is the top all-time record-holder in Formula E with the most pole positions, fastest laps and wins. “This year, the objective is to fight for the championship.”
Rowland, the best-performing Formula E rookie last season with three pole positions and two podium finishes, echoed Buemi’s enthusiasm.
“I really appreciate Nissan taking a bit of a risk with me last year, as I was a rookie and started quite late,” Rowland said. “Luckily, it worked out for all of us, and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel again, pushing forward and improving.”
Season six of Formula E will kick off next month in Saudi Arabia. Fourteen races will be held in 12 cities, with the final double-header round taking place in London. New venues this season include Seoul, Jakarta, and the London circuit, which runs inside the Excel London exhibition center.
Taking charge in helping reduce carbon emissions, Nissan has unveiled the IMk, a fully electric and compact vehicle. Nissan calls it a city car, a vehicle that will make it easier to navigate through traffic and narrow streets.
Despite being compact, the Nissan IMk features a spacious interior with a minimalist design in order to make it cozy for passengers. Above all, the Nissan IMk can be considered a “smart car” with the ProPILOT advanced driver-assist technologies integrated to it, which includes hands-free highway driving.
Along with the IMk, Nissan’s next electric car is a compact crossover SUV—the Nissan Ariya. According to Nissan, the Ariya is the start of a new electric platform – the battery pack is positioned on the floor and there are two electric motors, one in front and one in the rear.
The Ariya is a step closer into science fiction as the dashboard is free of buttons and instead we get touch-sensitive controls. Like the Nissan IMk, the Ariya will include the ProPILOT that allows hand-free driving in highways.
The Nissan Ariya Concept and Nissan IMk concept are the latest centerpieces of Nissan Intelligent Mobility, the company’s vision for changing how vehicles are powered, driven and integrated into society.
The concepts signify Nissan’s direction for its upcoming vehicle lineup and the new possibilities for design and technology that a new EV platform allows.
“These are transformational times for the auto industry, and a new era is opening up for Nissan” said Kunio Nakaguro, Nissan’s executive vice president of global research and development. “We have been among the fastest to develop EVs and highly intelligent driving assistance technologies, and, as shown by our two new concept vehicles, we intend to continue our role as a global pioneer.”
The Nissan Ariya Concept: a realistic look at Nissan’s future vehicles
The Ariya Concept showcases Nissan’s new design direction, called Timeless Japanese Futurism. The new design language combines new possibilities incorporating the company’s 100% EV platform with traditional Japanese minimalist themes.
“The Ariya Concept is born in a time of huge technological leaps from our engineers, making visible a blank canvas for design,” said Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan’s senior vice president of global design. “We were able to look forward and back simultaneously, uncovering a new language for the Nissan brand that fuses high technology and the Japanese spirit, combining electric, autonomous and connected functions.”
The Nissan IMk concept: the ultimate compact urban commuter
The Nissan IMk concept offers advanced Nissan Intelligent Mobility technology and a powerful EV drivetrain in a compact, agile body. The IMk concept’s sleek appearance represents Nissan’s future design language, developed for the coming automotive era.
An extensive display of Nissan Intelligent Mobility
Along with the Nissan Ariya Concept and IMk concept, Nissan’s display at the Tokyo Motor Show will feature:
The new Nissan Skyline, showcasing Nissan’s most advanced driver assistance technology on the road today, ProPILOT 2.0
The Nissan Serena, the company’s most popular minivan, equipped with the award-winning e-POWER system
The Nissan Dayz, the first commuter car equipped with ProPILOT
The latest LEAF NISMO RC, a twin-electric motor racing machine representing the excitement of Nissan Intelligent Power
The zero-emission Nissan LEAF e+, offering an enhanced EV driving and ownership experience
On public days, motor show guests can experience an additional lineup of cars including the 50th anniversary Nissan GT-R and the GT-R NISMO. Several examples of Nissan’s groundbreaking EV and electrified technologies will also be shown, including the Nissan Note e-POWER NISMO S Black Limited and the Serena e-POWER AUTECH edition.
The 46th Tokyo Motor Show is taking place at Tokyo Big Sight and is open to the public from Oct. 25 to Nov. 4. Nissan’s display is located at West Hall 2.