Delta Wing Road Car?

[Darrell]

Nissan is coming out with an electric concept car utilizing the Delta Wing race car idea:

Nissan is shifting its performance model range towards alternative fuel. Okay, so the Leaf isn't much for go-fast, but there are the Q50 and Q70 hybrids. The halos have gone EV, too. How about the ZEOD RC? Hell, the next GT-R might be a hybrid.

Now we've got a new three-seat electric sports car concept: the BladeGlider.

The BladeGlider looks trim and tapered, with an oddly staggered front-to-rear track a la Delta Wing. Any DNA that the BladeGlider shares with the oddball racing car is definitely a good omen for the concept's handling and aerodynamics. Nissan is sparing with details, but we do know that the concept uses independent in-wheel motors to power the rear wheels. It also appears that Nissan wants to build the BladeGlider, as the company calls it a "prototype of an upcoming production vehicle."

Oh, and you probably noticed the seating arrangement: an arrowhead type, reminiscent of the McLaren F1. But the BladeGlider's interior is anything but Nineties spec. There's a super-futuristic steering wheel with a mini-monitor and a complex-looking gauge panel at the nose.

This concept is certainly different, but that's just what many of us need to see from an alternative-fuel vehicle. Keep your eyes peeled for the BladeGlider at the Tokyo Motor Show, which begins November 20th.


Read more: http://www.roadandtrack.com/go/first-lo ... z2kNXbRNAe

There's a cool set of pics at the link. I watched the Delta Wing at Le Mans (IIRC), the unusual configuration did seem a bit problematic, when it tangled with a conventional car.

[The Wizard]

It reminds me of the Plymouth prowler

[308Mike]

I certainly wouldn't want to get T-boned in that car! OTOH, if I had a daughter and she wanted to go on a date with a peer-group aged male, the lack of usable room in EITHER seat would be a plus (certainly compared to the OLD DAYS of kids taking out the station wagon or customized van)!

[PawPaw]

When an electric car wins the Indy 500, or the Brickyard, or any NASCAR event, I'll take notice. Until then, they're just toys for rich kids.

[blackeagle603]

Formula E


from the Wiki

Formula E, officially the FIA Formula E Championship, is a class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The "formula", designated in the name, refers to a set of rules with which all participants' cars must comply. Formula E is intended to be the highest class of competition for one-make, single-seat, electrically-powered racing cars.[1] The series was conceived in 2012, with the inaugural championship to be held in 2014–15. Demonstration events are planned for the second half of 2013.

Former Formula One driver Lucas di Grassi was announced as the series test driver in September 2012.[2] Forty-two cars were ordered in November 2012,[3] with Formula One team McLaren providing the motor, transmission and electronics that all cars will use.[4]

Ten host cities are planning races for the 2014 season, and Formula E originally intended to run races exclusively on street circuits. However, not all races are now set for street circuits. As of September 2013, a calendar with 10 host cities for the 2014 season has been announced, which consists of Beijing, Putrajaya, Hong Kong, Punta del Este, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Miami, Monte Carlo, Berlin and London.[5] Berlin intends to race on quasi-permanent post-World War II British airfield circuit.[6]

[g-man]

The Formula E concept can make sense if you consider the hot-swappable battery design that the Motoczysz bikes use. As a road-going vehicle, the electric makes great sense somewhere like here in Hawaii, where there's only so far you can go. Once you can get coast-to-coast driveability, whether with massively rapid charging systems, or a battery swap system, the electric may start to catch on beyond the niche it's currently stuck in.

[MarkD]

...OTOH, if I had a daughter and she wanted to go on a date with a peer-group aged male, the lack of usable room in EITHER seat would be a plus (certainly compared to the OLD DAYS of kids taking out the station wagon or customized van)!

Mike: I knew a guy who would double-date with his friend in a Volkswagen Beetle, they'd park, put the front seats back, and go at it next to each other. Little more friendly than I care to be, and I have a hard time imagining the girls going for it, but where there are hormones there's a way.

[Aglifter]

Er… +1… In my youth, I usually drove some type of tiny sportscar - I got in one again, years later, and I couldn't quite figure out how we managed to violate Heisenberg, but we found a way...

[Cobar]

Figured out how to make it work in a 2000ish chevy cavalier. Not sure how.

[blackeagle603]

re: Formula E and charging batteries


Qualcomm's HALO wireless charging is (or was last year) in the mix somewhere. They're partnered with McLaren on their Formula E car. Buses in some cities in Europe use an earlier version of it to minimize battery pack size. There's a wireless charging pad on the deck at each stop that recharges the bus during each passenger load/unload cycle.