Heading
Close X
Menu
Electric cars used to seem like the brilliant imaginings of a classroom boy who had just been asked to illustrate his version of the future. Now we have vehicles that can drive themselves, park themselves, speak to us and open up richer lifestyle possibilities than ever before. The advancement, to us at least, is subtle enough to be overlooked. But going back even 70 years, it would have been difficult to predict the possibilities in EV driving that we now have.
Nissan have been pioneers in crafting electric cars for modern living since way back in the 40s. The Tama set the precedence for what would be a long, tough, but ultimately fruitful expedition into the world of electric driving. This World EV day, we’re taking a drive down memory lane to revisit the milestones of Nissan’s history of EV development, from ice-cream vans to AI co-pilots. Our first stop …
In 1947, a big milk-float shaped car slipped quietly into gear and rolled forward on the streets of an oil deprived Japan, offering salvation in the face of crisis. The Tama, Nissan’s first ever EV, was born of necessity rather than need. With scarcity in oil reserves, Japan looked to hydroelectric as a fuel source for its vehicles. Nissan’s engineers rose to the challenge and produced a 21mph, 40 mile-range electric car that subbed in for gasoline vehicles until the oil supply had stabilised in 1950. A short-lived life, but one with immense importance for the people of Japan and for Nissan’s research into EVs.
The tough rope of the idea that lithium-ion batteries could be scaled up big enough to power a whole car took a very long time to break. But it eventually frayed and snapped in 1996 when along came the Prairie Joy EV. And what better way for Nissan to prove the reliability of the world’s first electric vehicle equipped with cylindrical-type lithium-ion battery than to put it to work in the harshest climate on earth – the Arctic.
The Prairie Joy revelled in a six-year stint under harsh polar conditions as part of an expedition with Japan’s National Institute of Polar Research. It didn’t break down once. And because of its silent running and zero emissions, it was perfect for getting closer to wildlife for observation.
Outside of freezing Arctic conditions, the Prairie Joy EV’s batteries delivered 200 km of range and a top speed of 120 kph. Thirty Prairie Joy EVs were sold in all, to corporate and fleet customers in Japan.
Our drive down memory lane has taken us to the starry sidewalks of Hollywood where our third EV of this tour became a fixture on the silver screen. Starring in movies like “Sleepover” and “The Princess Diaries 2”, the Hypermini enjoyed its fifteen minutes of fame in glittering Tinseltown. The stylish, distinctive two-person urban commuter ran on a neodymium magnet synchronous traction motor with a top speed of 100 kph and up to 115 km of range on a single charge.
The Hypermini even picked up a few accolades like the New Energy Grand Prize from Japan’s New Energy Foundation and a Good Design award from the Japan Institute for Design Promotion.
Innovation pervaded every centimetre of Nissan’s R&D department. And nowhere was this more evident than between the years of 2005 and 2007. In this timeframe Nissan introduced two radical concepts for electric mobility – The Pivo and Pivo 2. Yes, the bubble-like-cabin is a tad ambitious but Nissan came to believe that ambition is the most primal and sacred fundament of our being. So, they made the Pivo the world’s first EV powered by light, compact laminate lithium-ion batteries and partnered it with the cute original character, Pivo-chan, to make it even more popular.
Built for three, the Pivo cabin could rotate in either direction so that instead of backing up, the driver simply turned the cabin around and drove the other way. Typical Nissan touches included the ability to control the sound system and GPS with fingers on the steering wheel, for greater safety. Monitors on either side of the windshield displayed the area beyond them to reduce blind spots. The Pivo also had omnidirectional video monitoring – an early version of Intelligent Around View Monitor, now available in many Nissan vehicles.
Then, in 2007, Nissan released a second version of the Pivo aimed at applying the insight that drivers in a happy, positive mood have fewer accidents. So, being the innovators that they are, Nissan added an onboard Robotic Agent system that monitored driving conditions and used speech and motion to help the driver stay cheerful. The Pivo also solved the issue of parking, allowing drivers to turn the wheels 90 degrees and crab in sideways to any free space.
Ever hear the old trope “the day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit”? Well in 1947 Nissan planted the seed for EV development with the Tama. In 2010, they got to sample the fruit. Widely regarded as the blueprint for electric mobility, Nissan launched the LEAF and has since gone on to build over 500,000 units. The LEAF was the first mass-produced EV and combined consumer insight with research and development to make it a practical option for many first time EV buyers.
The first-generation LEAF had a range of 200km per charge and also introduced the far-reaching idea of using an electric vehicle as a mobile power source.
Ever buy ice-cream from an electric van? You might have without knowing in 2014 as Mackie’s all-electric ice cream van adopted Nissans e-NV200 to sell cones from the company’s first ever zero-emissions light commercial vehicle.
Available in Europe and Japan, the e-NV200 is roomy and versatile with a quiet, yet powerful, electric drivetrain, regenerative braking, and a range of up to 190km per charge. It also doubled as a mobile battery pack, complete with power socket, making it pretty useful in disaster scenarios or if you wanted to sell some soft serve on a sunny day.
In 2017, the hugely successful Nissan LEAF got the first of its makeovers. The facelift featured updates across the board: more powerful acceleration, lighter handling and a vastly increased range of up to 400 km per charge. It was also fitted with driver assist features like ProPILOT advanced driver assistance; ProPILOT Park, which handles parallel parking; and e-Pedal, which lets the driver accelerate, decelerate and stop using a single pedal. A lot of this you’ll still find in the latest 2024 models.
Nissan, by means of showing off the LEAF’s incredible regenerative power capabilities, wrapped one with 15,200 of exterior lights and lit the car up like a Christmas tree. It powered them for an hour with its own regenerative energy.
And so, we come to our final stop on this history tour. Now these are just the cherry-picked highlights. Behind the scenes there was much more trial, error, sweat and iteration going on to get us to this point. That said, every bead of sweat was more than worth it.
So, without further ado, let us introduce the latest instalment in Nissan’s EV timeline – the ARIYA. 77 years of research and development pieced together in a 100% electric crossover. The ARIYA represents Nissan’s future design direction and its latest technological advancements, promising drivers a seamless, intuitive and adaptive experience that supports their lifestyles both on- and off-board.
The ARIYA’s design was inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetic ideals with a sleek exterior unlike anything else on the road. With a spacious, open interior and a maximum range of 610 km, it fits into just about every modern lifestyle niche, from everyday commuting to extended weekend outings. Omnidirectional monitoring, ProPILOT 2.0, e-Pedal and e-4ORCE* complete the picture with cutting-edge driver support.
It’s exciting that we are spawning this litter of bright, fresh, advanced electric vehicles when less than 100 years ago the Tama was our point of reference. Nissan’s dedication to EV development is a reminder that anything worth achieving takes hard work and more importantly, time. Since 1947 Nissan have been developing ways to make mobility more sustainable. It’s rather poignant that on this World EV day we celebrate the success of their immense effort. May the next 70 years be as bountiful.
Shelbourne Motors Ltd is an Appointed Representative of Automotive Compliance Ltd, who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA No 497010). Automotive Compliance Ltd’s permissions as a Principal Firm allows Shelbourne Motors Ltd to act as a credit broker, not as a lender, for the introduction to a limited number of lenders and to act as an agent on behalf of the insurer for insurance distribution activities only.
We are a credit broker and not a lender. We can introduce you to a limited number of lenders and their finance products. We are not an independent financial advisor and we act as their agent for this introduction. We may advise you on the products, subject to your personal circumstances, though you are not obliged to take our advice or recommendation. We do not charge you a fee for our services. Whichever lender we introduce you to, we will typically receive commission from them (either a fixed fee or a fixed percentage of the amount you borrow). For your reassurance, all of the lenders we work with could pay commission at different rates, but the commission we receive does not influence the interest rate you will pay. Our aim is to secure finance for you at the lowest interest rate you are eligible for from our panel of lenders. If you ask us what the amount of commission is, we will tell you in good time before the Finance agreement is executed. All finance applications are subject to status, terms and conditions apply, UK residents only, 18’s or over. Guarantees may be required.
Automotive Compliance Ltd, The Factory, 44 Alfred Street, Gloucester, GL1 4DD Telephone: 01452671560 E-mail: complaints@automotive-compliance.co.uk
If we cannot resolve your complaint within 8 weeks, you may refer your dispute to the Financial Ombudsman Service. This service is free to use. Their consumer helpline is available on 0800 023 4567 or 0300 123 9123 or you can visit their website at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
We’re proud to be affiliated with the following bodies
