Nissan’s electric charge

We’ve already seen the gasoline-powered Nissan Cube, which should be on sale here early next year. In its native Japan, the Cube has become quite the must-have with cool kids. For the company’s next trick, Nissan has shown the Denki Cube Concept at the 2008 New York Auto Show. Denki is Japanese for "electricity" — this car is powered by an electric motor that uses lithium-ion batteries. The batteries are stored beneath the floor and the seats.

The iPod-on-wheels exterior features some cool design funkiness, especially with the lights and wheel covers. A glass roof accentuates the cabin’s feeling of spaciousness, and there’s also an AC power charging port. Whereas the production Cube has three rows of seats, the Denki is decidedly less dinky, sporting just two rows on a wheelbase that’s been lengthened by 9.4 inches — all the better to accommodate those batteries. And if anyone was wondering whether the square design of this city car would be less than efficient from an aerodynamic viewpoint, such things don’t really come into play below 45 mpg, a speed that’s illegal and unlikely on crowded urban streets.

Although Toyota seems to have gone off the idea of using lithium-ion battery technology for its future eco-models, preferring to stick with nickel-metal-hydride instead, it will be interesting to see what Nissan can develop, having claimed to have field-tested lithium-ion batteries for more than 10 years. And especially because the company plans to have vehicles using its own hybrid system in the near future (the current Altima Hybrid uses tech licensed from Toyota).

— Colin Ryan

Photos: Nissan