INFINITI Engineering Academy – Europe Final 2018

Benedikt Helling has become our INFINITI Engineering Academy 2018 European winner at Silverstone ahead of the British Grand Prix 2018. Let’s take a look at what it took to get there.

NV350: Van-tastic

July 13 – Yokohama – The redesigned Nissan NV350 Caravan begins sales in Japan Thursday, sporting an enhanced lineup of advanced safety and convenience features.

Intelligent Emergency Braking, Vehicle Dynamics Control with traction control system functions and Hill Start Assist – previously available only on some two-wheel-drive van grades – are now standard on all NV350 models.

Intelligent Around View Monitor has been installed for the first time in small-size commercial vehicles in Japan, adding safety when parking in narrow spaces, or when cargo obstructs rear visibility.

Convenience features include the Back Door Auto Closer, which can fully shut the rear door without making a loud noise, while the Automatic Air-conditioner with Rear Cooler features a liquid-crystal display and large knobs to improve utility.

For more on NV350, watch this program, which features interviews with Chief Vehicle Engineer Yutaka Makita and others at the Hadano testing course. (English captions provided).

The Caravan is popular among business owners as well as private customers, who use it for hobbies and leisure, such as camping or surfing.

The exterior includes Nissan’s signature V-motion grille, and its LED head lamps and rear combination tail lights add to the strong design impression while aiding visibility for the Caravan.

Nissan Electric Vehicles for a more resilient world

March 10 – When a natural disaster occurs, one of the first things you’ll miss having is electricity. Nissan’s electric vehicles are more than cars.  They have the ability to supply power at times of emergencies when it is needed most.

LEAF to Home system

While the world is faces challenges such as natural disasters and climate change, Nissan EV’s can play a key role in responding to crises, like the major earthquake and tsunami that Northern Japan experienced six years ago.

Nissan e-NV200

The LEAF and e-NV200, not only can it be a from of transportation taking people in and out of disaster areas but it can also become a power source. Re-establishing electricity and access to much needed daily necessities like food, hot water and connectivity.

Nissan is committed to being part of the solution with its 100% electric LEAF and e-NV200, focusing on the Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision.

Driverless Towing System at Nissan Oppama Plant

December 13 – Yokohama – Nissan Motor recently announced the introduction of Intelligent Vehicle Towing (IVT), a fully automated vehicle towing system, at its Oppama Plant.

Nissan has worked on making the relationship between people, cars and society more exciting under its Intelligent Mobility vision, a framework for how cars will be driven, powered, and integrated into society.

This new project, which utilizes mapping and communication technologies to link an intelligent and all-electric car to infrastructure, is a step towards the realization of Nissan Intelligent Integration.

The IVT system uses a modified Nissan LEAF to autonomously tow trollies carrying finished vehicles between designated loading and unloading points at the plant.

Unlike conventional automatic guided vehicle systems for transporting parts, which often require the installation of rails or extensive use of magnetic tape, this system does not need any special infrastructure to operate.

The towing car is equipped with an array of cameras and laser scanners that detect lane markings, curbs and potential obstacles or hazards around the vehicle. By cross-referencing this information with map data, the towing car calculates its own location, negotiating the route to its destination unaided.

The towing car travels within the speed limits of the factory, and automatically stops if it detects an obstacle or hazard ahead, before setting off again when it has determined that the road ahead is clear.

The towing route can easily be altered to accommodate changes in production processes or vehicle transport routes. All driverless towing cars are connected to a central traffic control system, which can monitor the location, driving speed, remaining battery and operational status of each vehicle.

When two driverless towing cars meet at an intersection, the control system’s algorithm determines which car should be given right-of-way, and in case of emergency, the system can stop the vehicles remotely.

Nissan Makes CDP “A-List” for Climate Change Efforts

Yokohama – Oct. 25 – For the third consecutive year, the CDP has included Nissan in a select list of companies receiving top-tier “A-List” ranking in its annual Climate Change Report. Nissan finished ahead of thousands of other international businesses in the CDP’s assessment.

Established in 2000, CDP (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project) is an influential U.K.-based NPO representing 822 institutional investors, which annually rates corporations for their management of climate change based on a combination of survey data and publicly available information.

Nissan was selected for A-List ranking for transparency in disclosing environmental information and for a plan to reduce well-to-wheel CO₂ emissions from new vehicles by 90 percent by the year 2050 from levels in the year 2000.

Nissan was also recognized for pioneering the world’s top-selling zero-emission vehicle, enabling Nissan LEAF owners to power their homes from their vehicles during peak power usage times, and for partnering with companies and local governments to grow vehicle charging infrastructure.

“At Nissan, we take sustainability very seriously through the vehicles that we produce but also through reducing our carbon footprint throughout our entire business operation. I want to express Nissan’s gratitude to the CDP for recognizing our efforts by including us in their prestigious report for the third consecutive year, said Hitoshi Kawaguchi, Nissan Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer.

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“As a large global company based in Japan, we recognize that our work in this area can have a great impact, so we are committed to leading by example to reduce CO2 emissions even further in the years ahead.”

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Nissan announced in June that it had shrank its CO2 emissions by 22.4% over the past decade.

These efforts to reduce Nissan’s corporate carbon footprint have been spearheaded by the recently established Nissan Energy Saving Collaboration (NESCO), which measures energy loss at the company’s plants worldwide.

These activities are part of the company’s third generation environmental action plan, the Nissan Green Program 2016.

The full CDP report can be found at www.cdp.net.

ProPilot Chair: Chairway to Heaven

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Yokohama – Sept. 27 – Nissan unveiled the latest in a series of innovations designed to bring the benefits of its Intelligent Mobility blueprint to the daily lives of customers on Tuesday.

Following the success of the Intelligent Parking Chair earlier this year, the newly-developed ProPILOT Chair negotiates queues on behalf of its occupant, sparing them the hassle of standing in line.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fantasy to Reality – Nissan BladeGlider: Intelligent Mobility

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Rio de Janeiro – Aug. 4 – Nissan has moved the radical BladeGlider Concept from fantasy to reality, taking the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show star to fully-functional advanced prototype.

Nissan’s vision was for an agile, efficient EV providing new dimensions of driving fun and excitement, thanks to the near-silent performance of its electric powertrain and aerodynamic shape.

After two years of work on design, engineering and development, Nissan BladeGlider reflects the potential of advanced EV performance, epitomizing Intelligent Mobility, a philosophy to make its cars more exciting by redefining how they are driven, powered and integrated into society.

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Power is 100-percent electric, with exceptional powertrain performance delivered by technical partner for the BladeGlider project, UK-based Williams Advanced Engineering.

Maximum speed of the demonstration models is in excess of 190km/h*, with 0-100km/h taking less than 5 seconds. The rear wheels’ drive is provided by two 130kW electric motors – one for each wheel. Power is supplied by a high performance five module lithium-ion 220kW battery. Bespoke cooling systems have been developed for both the battery and the motors.

“These prototypes epitomize Nissan’s drive to expand its Intelligent Mobility philosophy, where driving pleasure combines with environmental responsibility,” said Carlos Ghosn, Nissan’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

“Nissan believes that enthusiasts should look forward to a zero emission future and BladeGlider is a perfect demonstration of that. It’s the electric vehicle for car-lovers.”

The model features an advanced chassis configuration with a narrow front track and wider rear track for optimum aerodynamic efficiency and handling stability, while high-waisted, rear-hinged dihedral doors provide a dramatic entry and exit to the cabin.