The Nissan BladeGlider Electric Sports Car Makes Its Debut At The Rio Olympics (Comes With Drift Mode)

It was back in 2013 at the Tokyo Motor Show that the Nissan BladeGlider car concept was first touted. Now three years later two working prototypes of the electric sports car are debuting at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. One of them will be on show while the other will be used to drive VIPs around.

The cars were developed in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering—the engineers behind the Williams Formula One team. Both retain the arrow-shape of the original design with a wider rear and narrow front track. The idea behind that shape is to improve aerodynamics without losing stability.

With no engine in the car, instead power comes from twin 130kw electric motors, one for each rear wheel, which have a combined output of 268bhp and combined torque of 521 lb ft. It even has a tire-smoking 'drift' mode.

Performance tests by Williams, who have been responsible for the electric powertrain of the vechile, have shown the car has a top speed in excess of 115mph and can do 0-62mph in less than five seconds.

Inside there are three seats in a McLaren F1-style layout with four-point harnesses. The controls are mostly placed on the steering wheel, while various screens replace more traditional gauges. Outside there are cameras which replace side-view mirrors.

There are no plans to manufacture this exact car though, instead the prototypes have been built to learn from and to showcase Nissan's ideas for its future EV cars.

"These prototypes epitomise Nissan’s drive to expand its intelligent mobility strategy, where driving pleasure combines with environmental responsibility." said Carlos Hhosn, Nissan's president and CEO. "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."