The Nissan Technical Center North America of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (Japan) is supplying 15 of its Hypermini electric vehicles to researchers at the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) to assess the public's response to a fleet of city electric vehicles that would provide short-range transportation with zero air pollution.
For the next year, UC Davis employees will use the Hyperminis for work trips around the UC Davis campus and City of Davis. ITS-Davis researchers will record the users' impressions of features such as interior space; speed and range; charging convenience; usefulness compared with other options such as walking, cycling or driving a conventional vehicle; and safety.
"Nissan is proud to associate itself with UC Davis in this study," said Shigeo Ishida, president of Nissan Technical Center North America, the US research and development arm of Nissan Motor Co. "The information that is gathered during this project will help better determine possible uses for these clean vehicles."
Built of lightweight, recycleable aluminum and recycled plastic, the Hypermini weighs 1,852lbs and carries up to 344lbs. Its lithium-ion batteries power the car for 40m around town and recharge in four hours at a 220V recharging station. Top speed is 62mph.
