Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) unveiled a new car of the future, nicknamed Pivo after the word "pivot," which only goes forward and features an egg-shaped cabin atop a wheeled platform that can swivel around 360 degrees, eliminating the need to reverse. The bubble-shaped, three-seater, electric concept car operates on an experimental system called drive-by-wire, which eliminates the mechanical linkages between cabin and chassis to enable steering, braking, and shifting through electronic signals. The system is the car's version of fly-by-wire technology, which has controlled commercial jets for more than a decade.
Measuring 2.7 meters long, the Pivo concept car resembles "an egg on a skateboard," but it can move at 80 km (50 miles) per hour, powered by a compact, high-performance lithium-ion battery, resulting in zero emissions. The car's view monitor reduces blind spots by displaying the outside surroundings on screens mounted on the inside of pillars located on either side of the windshield. A dash-mounted infrared commander allows the driver to operate the navigation and stereo systems with simple finger movements without letting go of the steering wheel.
The new Pivo concept vehicle will be on display at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show from October 22 to November 6, 2005.
