Nissan's Futuristic Car Just 3.6 Feet Wide

[skit75]

I don't think your ever gonna convince people to drive these types of cars while SUV's and 53' tractor trailers are sharing our roads. You can stuff as many safety features as you want in them but I ask you this... What happens when a tractor trailer with a gross weight of 13,000 lbs + a 53' trailer loaded with 60,000 lbs+ of freight moving at even...25 miles per hour hits this car? You don't have to be a physics major to get a fairly adequate mental image of the result.

 

[KyleSTL]

Old idea, BMW Isetta (1950s) and more recently the Mercedes Benz Lifejet (1997). How is this news?

 

[mlopinto2k1]

[citation][nom]sKiT75[/nom]I don't think your ever gonna convince people to drive these types of cars while SUV's and 53' tractor trailers are sharing our roads. You can stuff as many safety features as you want in them but I ask you this... What happens when a tractor trailer with a gross weight of 13,000 lbs + a 53' trailer loaded with 60,000 lbs+ of freight moving at even...25 miles per hour hits this car? You don't have to be a physics major to get a fairly adequate mental image of the result.[/citation]Um, what happens when that hits ANYTHING? What about motorcylists? This isn't gonna be a car replacement, it is a decent alternative to a motorcycle and looks DAMN COOL to drive!!

 

[nurgletheunclean]

[citation][nom]jesseralston[/nom]hmm, let's see how well it does when you throw a snowy road at it. My bet is: about as well as a motorcycle. But as far as a concept goes it does look kinda cool.[/citation]
Do you even know how a street bike works on snow? A typical motorcycle street tire has the width of a dime of contact rubber on each tire. A car tire on the other hand has a flat contact patch, and 2x as many of them. A car fairs far better than a motorcycle on any type of slippery surface, be it snow, ice, rain, etc.

 

[nurgletheunclean]

[citation][nom]sKiT75[/nom]I don't think your ever gonna convince people to drive these types of cars while SUV's and 53' tractor trailers are sharing our roads. You can stuff as many safety features as you want in them but I ask you this... What happens when a tractor trailer with a gross weight of 13,000 lbs + a 53' trailer loaded with 60,000 lbs+ of freight moving at even...25 miles per hour hits this car? You don't have to be a physics major to get a fairly adequate mental image of the result.[/citation]
What happens to a SUV hit by a tractor trailer?
http://btx3.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/hummer-crash-small.jpg
http://www.wreckedexotics.com/hummer/hummer_20060218_001.jpg
http://i.pbase.com/o4/35/171135/1/61936148.qDAMObeT.IMG_0834e.jpg

 

[WheelsOfConfusion]

[citation][nom]KyleSTL[/nom]Old idea, BMW Isetta (1950s) and more recently the Mercedes Benz Lifejet (1997). How is this news?[/citation]
Steve Urkel didn't drive one of these.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

personally I would prefer to have my girlfriend sitting next to me rather than behind me.

 

[nitto555rchallenger]

Can't wait for the footage of the crash tests.

 

[Regulas]

If it got tons of MPG it would beat riding a motorcycle in bad weather.

 

[cloakster]

and goes 0-60 in 25.0 sec. Not my cup of tea.

 

[kingnoobe]

I bet it doesn't do to bad on icey roads. And probably a whole lot better then motorcycles. It has 4 wheels more traction, light weight so actually easier to stop as it doesn't have as much momentum as something heavier. So i'd say its on par with the average car. The tilt might help/hurt.

 

[Guest]

I think the Aptera looks cooler.
http://laughingsquid.com/aptera-a-contender-for-the-electric-car-of-the-future/

 

[Guest]

No electric car is truly emissionless unless it is charged by an emissionless power plant(i.e. hydroelectric, wind, solar, geothermal, etc.). Otherwise you're just shifting the pollution to one central location.

Also, taking into account the efficiency of generating electricity, transmission over the power lines, and of charging the batteries, an electric car should not really be much cleaner than a fuel driven car if it's charged by a fossil fuel power plant.

And what happens to the batteries at the end of life? Even the recycling process(if possible) emits all sorts of pollution.