The Pivo concept car examines the potential of future electric vehicles. The Pivo's most distinctive feature is its cabin that revolves 360 degrees, eliminating the need to reverse. A compact body also makes the car exceptionally easy to maneuver. Excellent visibility is enhanced by see-through pillars and Nissan's Around View technology.
There's no going back. Parking in a tight spot invariably requires backing in inch-by-inch. But with Pivo there's no going back; you simply pivot the entire cabin - hence the concept's name. This ability to park while always looking forward is enabled by Nissan's advanced drive-by-wire technologies that preclude the need for mechanical connections between cabin and chassis. Because the platform has a longitudinally symmetrical design, the driver's perception of the car's corners does not change even when the cabin is rotated 180 degrees.
Pivo is powered by a Nissan-developed high-performance Compact Lithium-ion Battery and Nissan's unique Super Motor. The result is zero emissions. Beyond this outstanding environmental performance, the electric powertrain enables a highly compact body. Designers made the most of Nissan's Compact Lithium-ion Battery - which, being flat, require much less space than conventional cylindrical cells - to achieve remarkable packaging efficiency. Even more space and weight savings are achieved with Nissan's Super Motor. One Super Motor on each axle delivers power to two shafts, each of which can be controlled independently. This allows efficient distribution of torque to all four wheels with two (not four) electric motors.
See-through pillars and Nissan's Around View Monitor helps to reduce dangerous blind spots. Cameras mounted on the outside of each A-pillar feed an accurate image of the surroundings to screens mounted on the inside of the pillar. The Around View Monitor meanwhile generates a 360-degree view of the car's surroundings on a dashboard monitor. Cameras positioned front and rear on both sides of the car capture images of the surroundings. An innovative image processing technique synthesizes these images into a single bird's-eye view.
A dash-mounted infrared (IR) commander allows drivers to operate the navigation system and audio system without taking an eye off the road or fumbling around for controls. It's a new type of human-machine interface (HMI) that uses an infrared camera and Nissan's 'Magic 4' concept. You simply point fingers at the infared commander to choose from any of four items on a menu. If you want item number three, hold up three fingers. Or, for example, if you want the music louder, just motion upwards with your hand.
Thanks to Nissan's Horizontal Display there is even less need to take an eye off the road - because information is displayed along the bottom of the windshield. This system, first featured in the Serenity concept shown at the Tokyo Motor Show two years ago, displays information in the manner of movie subtitles. This innovative display system supports Nissan's future telematics interface concept. For example, in 'City Browsing mode,' the system can display information transmitted live from nearby locations. What's that building up ahead? City Browsing labels it.
Story by Nissan, edited by Supercars.net
