Nissan Esflow Sports Coupe Concept is the Love Child of a Leaf and a 370Z

The Electric Zero Emission Sports car is not a new idea. There have been many concepts at many motor shows that have been loosely based on this concept. Although very few are designed featuring a tested and efficient drivetrain that's all ready in a production car. This is where the Esflow concept is unique.

The Esflow makes use of the same EV technology found on Nissan's first Zero Emission production vehicle, the all-electric Leaf. The concept behind the....concept is that driving efficiently and environmentally should be entertaining as well. The car aims to be the driving enthusiasts choice by blending electric power, dramatic styling and sporting qualities.

The Esflow features two electric motors that lay over the rear axle and a 24 kWh battery pack that currently resides in the leaf. It is also has a two-seat layout much like the 370z. The combination of rear wheel drive and weight saving from having no rear seats propel the ESFLOW from 0 to 60 mph in under five seconds and improves the distance before recharge by about 50%, a significant improvement over the Leaf. That gives you 150 miles to put it through its paces.

The design incorporates a wrap around windscreen and a high belt line. The car features a unique body structure that's lighter and stronger and allows for no A pillars and a cockpit that a fighter pilot would find familiar.

According to Nissan the Esflow is suited for a tech savvy, professional guy. All considered the Esflow is a brilliant example of what could be the electric car driving enthusiasts actually might like to drive. It is to be seen if Nissan will produce it, but we'll keep our fingers crossed.

By Rory Farrell

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VIDEO: Nissan Esflow Sports Coupe Concept in Some Tron-Like Digital Action

Leaving aside the name which sounds like something a German (no offense) would say to an English bloke that stole his parking space, Nissan's Geneva motorshow-bound Esflow concept is a very interesting proposal for a pure-electric sports coupe. It uses the Leaf's battery technology but with a lot more juice from the electric motors that motivate the rear wheels and a dramatic coupe styling. Following an initial release with photos and preliminary details (see here), Nissan has now published a CGI video of the sports coupe study that you can watch right after the break.

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Nissan Esflow is a Small RWD Sports Coupe Concept that runs on Electricity and it will Debut in Geneva

The time has come for Nissan to release its plans for the rapidly approaching Geneva Salon. For this year's edition of the show, the Japanese automaker has prepared an impressive sports coupe concept named the ESFLOW. It has most of the right ingredients to satisfy purists, including a rear-wheel drive layout, a 0 to 100km/h [62 mph] sprint time of under 5 seconds, two seats and an aggressive design, but there's a catch: it runs purely on electricity.

The Japanese automaker claims it has "captured the excitement of a sports car and the environmental benefits of an electric vehicle and blended them into one dramatic two-seater concept".

The ESFLOW has been created from the ground up as a pure electric vehicle using technology introduced in the Leaf EV. The concept model runs on two electric motors with an unspecified output that are placed above the axis of the rear wheels, in a mid-ship position. These motors independently control the left and right wheels, with Nissan claiming that the torque is optimized to ensure vehicle stability and control as well as efficient power regeneration.

The company says the electric motors produce enough torque in an instant for the car to reach 100km/h (62 mph) in under 5 seconds.

The motors are powered from the same laminated lithium-ion battery packs used in the Leaf, but in ESFLOW the packs are located along the axis of the front and rear wheel. The batteries are said to offer a driving range of over 240 kilometers or 149 miles on a single charge.

The car also features a composite body that covers an aluminium chassis which incorporates its own roll cage.

We don't have any photos of the interior yet, but Nissan said the cabin is "clean and open" with weight saving measures being a priority throughout its design.

And just in case you were wondering about the type of customer that Nissan envisions buying the ESFLOW, the automaker released a short fictional story which you can check out below.

[From Nissan Press Release]

The Driver

Daniel, an ESFLOW owner, works in tech, but lives for the weekend. On Friday night after work, he gets behind the wheels of his ESFLOW which instantly links with his pocket PDA and determines the fastest route to his girlfriend�s home. Finding street side parking is a synch as the ESFLOW�s compact dimensions allow it to slip into the narrowest of spaces. On Saturday he drives to a popular club to exhibit his DJ skills and his friends are impressed by his cool EV sports car.

On Sunday he drives through the mountains for leisure. ESFLOW�s superb weight distribution and unobstructed view ahead enables him to effortlessly nail every apex, every time. His descent from the mountains is more relaxed and he allows the ESFLOW to overrun on the long sweeping curves, turning the potential energy he and the car gained climbing up the gradients back in to electrical energy he can use once he hits the roads around Barcelona.

As his ESFLOW sips energy in its garage Daniel prepares himself for the week ahead, batteries fully recharged.

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