Nissan
TeRRA Concept
The Nissan TeRRA Concept, unveiled at the
2012 Paris Motor Show, combines two outstanding Nissan strengths -
SUVs and EVs - in a vehicle that is equally in its element off-road in the wild
or gliding silently through a sophisticated urban setting. With an innovative
4x4 fuel-cell electric powertrain and an athletic exterior that projects an
unforgettable presence beyond its compact dimensions, TeRRA takes sustainable
motoring into exciting new territory.
Envisioned as "the one and only Zero Emission
SUV," TeRRA builds on Nissan's success with urban-relevant SUVs and
crossovers like Murano and Qashqai and asserts that its zero-emission expertise
extends all the way to fuel cells. Designed as a functional and flexible choice
for tomorrow's youthful, "always on" consumers, TeRRA answers their
aspiration for eco-friendliness along with a secure driving feel under any road
conditions.
Open the door and exterior toughness gives way to a
surprisingly warm and welcoming interior. The door panel is a sculpted fusion of
blond wood trim and colored acrylic, layered in an intriguing pattern. Ringing
the cabin at shoulder height is a metal frame that gives Nissan TeRRA Concept's
occupants a feeling of security. The wood/metal contrast continues across the
dashboard, a beechwood-acrylic fusion that exudes a soft warmth. On the
driver's side, the steering and instrument console gently tapers out toward the
driver, barely interrupting the clean lines of the dash.
Facing the driver is a unique instrument cluster.
It's an electronic tablet - just like today's popular portable devices - that
serves as an "intelligent key." The driver docks it when entering the
car and removes it when leaving. When docked in Nissan TeRRA Concept, the
tablet's default view displays speed and other key performance indicators. But
the driver can easily toggle to entertainment, communications, navigation and
other views. Outside the car it provides all the functions we expect from a
tablet, plus it stays continually in touch with the vehicle.The idea is
seamless information and communication, on the road and everywhere else.
Nissan TeRRA Concept's seamlessly connected driver
sits front and almost center in a unique diagonal layout that positions rear
passengers over the shoulders of those in front, rather than directly behind.
The seats themselves express a hexagonal motif that
is carried through various aspects of the design. Fold the three passenger
seats down and you notice that Nissan TeRRA Concept's cabin deck is completely
flat, presenting no obstacles to carrying bikes, kayaks or assemble-yourself
furniture from Scandinavia. This flat surface is a function of the remarkably
compact powertrain package that creates the possibility of this zero-emission
concept.
Although Nissan TeRRA Concept is presented as a
design concept, not a technical exhibit, its proposed 4x4 fuel cell electric
powertrain is far from imaginary.
Powering the front wheels is the electric
propulsion system currently featured in the Nissan LEAF. In each back wheel,
providing all-wheel power as needed, is an in-wheel electric motor, based on
the working prototypes featured in three successive PIVO concepts. As no drive
shafts are required to power the rear wheels, there is no hump in the cabin
floor or on the underbody. This allows for the flat cabin deck and the
underside bodypan.
Under the hood is ample space for Nissan's
proprietary hydrogen fuel cell stack: a flat, highly compact unit that features
world-leading power density of 2.5kW/L. The latest in a series of Nissan fuel
cells since 1996, the stack costs just one-sixth of its 2005 predecessor as the
need for expensive precious metals has been slashed to one-quarter of the
previous level.
TeRRA is purely a concept car, but it signals that
Nissan is ready to mass-produce fuel cell electric vehicles whenever hydrogen
becomes widely available.
