Exactly 70 years after the debut of its first electric vehicle, Nissan’s most advanced EV ever – the Nissan BladeGlider – took centre stage at Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The 100% electric prototype spent Friday and Saturday in the thick of the action, with electrifying performances on the famous Hillclimb course.
The culmination of the weekend was a Sunday test session on the historic Goodwood Motor Circuit. Putting the all-electric BladeGlider through its paces was NISMO athlete Lucas Ordóñez, who becomes the first professional racing driver to take the wheel of the three-seater.
Nissan’s EV success story began in 1947 – exactly 70 years ago – with the launch of the Tama. This pioneering four-seater EV was available as a passenger car and a van, and offered customers a range of 65km on a full charge. It was initially developed by the Tokyo Electro Automobile Co Ltd, which later became part of Nissan.
Since the debut of the Tama in 1947, Nissan has established a rich heritage in zero-emission technology as the world leader in EVs. It pioneered the EV revolution with the launch of world’s first mass-market 100% electric passenger car – the Nissan LEAF – in 2010. The new second-generation LEAF will make its world premiere on 6 September.
Ordóñez, a former winner of Nissan’s GT Academy competition to turn computer gamers into racers, was thrilled by the opportunity to test-drive the BladeGlider.
He commented: “Driving the BladeGlider round the famous Goodwood Motor Circuit has been a fantastic experience. It’s such an exciting car to drive, with so much torque from the moment you start. It’s great fun on a fast track like this, and so quick through the corners.”
The BladeGlider’s debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed helped showcase the Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision of a more confident, more connected and more exciting future for the brand’s models. The zero-emission prototype also supports Nissan’s #ElectrifyTheWorld movement, which is dedicated to harnessing conversations around sustainable energy use.
The BladeGlider was created to demonstrate the potential of a pure electric powertrain to satisfy the dynamic and performance needs of sports car enthusiasts. It has been developed by Nissan in association with its technical partner for the project, UK-based Williams Advanced Engineering.
