Volkswagen debuted the NILS concept car at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. This is such an awesome design. It is like a Smart car made babies with a VW Beetle in Blade Runner. And it is all electric. It is based on the same principle as the Smart car – that most commuters sit in their cars…alone…wasting resource.
The NILS concept takes some design inspiration from a Formula-1 race car with its driver in the middle positioning, engine in the back and free-standing wheels. The compact NILS is just 120 inches long and 45.7 inches wide from wheel to wheel and stands at just 478 inches tall. The tightly packaged NILS is agile and fun to drive, reaching a top speed of 81 mph and can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in a modest 11 seconds.
“The goal of the NILS project is to work out a technically concrete and economically feasible vehicle concept for micromobility, which restructures individual transportation to make it more efficient and environmentally compatible based on electric drive technology,” said Dr. Ulrick Hackenberg, Head of Development for the Volkswagen brand.
The zero-emissions NILS packs a 15kW, 42-pound electric motor that allows a range of up to 40 miles and can fully charge in about two hours by hooking up to a 230-volt electrical outlet and can also be charged at an EV charging station. The vehicle is built around an aluminum space frame and comes with all the latest safety technologies.
What do you think? Would you want one of these?
