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To mark the celebrations of its 80th
anniversary, Pininfarina has unveiled the
Nido EV, the first running prototype of the
"Nido Development Programme", the project
for an electric car conceived, designed and
built entirely in-house. |
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To mark the celebrations
of its 80th anniversary, Pininfarina has unveiled the
Nido EV, the first running prototype of the "Nido
Development Programme", the project for an electric car
conceived, designed and built entirely by the
Pininfarina Style and Engineering Centre at Cambiano
(Turin). The Nido EV bears witness to the skills and
experience that Pininfarina has built up in the
development of electric vehicles, paying particular
attention to the Segment A city cars that will populate
the streets of the future to make our towns more
pleasant to live in.
The Nido EV is one outcome of the pioneering,
far-sighted decision taken by Pininfarina three years
ago, to focus on sustainable mobility, approaching it
from various angles: not only the adoption of a hybrid
or electric driveline, but also research focusing on
reducing consumption and “wheel to wheel” emissions, the
use of alternative materials that are lighter and
recyclable, active and passive safety, and IT, which
will have to combine the sustainable use of means of
transport with intelligent traffic management.
The exterior design of the Nido EV takes up and updates
the lines and volumes that won the Nido of 2004 the
award for the Most Beautiful Car in the World in the
Prototypes and concept cars category, the Compasso d’Oro
2008 and a place in the temple of modern art, the MoMA
of New York. On the other hand, the interiors of this
first Nido EV project are still those of a technical
prototype, with no attempt at stylistic research.
The Nido EV is a veritable laboratory designed both to
explore the electrification of a small city car and to
develop a modular floorpan. The body structure of this
first prototype is a tubular steel frame, while the
final version will have an aluminium space frame. The
structure was designed to adapt to four different,
completely electric or hybrid vehicles: 2-seater, 2+2,
pickup and light van.
The Nido EV, a small city car (marginally larger than a
Smart), has 2 seats and a permanent magneto rear engine.
The “Nido Development Programme” also envisages the
development of two more, slightly larger versions: the
first will be a hybrid with an endothermic engine
positioned at the front and an electrical engine at the
rear; the second will be electric with a front engine.
In both cases, the position of the engine makes it
possible to increase roominess to seat 4, and to improve
weight distribution. The Nido EV prototype is powered by
a Zebra Z5 Ni-NaCl battery, which guarantees very high
levels of safety and reliability. When fully charged, it
has a range of 140 km and a top speed of 120 km/h
(limited electronically), and accelerates 0-60 km/h in
6.7 seconds. The environmental compatibility of the
Zebra Z5 battery is enhanced by the total absence of
harmful or polluting chemical substances and the fact
that it is 100% recyclable at the end of its life, in
fact the batteries are recycled in the foundry and used
to produce stainless steel. The prototype is also
equipped with “green” tyres, developed by Pirelli paying
particular attention to safety, environmental
sustainability and saving.
Where climate control is concerned, the “Nido
Development Programme” will use an AC electrical
compressor and a high voltage electric heater making it
possible to implement automatic control strategies which
will help to reduce consumption in most conditions. The
Programme will also cover research into solutions and
light-weight components with a high
mechanical/electrical efficiency, and energy saving
solutions (batteries with outstanding charging
performance) and braking systems specifically for
hybrid/electrical applications.
Pininfarina aims to become the benchmark in Italy, and
further afield, for sustainable mobility, just as it has
been a global benchmark for style for the last 80 years,
always investing in research and development programmes
to tackle problems as they emerge in the motor industry
rapidly and methodically.
During the energy crisis of the 1970s, for example, the
industry concentrated on aerodynamics and alternative
sources of energy to reduce petrol consumption.
Pininfarina replied by developing the CNR Energetica 1
prototype, with ideal aerodynamic bodywork. Those years
also produced the Ecos, the first electric car developed
by Pininfarina, underlining that it was on the cutting
edge in an area that the motor industry had only begun
to reassess recently. In the 1980s, Pininfarina research
into the application of light materials resulted in the
Audi Quartz and Lancia Hit prototypes, which explored
the use of new and lighter metallic and compound
materials. The 1990s brought greater understanding of
environmental problems, more research in the field of
recyclable materials and ergonomics, and a more
efficient concept of how to “package” the vehicle.
Pininfarina offered new solutions with the Ethos
macro-project, a family of 3 cars with an aluminium
chassis, recyclable resin bodywork and an innovative
combustion engine with reduced emissions, building up to
the Ethos 3EV in 1995, another zero emissions car. More
recently, Pininfarina has focused its research on hybrid
vehicles, with the Eta Beta and Metrocubo projects, two
small cars with modular cabins that also tackle the
problems of driving in town and on medium hauls. Then,
in 2004, Pininfarina returned to the issue of safety,
which it had touched on with the Sigma, Alfa Romeo P33
and Sigma Grand Prix prototypes, and in 2008 it proposed
the Sintesi, a futuristic concept car powered by 4 fuel
cells (one per wheel).
Today, with the new global crisis and the need to curb
emissions and consumption, the opportunities offered by
zero emissions urban mobility have grown significantly:
the world is increasingly aware of the environment, and
Pininfarina was the first industrial company in Italy,
and one of the first in Europe, to propose a project for
a 100% electric car, the BlueCar, developed jointly with
the Bolloré company. Today, when all the large carmakers
view the electric car as an opportunity, Pininfarina
takes another step forward, promoting a new philosophy
that incorporates the choice of individual and
collective electric transport in the context of a new
lifestyle that everyone should adopt in order to
increase energy saving, and protect the planet. This is
why sustainable mobility has become one of the pillars
underpinning the Group’s activities. And it is also why
the new Nido EV project is now being launched, in
parallel with the BlueCar.
Pininfarina Nido EV
Technical SpecificationsRoominess: 2-seater City
Car
Electrical: drive Rear
Measurements (Length/Width/Height): 2905/1683/1507 mm
0-60 km/h acceleration: 6.7 sec
Top speed (limited electronically): 120 km/h
Range fully charged: 140 Km
Weight empty (ready for road): ~900 kg
Maximum power output: 30 kW
Maximum torque to wheels: 125 Nm
Drive battery: ZEBRA Z5 (Ni-NaCl)
Rated voltage: 278 V
Rated capacity: 21.2 kWh
Charge time: 8 hours
Weight: 182 kg
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