Nissan

When we last spoke of the Nissan Juke-R concept, I'd mentioned that Nissan was planning wholesale importing of the Nissan GT-R's power train into the smaller, lighter Juke chassis. However, Nissan wants you to know that this is no simple shadetree engine swap that you can pull off in your garage, so the company's produced a YouTube video series detailing the process.

It all starts with a Nissan Juke that gets its entire floorpan cut out and rebuilt to accommodate the more complex ATTESA E-PRO drivetrain and its dashboard restructured to make room for the GT-R's … Read more

One of the main arguments against electric cars is that it takes too long to recharge the battery. Even using a DC fast-charger, going from 0 to 80 percent capacity still takes about 30 minutes. But Nissan is working on a new super-rapid charging system that can recharge a drained EV battery in 10 minutes, which could be a game changer for the industry.

Nissan engineers and researchers at Japan's Kansai University have created a new capacitor electrode made of tungsten oxide and vanadium oxide instead of the usual carbon, according to an article in Paul Tan's Automotive News. According to an unnamed report, the new capacitor electrode can hold more power and reduce charging time without reducing capacity or voltage. … Read more

MAKUHARI, Japan--Following the March 11 quake and tsunamis in Japan that caused widespread power shortages, the Ceatec 2011 electronics trade show outside Tokyo is taking up electricity savings as a major theme.

Nissan's NSH-2012 Smart House of the Future concept is part of a Smart Community Zero zone showcasing technologies that operate off the power grid.

The house stands on stilts to maximize space, with a parking area underneath it. Aside from solar and fuel cells that help make the home independent of the power grid, the polyhedral structure can draw electricity from the battery of an electric car such as the Nissan Leaf. … Read more

Wayne gets a ride in Tesla's newest electric car, BMW comes up with a new hybrid, Antuan races in Forza Motorsport 4, and Hyundai preps a mad Veloster for SEMA.

• Tesla Model S Beta 1: A glimpse of the future from the passenger seat

• Kia plans to introduce small EV by year end

• BMW unveils the 5-series hybrid

• Forza Motorsport 4 is a digital playground for car lovers (hands-on)

• Nissan building Juke-R super crossover*

Last week, we reported that Nissan was rumored to be building a "Super Juke" variant of its already oddball Juke small crossover. Today, we have confirmation from Nissan that it is building the Juke-R, as the vehicle has come to be known, creating the first-ever super crossover. This is the same automaker that built a convertible crossover; why are we still surprised?… Read more

DETROIT (Bloomberg)--General Electric and Nissan Motor said they signed a two-year research and development agreement to speed infrastructure improvements and spur electric car sales.

GE and Nissan, which has sold more than 7,000 of its Leaf electric vehicles this year, will focus research on how recharging such vehicles affects home and workplace electrical systems and utility power grids.

"Together we'll make a better world possible for the use of electric vehicles," Mark Little, GE's director of global research, said at a press briefing today at Nissan's Farmington Hills, Mich., facility.

The companies agreed … Read more

General Electric and Nissan, keen on advancing plug-in vehicles, are looking for ways to make electric cars part of a home energy system.

The two companies on Friday signed a two-year research collaboration to speed up deployment of electric vehicles, an extension to an agreement announced last year.

One project focuses on tying electric cars' batteries into GE's energy management system. Nissan is already developing a Nissan Leaf battery charge point, which can provide backup power to homes.

The research will look at whether stored energy can automatically supply a house during peak times, when electricity rates are higher. … Read more

On this week's show, OnStar decides not to be nosy, BMW's M5 makes some noise, and we get our truck on.

• OnStar reverses snooping policy

• BMW officially rebrands itself as Ultimate Poser Car

• M-B gets a 4-cyl in the U.S.

• Artist renders next-gen Toyota Supra concept

• Nissan building GT-R based 'Super Juke' (rumor)

Road rage much? You might want to think twice about that if you're driving a mind-controlled car under development by Nissan.

The automaker teamed up with Switzerland's Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) to create a vehicle that can anticipate maneuvers like turning left or right "after scanning the thought patterns of its driver."

In a similar vein, researchers at the Berlin Institute of Technology used a BMI (brain-machine interface) simulator that allowed drivers to stop 130 milliseconds faster via thought control than brakes alone. EPFL scientists have already enabled wheelchair users to steer with their minds through BMI technology, as seen in the vid below.

That kind of piloting requires a high level of concentration, so the Swiss scientists are trying other methods to develop a driving system that can respond to less focused mental states. … Read more