NISSAN has displayed a one-off R32 Skyline GT-R EV conversion at this week’s Tokyo Auto Salon, the car created as a “ardour undertaking” by a small group of engineers who sought to “probe the potential” of delivering a driving expertise “each bit as partaking as” the petrol-powered authentic.
The undertaking, which was headed up by long-time Nissan EV powertrain engineer and R32 Skyline GT-R proprietor Ryozo Hiraku, aimed to make sure the automotive might be pushed for many years to return, whereas matching the enduring mannequin’s legendary driving efficiency.
“I questioned if 30 years from now, in 2055 or past, house owners of this unbelievable machine might nonetheless purchase gasoline and revel in driving it,” he stated.
“I noticed benefit in utilizing electrical and digital know-how to duplicate the attraction of the R32 GT-R so future generations might expertise it.”
At first look, the R32 EV might virtually move as an ordinary R32 GT-R. Completed in Gun Gray metallic paint, the car’s factory-fresh look disguises its coronary heart transplant.
Aiming to breed the efficiency provided by the unique 206kW/353Nm 2.6-litre twin-turbo engine, Mr Hiraku and his workforce put in a pair of 160kW electrical motors, every able to delivering as much as 340Nm of torque. They eliminated the rear seat and, as a substitute, put in a 62kWh battery borrowed from the Leaf Nismo RC02.
The car goals to match the efficiency of the power-to-weight ratio of the unique regardless of being some 370kg heavier by rigorously adjusting the output of the electrical motors.
Hiraku and his workforce additionally ensured the electrified mannequin would provide comparable dynamics to its by-product, utilising an array of sensors to precisely management energy supply between the entrance and rear axles. The result’s stated to make sure the R32 EV provides quicker torque distribution than the unique’s ATTESA E-TS all-wheel drive system.
In managing the R32 EV’s extra mass (1797kg versus 1430kg), a Nismo Sports activities suspensions package with Ohlins dampers is claimed to optimise dealing with and restrict physique roll.
Bigger R35 sequence GT-R monobloc callipers and bigger brake rotors function behind “manufacturing facility impressed” 18-inch alloy wheels offering the R32 EV with the stopping energy wanted.
However maybe probably the most intriguing improvement made inside the R32 EV is the replication of each the engine be aware of the unique RB26DETT engine and its guide gearbox.
To copy the feeling of guide gear shifts, Hiraku’s workforce programmed the feeling of shift shock into the paddle shift logic, “simulating the temporary jolt a driver experiences when partaking the clutch and shifting up or down by means of a mechanical gearbox”.
Different nods to the petrol-powered authentic embrace customized Recaro seats, a double DIN audio system, and even digitised instrumentation.
Nissan says it has no plans to commercialise the R32 EV or to supply a conversion package, the undertaking as a substitute meant to yield “beneficial insights” for these concerned.
