SINGAPORE – Driving cars in the future will mean more electrification, more excitement and more connectivity, Satoru Mizoguchi, Nissan's senior vice president for research & development in Asia & Oceania, told an innovation conference.
Demand was already growing in South East Asia for more electric vehicles, as consumers in the region join a global trend for a cleaner and more efficient motoring future, Mizoguchi said in Singapore on June 5.
Speaking at innovfest unbound South East Asia's largest innovation festival, Mizoguchi laid out Nissan's vision for the future of driving: "We believe the near future of automotive is electric, also in South East Asia. There is a growing demand for cleaner and better powertrains."
A Nissan-commissioned study by Frost & Sullivan found that one in three South East Asian consumers planning to buy a car are open to purchasing an electric vehicle.
"But beyond developing new models and new powertrains, our R&D efforts are also focused on improving the electric vehicle ownership experience," Mizoguchi added.
"It's about finding ingenious ways and delivering innovations to as many people as people. This includes raising energy density, reducing cost for affordable electric vehicles with long range as well as ensuring high reliability."
Earlier this year, Nissan announced it will bring the new Nissan LEAF, the world's best-selling electric vehicle, to seven markets in Asia & Oceania within this fiscal year.
Nissan believes in promoting electric vehicles not just as a means of transportation but also as part of a new type of vehicle ownership. By connecting their cars to the energy grid, customers can help their cities and their communities manage energy better.
"So you can park your new Nissan LEAF and charge the battery during hours when energy is cheap. And when your battery is full, it powers the lights and fridge in your house or your office lights. It can even help the community cope with peak demands," he said.
"We call this Vehicle-to-Grid and we are already piloting it in several European markets and Japan."
Looking further ahead, Mizoguchi touched upon Nissan's pioneering Brain-to-Vehicle (B2V) technology: "The technology connects cars to our brains to provide a safer, more confident and more enjoyable driving experience.
"In manual mode, the system can predict the driver's intention - such as turning the steering wheel or pushing the accelerator pedal – and take the action more quickly. In automatic driving mode, the system can detect driver's discomfort and interfere as needed. "While it may not be in our cars anytime soon, it gives an insight into what is possible in the future."
These and other technologies are part of Nissan Intelligent Mobility, the company's vision for changing how cars are powered, driven and integrated into society.
Watch the complete presentation below:
