(February 14, 2011) — It may be a concept, but the Nissan ESFLOW electric sports car proves it’s possible to remain environmentally sympathetic without having to give up the joy of driving.

It looks like a sports car, handles like a sports car and performs like one too. Using technology pioneered in the award-winning Nissan LEAF, the EV concept shows that driving can still be as much fun tomorrow as it is today.

Officially, there is no plan to produce the sports car, which will be on display at the Geneva Motor Show beginning March 1.  But Nissan has provided a fair amount of performance detail for a car that is merely a design exercise.

According to the automaker, the ESFLOW will go from 0 to 60 in less than five seconds and travel 150 miles on a full charge of its lithium ion battery pack.

The sports car concept uses the same battery system as the Leaf, which went on sale in limited U.S. cities in December. But according to its EPA-rated fuel economy, the Leaf can promise consumers only 73 miles on a battery charge. But the considerable difference between the Leaf and ESFLOW comes from body weight. The more aerodynamic ESFLOW uses an aluminum chassis and is about 1,000 pounds lighter than the four-door Leaf.

The battery pack is positioned at the center of the chassis to give it equal weight distribution for better handling.

At a glance:

    • ESFLOW – a pure EV sports car concept
    • Rear-wheel drive two-seater
    • Two electric motors, each driving a rear wheel
    • Laminated lithium-ion batteries mounted low for best weight distribution
    • Dramatic styling with wraparound windshield for unobstructed visibility
    • 0-60 in under 5 seconds
    • Over 150 miles on one charge

Owning an ecologically sound car does not have to come at the expense of driving enjoyment, Nissan says. The briefest glance at the ESFLOW is enough to tell you what kind of car it is: a long hood leading into a steeply raked, wrap around windshield, the compact cabin placing the occupants on the car’s centre of gravity, hunched arches over ultra-low profile tires wrapped around six spoke wheels.

ESFLOW is unmistakably a sports car, and those in the know will recognize its heritage — hints of classic and contemporary Nissan sports cars abound.