An electric Nissan 370Z would be very possible by using existing Nissan Leaf technology and larger battery capacity. It would also be the only affordable 2 door electric coupe on the market from the brand that mass marketed the electric vehicle. Nissan has lost their share of the EV market to Tesla and Asian EV automakers. They barely improved the new Nissan Leaf and people are bored with it. Few people want a “weird” looking electric car anymore when they can buy something desirable like the Tesla Model 3.
Practical Engineering of the Electric Nissan 370Z
Where would you put the batteries in an electric 370Z? Start by taking out the engine. There’s also a large transmission tunnel and a big area between the back seats and the trunk that can be filled with batteries to keep center of gravity low. A whole lot of space is made to work with once everything related to the outdated combustion engine is removed and with modern battery densities you don’t need as much space. Nissan could position the electric motor at the back of the front engine bay or above the rear wheels like Porsche does with their engines for better performance. This would move the storage space to the massive front engine bay which would make the front trunk of the Model S seem small.
Electric Nissan 370Z Performance
Speaking of performance, I may or may not have outpaced numerous V8 Mustangs from light to light in my Nissan Leaf. Sure at a long distance they would eventually outrun a Leaf but at shorter distance they can’t compete with the instant torque and acceleration especially when it’s fully charged. A YouTube channel called “Cubic Centimeters” made a video showing that a brand new Nissan Leaf will beat an Nissan 370Z. With a higher powered electric motor and decent battery capacity, the same technology put into a Nissan 370Z would be a blast to drive. I really want one if that’s not obvious.
Design of the 370Z Electric
Nissan debuted “something” like an Electric 370Z at the Geneva Auto Show where they made a concept car called the Nissan Esflow in 2011. If Nissan made it easy on themselves, a high performance electric version of the existing 370Z would be desirable and allow them to “test the waters” with the right specifications. This could then transition the entire brand model over to electric, which Nissan could then ‘evolve’ into something like the Esflow in the future.
Back in 2016, I had brought the idea of an all electric 370Z up to multiple Nissan technicians after I purchased my Nissan Leaf and they said that “Nissan would never do that”. There is this weird perspective that if you make a current vehicle model into an electric one, that it “devalues” the gasoline powered ones… yeah, duh. Because your future proofing the model instead of letting it go extinct. KIA is doing this with both their Soul EV and Niro EV. Personally, I think an AWD Electric 370Z would sell just as well as the Tesla Model 3 if they could compete at that price range with similar specs. An Nissan electric 370Z with instant torque and AWD would be a monster. Think of the size of the front trunk and the road trips across Europe in that. Theoretically, it could outnumber the Leaf sales if Nissan pulled off the right configurations.
Ideal Specifications for an Electric Nissan 370Z
- Drivetrain: Either AWD using dual motors or RWD with the motor placed above the rear wheels (like Porsche engines).
- Battery Capacity: 75 kWh+ battery.
- Range: 250-300 miles (400-482 kilometers).
- Turn Radius: please for the love of performance, make this tighter.
That’s really it. Nothing else needed. Make everything else the same.
If Nissan doesn’t take up the opportunity to make such an amazing vehicle like this someone will put together an old Nissan Leaf and a 370Z just for the fun of it. (Personally, I’ve thought about doing it). Then another automaker will see the potential after the social media craze and make a electric vehicle like the 370Z, taking away any foothold Nissan could have had in that market. People wanted Nissan Leaf’s. Nissan proved that with sales of more than 400,000 of them. They’re is a cult following of the 370Z because there is nothing out there like it (the Jaguar F-Type is kinda close but its different level). If they merged the future of electric vehicles with a great looking touring car like the 370Z, call it the 370ZE, they would have a hit. Even if they tested the waters by doing a limited special edition run of 500 cars, it would be worth it. Toyota missed the opportunity with the electric Supra, will Nissan miss the opportunity with an electric 370Z?
