When you think about driving an electric car, testing it on snow is the last thing that comes to mind.

Nissan’s second electric model, the Ariya, is built on a new platform that supports a dedicated ‘snow mode’. Brainstorm was invited on a snow drive in Europe to test its new capabilities.

Ariya’s 87kWh nett battery promises 515km of range from a single charge. It has a total output of 225kW and 600Nm of torque, which is adequate for a compact SUV suited for urban driving. Top speed is 200km/h, and it can go from 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds.

The Ariya will charge up to a maximum speed of 130kW on DC fast-charging. It is slightly below par with similar vehicles like the BMW iX3 and Volvo XC40, which support 150kW.

James Crisp, senior engineer at Nissan Technical Centre Europe, says Ariya customers can expect more performance, and more space in the cabin.

Design inspiration was drawn from what Nissan calls ‘Timeless Japanese Futurism’. The result is a sleek vehicle that is accentuated by its shade of copper, in the model I drove.

Ariya is built on Nissan’s CMF-EV platform, equipped with its e-4orce e-power technology made for electrified and all-electric powertrains, including the X-Trail I briefly tested.

The CMF-EV platform is part of the company’s Alliance 2030 roadmap, referred to as the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, to electrify 15 models by 2030.

Read more here: https://brainstorm.itweb.co.za/content/mYZRXv9gXXpMOgA8