Sunny Small Car
We love free things. And therefore we also love free energy. Meet the small electric city car from Nissan that, thanks to a large extendable solar panel, is less dependent on the power grid. This is the Nissan Sakura with Ao-Solar Extender.
During the Japan Mobility Show later this month, we will get acquired with the updated Nissan Ariya. That’s not the only news Nissan is bringing to that car show. They are also parking this Sakura with Ao-Solar Extender, a small electric city car with a large extendable solar panel. The Sakura itself is not new. The electric kei-car was already presented in 2022 and has been on sale in Japan for years. There, the Sakura even has a sister model from Mitsubishi called the EK X EV.
On the roof of the car is what the Japanese call the Ao-Solar Extender. This is a solar panel with a large extendable part. Nissan says that with such a system, they want to make EV drivers less dependent on the power grid. According to Nissan’s technicians, a Sakura with Ao-Solar Extender should be able to generate electricity for up to 3,000 kilometers annually under optimal conditions without plugging in.
The Nissan Sakura has a cap.
The solar panel is capable of charging the small battery of the Sakura while driving, but obviously also works when the car is parked. In that case, a second panel with solar cells extends outward. According to Nissan, you can then charge with a charging capacity of up to 500 Watts. A nice additional benefit: the extra panel extends forward and thus creates shade for the windshield. This should slightly reduce the heating of the interior, resulting in saving electricity by not having to use the air conditioning or using it less, says Nissan.
It doesn’t stop at a show car; Nissan says they will actually bring the system to market. According to Nissan, the name Ao-Solar is a combination of the Japanese word ‘aozora’ – which means blue sky – and the English word ‘solar’. Creative indeed.
Sakura
The Nissan Sakura is a 3.4-meter short and completely according to kei-dimensions narrow and relatively tall city car. It has an electric motor of 64 hp and a 20-kWh lithium-ion battery. That combination should be good for a WLTC range of 180 kilometers. Nissan scores quite well with it: the Sakura was the most popular new electric car in Japan from 2022 through 2024.