Nissan's new futuristic EV sports car puts Tesla to shame

Aside from a couple distinctive designs, most electric vehicles (EV) from the long-established automaker set have been pretty tame. By that I mean they've been based on the traditional car layout: four doors, four in-line wheels, four seats and a steering wheel off to one side.

That doesn't mean EV of the future have to sustain the standard car layout, though. Proving that point, Nissan unveiled a working prototype of its BladeGlider EV Friday morning in Rio de Janeiro.

Like other EVs, the BladeGlider is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack that run two electric motors which, in turn, propel the rear wheels. The result is a 0 to 62 mph time of just under 5 seconds and a top speed of 115 mph.

Electric powertrain layout and performance are where the connection between the BladeGlider and other mass-market EVs ends, though. From there, it's a distinctive thing indeed.

As you can see, the BladeGlide is wider in the rear and narrower in the front. This shape was chosen to improve aerodynamics. Working with the wedge shape, designers had to toy with both driver and passenger seat placement. Accordingly, the driver sits front and center with the two passengers seat flanking him or her in the rear.

A front-and-center driving position reinforces the driver focus of the BladeGlide, which is further enhanced by the seamless panoramic cockpit windshield. Three screens in front of the driver project all essential vehicle information, including speed, state of battery charge, regeneration mode and torque map.

Finishing off the futuristic design, and further separating it from the conventional EV, the BladeGlider's boasts rear-hinged dihedral doors that, as Nissan puts it, "provide a dramatic entry and exit to the cabin."

Nissan hasn't indicated whether it'll send a car like the BladeGlider into production. However, it's likely it demonstrates technology and designs that will be utilized in future cars, wedge-shaped or otherwise.