Nissan UK’s Sunderland manufacturing installation celebrates 35 times of manufacturing heritage this time. Commemorating this momentous occasion is a one-off T12 Nissan Bluebird station cart running an each-electric powertrain from the Nissan Leaf. Affectionately called the‘Newbird’by Nissan UK, this quaint restomod brings back recollections of simpler times.
“ The Newbird represents all that’s great about our factory, and our fantastic platoon is now leading the way as we drive towards an instigative galvanized, carbon-neutral future,” said Alan Johnson, Vice President of Manufacturing at the Sunderland Plant.
The Nissan Bluebird was the first auto to roll off the Sunderland assembly factory in 1986. According to Nissan’s folder, the Bluebird is “ the first of a new generation of buses finagled in Europe to be erected in Britain at the world’s most advanced product installation.” It came with either a1.6-liter,2.0-liter, or1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gas machine in three body styles hydrofoil, hatchback, and estate or cart.
Of course, the process of converting a gasoline auto to an electric vehicle isn’t for the faint of heart. Nissan sought help from Durham- grounded EV conversion specialist Kinghorn Electric Vehicles to produce the Newbird using alternate- life motors, batteries, and inverters. Kinghorn got relieve of the unctuous bits (combustion machine, gearbox,etc.) to make room for a Leaf electric motor and inverter. In addition, the auto has a 40 kWh battery pack split between the machine bay and the box to optimize weightdistribution.Newbird also has streamlined power steering, retardation, and hotting systems to run on electric power. It also got a new suspense to manage with the added weight of the battery packs. “ Given our position so near to the Sunderland factory (15 country miles), working on this Bluebird conversion was a great design to be part of,” added George Kinghorn of Kinghorn Electric Vehicles.
Like the 2022 Nissan Leaf S equipped with a 40 kWh battery pack, the Newbird achieves 130 country miles of driving range in a single full charge. It goes from zero to 60 mph in under 15-seconds. It’s not the fastest EV restomod by any means, but Newbird isn’t about blistering acceleration. “ Converting aged vehicles to electric gives you everyday use of these iconic stretch models,” added Kinghorn.
Newbird has a6.6 kW charging harborage accessibly located in the stock energy door when the batteries go flat. In addition, the body has custom plates inspired by the 1980s and the 21st century, said Nissan Design Europe. Other neat traces include an LED backlight on the original Nissan hood emblem that lights up when the vehicle isn’t moving.
Nissan’s Ambition 2030 electrification plan includes releasing 15 completely-electric models ande-POWER mongrels by 2030, starting with the Ariya crossover EV arriving coming fall. The automaker is spending$ 17-billion in investments over the coming five times to make this be. We wo n’t be seeing the Newbird in Nissan’s unborn EV lineup, but the automaker did unveil three new EV generalities last November to give us an idea of what’s in the channel.
