Volkswagen Nils is a zero-emissions commuter vehicle for one (photos)

Volkswagen's latest concept is designed for city drivers who commute alone for short distances.

Antuan Goodwin

Nov. 3, 2011 3:12 p.m. PT

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Commute in solitude

Volkswagen's latest concept is designed for city drivers who commute alone for short distances. View Local Inventory

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Volkswagen Nils concept

Dubbed the Nils concept, this electric vehicle produces zero tailpipe emissions. View Local Inventory

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Electric motor

An electric motor positioned on the rear axle outputs a continuous 20 horsepower and 96 pound-feet of torque but can summon up to 33.5 horsepower for short boosts when necessary. View Local Inventory

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Lithium ion battery

A 5.3kWh lithium ion battery powers the EV up to its top speed of 81 mph. View Local Inventory

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Charging and range

The Nils is able to travel up to 40 miles between 2-hour charges, which should be enough to get many commuters to and from work daily. View Local Inventory

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Seating for 1

The Nils has space for just one under its gullwing door. View Local Inventory

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Interior

There's not much space in the Nils' cabin, so VW has offloaded many of the infotainment functions to a docked smartphone. View Local Inventory

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Drive selector

The power button doubles as the drive selector. Push to start, twist to D, and you're off. View Local Inventory

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Instrument cluster

The instrumentation displays speed, battery charge state, and range data. FYI, "Fahrzeug wird geladen" translates to "The vehicle is loaded," which we assume means "The battery is full." View Local Inventory

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Driver's seat view

The smartphone mounted to the right of the instrument cluster is where controls for navigation, media playback, and hands-free calling can be found. View Local Inventory