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 Sept. 14, 2011, 1:56 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.

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Volkswagen Nils concept

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

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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.

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Lithium ion battery

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

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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.

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Seating for 1

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

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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.

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Drive selector

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

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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."