Nissan’s Glimpse of the EV Future: a Wild, Kinda Creepy Electric Van

The Hyper Tourer may be able to tell when you need some Barry White and a little mood lighting.

Published October 17, 2023

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Nissan has been revealing a series of concepts ahead of this month’s Japan Mobility Show. We saw the Hyper Urban, a road-going EV crossover and the Hyper Adventure, a more off-road-ready EV crossover. But the latest concept to emerge has us a bit more excited.

It’s called the Hyper Tourer. It looks like a wild JDM van. And it has some downright futuristic (and kind of alarming) features. Here’s what we know about it.

The Hyper Tourer is not your typical family minivan

You’d probably think a minivan is destined for family duty. But Nissan says the Hyper Tourer is for “individuals who appreciate the finer things in life and enjoy the company of friends and associates, whether on a road trip or business setting.” If you’re wondering what that means, Nissan provided a helpful link to four animated examples and some curated chill beats those folks will listen to.

The Hyper Tourer can charge anything and everything

Nissan says the Hyper Tourer has high-capacity solid-state batteries and is capable of V2X charging, which means it will be capable of V2L (vehicle-to-load), V2H (vehicle-to-home) and V2G (vehicle-to-grid) applications.

The Hyper Tourer interior is a flexible, futuristic space for equals

The Hyper Tourer is capable of autonomous driving, though it does still have a steering apparatus. The four seats swivel 360 degrees. There also isn’t a hierarchical relationship between the occupants based on seat location, as rear-seat passengers get equal access to navigation and audio through a wearable display.

The Hyper Tourer’s AI will definitely be watching you

Nissan says the vehicle is equipped with an AI monitoring system that “can monitor your biometric signs — including brain waves, heart rate, breathing and perspiration — and automatically select complimentary music and adjust the lighting to fit your mood.”

So, if we’re reading that right, the AI system theoretically should be able to recognize you’re attempting to get it on in the car, crank some Barry White and provide mood lighting while diligently reporting the progress of the proceedings back to Nissan HQ.

If that sounds like some dystopian future, remember that Nissan is already reportedly collecting data on sexual activity.

Will the Hyper Tourer become a production Nissan?

Not imminently. Several of the features — solid-state batteries and fully autonomous driving, to name two — don’t exist yet. And Nissan still expects 60 percent of its sales to be traditional combustion vehicles in 2030 — which may be when its electric pickup finally rolls out.

That said, flexible and versatile van-type vehicles will certainly be in demand when autonomous driving rolls out — whether it’s with mobility fleets or luxury personal transport.