O2 visitors invited to “feel the surge” in new electric car promotion.
Projection Artworks has worked with experiential marketing agency TRO to create a virtual driving experience that allows people to fully test-drive the new Nissan LEAF without leaving the building. The installation is in place at the Nissan Innovation Station at London’s O2 Arena until 2017.
The installation utilises a Nissan LEAF which is driven on a rolling road. This is combined with sophisticated rear projection technology, which uses three projectors, and rear projection film to the front windows and windscreen to stunning effect. The Tron-like 3D graphics on the screen – rendered in real-time so they are always at the right perspective for the driver – are controlled by the car’s pedals and steering wheel. As the effect also responds to braking, drivers take full control of the vehicle on its virtual journey.
Drivers can take the car on one of three different routes, each featuring some of London’s most iconic landmarks. Each journey ends with a tunnel where drivers are invited to put their foot down and experience the power of the car’s acceleration.
“This is a really unique way to enable people to experience the car without taking it out for a test drive,” explains Lizzy Chase, project manager at Projection Artworks (formerly known as Projection Advertising). “Projecting a virtual world onto the windscreen and side windows makes for a very immersive experience. It’s really reactive too – you’re pressing the accelerator, steering round corners and choosing which way to turn, so it’s about as real as a virtual test drive could get.”
