Nissan today unveiled to the world its newly-developed range-extender electric drivetrain, dubbed e-Power. The new hybrid system is largely similar to those employed in the BMW i3, and was first previewed in the Nissan Gripz concept car.
We’ll try our best to explain the hybrid system a little better. The e-Power system is made up of an electric motor, that is mounted directly to the front wheels. This motor gets its juice from battery cells through an inverter. But rather than the electric motor assisting a conventional engine, the internal combustion motor in this is used solely as a generator, and never directly provides power to the front wheels. This means that the e-Power system does not need to be plugged in and charged, which has always been a bone of contention for many drivers.
This results in a driving experience more similar to that of a pure electric vehicle (EV) rather than a conventional car. Nissan says that the benefits include improved efficiency, better torque, better refinement, and all the “EV-like benefits without the need to charge the battery.” Nissan also boasts that it has “cracked the code” when it comes to packaging this complex system, though it doesn’t go on to say how.
What they have revealed though, is where this new drivetrain will go: The Note hatchback. In stark contrast to the BMW i3 range extender, which was designed entirely around the propulsion architecture, the Note hatchback it seems will require minimal changes to adopt the e-POWER system. However, no details were given regarding the size of the battery, the output of the engine, or the range on offer by Nissan’s new system.
Nissan boldly claims itself to be the global leader in EVs, with more than a quarter of a million Nissan Leaf hatchbacks sold to date. Nissan Australia added that at present, it is far too early to say whether or not e-POWER will make it to our market, though we do believe that given our lack of EV infrastructure and framework, this range-extender ‘mild-EV’ system may bridge the gap between pure-EVs and internal combustion engines sooner rather than later.
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