Nissan launches an electric car that runs only on petrol. Say what?

Saturday, 19 November 2016

Is Nissan doing this backwards?

After nearly seven years spent establishing itself as the go-to carmaker for pure electric power - there are 250,000 Leaf models on the road, more than any other battery electric vehicle (BEV) - Nissan has launched a new powertrain called 'e-Power', which combines an electric motor with a petrol generator.

You can't plug-in the e-Power electric motor. Strangely, it's fuelled solely by petrol.

The new powertrain is fitted to a Japanese domestic market small-car, the Note. But it's also part of a wide-ranging electrification strategy called Nissan Intelligent Mobility.

The e-Power system borrows EV technology from the Leaf, but adds a small gasoline engine that supplies charge to the battery pack.

Nissan claims it has made series-hybrid powertrain technology more compact and efficient.

* Volkswagen boosts range of e-Golf**

This series-hybrid concept is similar in principle to the BMW i3 range-extended model or the now-defunct Holden Volt. The petrol engine never drives the wheels, it only charges the battery which then supplies the power to drive the vehicle.

Except that both the i3 and Volt are 'plug-in' vehicles, meaning that the primary source of electricity comes from an external plug. The petrol engines in each are only there to save the day when the battery goes flat.

The Note e-Power does not have a plug of any kind: the petrol generator is the sole source of power for the vehicle's electric drive.

Nissan says this system structure generally requires a bigger (electric) motor and battery because the motor is the only direct source to drive wheels. This has made it hard for the automotive industry to mount the system in compact cars.

The Japanese makers says it has 'cracked the code' and learned how to minimise and reduce weight, develop more responsive motor control methods and optimise energy management. As a result, e-Power uses a smaller battery than the Leaf.

You might well ask what the point of an EV that runs solely on fossil fuel is. Nissan argues that EV driving characteristics are now highly desirable and that e-Power's electric/combustion-engine combo still represents a highly efficient use of petrol.

To that end, Nissan claims the new system offers the driving responsiveness and refinement of a pure-EV with fuel efficiency comparable to a conventional hybrid, especially in around-town commuting.

The Nissan Intelligent Mobility programme now anchors critical company decisions around how the company's cars are powered, driven, and how cars integrate into society.

Nissan says its breakthrough in its energy management technology came in 2006. Engineers reduced the battery capacity to match competitors' hybrid vehicles while still delivering desirable EV qualities.

In addition, application of technologies such as the integration of a power-generating engine, electric motor drive for compact car use, strengthening of the powertrain's rigidity and improvements in NVH levels, became the foundation of e-Power.

Nissan is developing electric-powered powertrains that use various fuels to cater to the different requirements of the world's markets.

Nissan is also conducting research and development of the SOFC (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) fuel-cell vehicle, and will continue to introduce innovative new products into various areas and promote the worldwide use of EVs.