Previewed on the firm’s new IMQ concept from Geneva this year, the e-POWER drivetrain will feature on European Nissans by 2022
Nissan previewed its new e-POWER drivetrain at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. Fitted to the brand’s new IMQ concept, which itself signals the upcoming Qashqai, the drivetrain combines a petrol engine with a power generator, a battery and an electric motor to drive the vehicle.
Much like the system fitted to the Fisker Karma, Nissan’s e-POWER drivetrain works by using the petrol engine to charge the car’s batteries, which powers the electric motor, driving the car. The Japanese firm claims that the e-POWER system gives better fuel economy and lower emissions than a traditional internal combustion engine.
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Nissan’s e-POWER drivetrain is already available for the Japanese market, where it’s fitted to the Note hatchback and Serena people carrier. Currently, more than 70 per cent of Notes and around 50 percent of Serenas sold in Japan are fitted with the e-POWER drivetrain.
The e-POWER option will be offered alongside fully-electric Nissans when it his the market in 2022. The technology leaves a question mark hanging over the Nissan brand’s intent to use plug-in hybrid tech.
The Japanese manufacturer has already enjoyed great success with its all-electric Leaf. To date, 400,000 examples have found buyers, making it the world’s best-selling electric car. Nissan hopes to expand its all-electric influence in Europe with the introduction of the e-POWER drivetrain.
Roel de Vries, Corporate Vice President for Nissan Motor Company, said: “Already Nissan is the world’s leader in mass-market EV technologies and a fully electrified Europe is now within our sights. With e-POWER arriving on European roads within the next two years, we will bring the benefits of Nissan Intelligent Mobility to more customers.”
Later this year, the Japanese firm will also release the Nissan Energy ROAM power pack; a portable, weatherproof energy storage system made from repurposed Leaf batteries. It can store 700Wh of charge and has a power output 1kW, giving users the ability to access 230V or 12V power wherever they please.
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