[dk6780]

... in the Quashqai in 2022.

Reading past the marketing BS (and the laughable 12V mild hybrid ) this seems yet another step in the wrong direction. Will this attempt at gaming the hybrid regulations speed up the demise of the ICE? Strangely despite the battery being "a similar size to an EV" it appears not to be a plug-in.

New Nissan Qashqai: Electrified powertrains accelerate Europe’s best-selling crossover into the future

 

[HandyAndy]

The e-Power (what's used on the e-Note I think) system is actually better than most "self-charging hybrids", because the wheels are driven 100% by electric motors. The ICE is competely decoupled from the wheels, so should be able to run at constant speed maximum-economy rate the whole time it's going. They get to throw awy all that expensive 6-speed DSG stuff, and their clutch(es). But the HV battery is small, so the ICE will be cycling on/off in city travel. Think of i3 Rex, but without the ability to ever plug it in to a Rapid or Type-2 EVSE. Or even Ampera, again one with the charge port removed, and no option to charge the battery to 1/3 full when out in the country before hitting the next town with the ability to do 15 miles cleanly on leccy as you go through.

So not great, but hopefully a slight improvement on conventional self-charging rubbish, and it might encourage them to enlarge that battery to maybe 10 kWh & add 7kW charger maybe? Would become a decent Rex if they did that!

As you say, the 12V mild hybrid is a joke, supplies all of 6 Nm torque!!! But they don't state the rpms, so this is actually meaningless info on its own!

 

[WithEthyl]

100% electric driving, 500+ mile range, fill up within a couple of minutes..... what's not to like?? I'm sure the customers will be queuing up.

At some point the UK regulators are going to wise up and start restricting the use of 'electric' when selling vehicles which only accept petrol and diesel. Ultimately the claims should be based on the fuel you put into the vehicle, if it only accepts petrol or diesel then that's what it is. Claims to run on electric or electric driving need to be restricted to those car which can be plugged in accept electricity as an energy source - PHEVs or EVs only.

 

[wyx087]

I think it's better than those parallel hybrids out there in terms of selling people the idea of electric motor driven vehicle. It doesn't foul people into thinking full power requires ICE to drive the wheel.

Let's face it, we are here because we all love electric drivetrain. But the thing that isn't so mature in this system is the power storage. If electric driving feel can be sold to the school-run-drivers, where their next car is a plug-in, it'll be half the battle.

It's absolutely the right step for non-plug-in hybrids. But one thing MUST be made clear, it's a petrol powered hybrid. It's not self-charging and it's very far from a electric vehicle.

 

[WithEthyl]

Let's face it, we are here because we all love electric drivetrain. But the thing that isn't so mature in this system is the power storage. If electric driving feel can be sold to the school-run-drivers, where their next car is a plug-in, it'll be half the battle.

I'm not sure it is the drive-train, I'm here because I'm interested in a less polluting and lower carbon form of driving. I'd quite happily drive an ICE which ran on hydrogen, or bio-methane.

For me it's the outcome rather than the drive-train.

 

[wyx087]

I'm not sure it is the drive-train, I'm here because I'm interested in a less polluting and lower carbon form of driving. I'd quite happily drive an ICE which ran on hydrogen, or bio-methane.

For me it's the outcome rather than the drive-train.

If that’s the goal, perhaps we should look at options beyond private transport?

We all know people’s habit are hard to change. Private car ownership is current norm. Similarly, filling up at petrol station is habit for most people. In absence of wide spread alternative solutions, especially for those living in flats, e-Power (in theory) is more efficient, smoother and more responsive than those relying on (more powerful) ICE to drive the wheels.

 

[Chrisb]

My God Nissan are so slow, why is there not already a full electric version on the Leaf outdated platform?

 

[EdH]

Its a non plug in hybrid - wow.

 

[dk6780]

e-Power (in theory) is more efficient,

Is that a fact or just what Nissan want us to believe?
I fail to believe that at a steady state cruise at the Motorway speed limit the losses converting from rotational energy to electricity and back again are recouped by any advantage in running the engine at an optimum speed. Around town there may be gains from optimising engine speed and regeneration from braking, but like all hybrids there's a significant weight penalty.
Has anyone on here been in an e-POWER car in Japan? I suspect that the disconnect between the engine and the road speed must be very odd.

 

[HandyAndy]

... I suspect that the disconnect between the engine and the road speed must be very odd.

You get exactly that in Ampera on petrol, and I suspect the i3 Rex buzzes away with similar disconnect. Yes it's weird at first, but you get used to it. Not unlike the Daf 33/45 etc with the rubber-band drive, hit the accelerator, revs its nuts off, and nothing happens for a couple of secs until the rubber band's wound up tight! ( I exaggerate, but not a lot!).

 

[TJEV]

Identical paradigm to the Jazz eHEV I just bought - “electric drive with a generator” - and the reason I chose it.

I genuinely think it’s a brilliant idea to replace traditional hybrids, and allow those who can’t plug in to experience electric drive.

Like someone else said, it’s an electric car that stores it’s energy in a fuel tank instead of a battery - with all the range and manufacturing cost benefits that come with it.

I’m surprised the Nissan version hasn’t come to market sooner - the i3 REX and Ampera essentially did this years ago.

The downsides of course are tailpipe emissions and the cost of fuel, but it isn’t designed to replace PHEVs or EVs - just be an option alongside, making EV drive accessible to more people, and retiring those awful CVT-driven Toyotas.

Edit: also, being able to clutch in the engine at 70mph makes a lot of sense - electric drive is catastrophically inefficient at high speed anyway.

 

[wyx087]

Is that a fact or just what Nissan want us to believe?
I fail to believe that at a steady state cruise at the Motorway speed limit the losses converting from rotational energy to electricity and back again are recouped by any advantage in running the engine at an optimum speed. Around town there may be gains from optimising engine speed and regeneration from braking, but like all hybrids there's a significant weight penalty.

Probably not at motorway speeds, we know how inefficient electric drive can be at those speeds. But at all other speeds and when speed vary, in theory, driven by electric motor is more efficient. As you are well aware.

In terms of weight, should be largely similar to Prius-like powertrain. I think the plug-in versions would actually be heavier because of bigger battery.

Ultimately, given the choice, any legacy manufacturer would want to: A> stick with legacy (ICE production) to prevent job loss during transition and B> to reduce fleet CO2 emission to meet goals. So why would they push electric drive by de-couple ICE engine if it doesn't reduce CO2 emissions?

 

[HandyAndy]

1) Perhaps cost of electric motor+controller is now < cost of 6-speed DSG?
2) Perhaps they think the public are gullible enough to believe that this is a better Electric car than anything else, 'coz it goes 500 miles non-stop?
Sadly, I think 2) is quite likely...

 

[TJEV]

Baby steps. We simply don’t have the infrastructure for everyone to even go PHEV right now.

This is progress, getting more people into an “electric car” without the need for a behaviour change, until we can get to that end goal where BEV becomes a realistic option for the masses.