Nissan Considers Bringing Its Unusual E-Power Technology to America
The success of Nissan’s e-Power system in the Japanese-market Note hatchback has company brass considering a trans-Pacific trip for the technology.
Should it arrive stateside, e-Power stands to give Nissan an edge in low-priced electrification — potentially undercutting the price of compact hybrid rivals by thousands. Unlike conventional hybrids and plug-in models, Nissan’s system burns gasoline every moment of the drive, despite an electric motor doing all the pulling work.
The novel approach is similar to the Chevrolet Volt’s powertrain, minus the larger battery and plug-in capability. There’s no option of all-electric driving with this system. Instead, a 1.2-liter three-cylinder turns at an optimized 2,500 rpm to generate electricity for the electric motor, feeding a steady slow of it into a compact battery located under the front seats.
Shrinking the battery means lower production costs and a friendlier MSRP. In Japan, a Note (Versa Note in the U.S.) with e-Power retails for about $19,000.
“It is a technology that clearly can fit outside Japan in all the key markets,” Daniele Schillaci, Nissan’s executive vice president of global marketing and sales, told Automotive News at last month’s Shanghai auto show. “We are thinking about moving forward faster on electrification, not only in pure EVs, but also in this e-Power technology.”
The technology first went on sale in Japan last November. Already, the Note e-Power has overtaken the Toyota Prius in sales, providing motivation for the automaker to seek out new markets. While a U.S. introduction isn’t a sure bet, Nissan surely sees it as fertile ground. Not only would the unconventional hybrid battle the Prius, it also has the new Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid to contend with.
“When a technology is successful, it is natural for us to seek something a bit wider,” said Schillaci.
The Note e-Power doesn’t quite reach the lofty fuel economy figures of rival hybrids, though it does offer greatly improved mileage at a lower starting price. Considering the Versa’s U.S. sales remain in the six-figure range, fielding a less-expensive hybrid version with punchier power delivery — Nissan rates the Note e-Power at 187 lb-ft of torque — could prove worthwhile.
[Images: Nissan]
More by Steph Willems
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- Kwik_Shift_Pro4X Defender looks way better than the Bronco in both 2-door and 4-door.
- ToolGuy I found this particular episode to be incredibly offensive.I am shocked that eBay Motors is supporting this kind of language and attitudes in 2024.I will certainly keep this in mind next time I am choosing where to buy auto parts (I buy a LOT of auto parts).
- SaulTigh When I was young in the late 80's one of my friends had the "cool dad." You know the guy, first to buy a Betamax and a C-band satellite dish. Couple of stand up arcade games in the den. Bought my friend an Atari 2600 as soon as they came out. He had two of these crap heaps. One that only ran half the time and one for parts in the yard. My middle school brain though he was the most awesome dad ever, buying us pizza and letting us watch R rated movies recorded on free HBO weekend. At the time I though he was much better than my boring father.Now with adult hindsight, I now know he was "dad who should have taken better care of his family" and not had so many toys.
- Dave Has to be Indy 500. Many more leaders and front passes than NASCAR, and Monaco is unwatchable with the inability to pass on that circuit.
- Jeff How did the discussion get from an article about a 56 billion dollar pay package for Elon Musk to a proposal to charge a per mile tax on EVs in California or paying increase registration on vehicles to make up for lost gas tax revenue? I thought such a discussion would better fit Matt's Gas Wars series.
Comments
Join the conversation
A 1.2 3-cylinder engine running constantly at 2500 RPM is probably going to produce around 40 HP (max, probably less). It will NOT be a quiet companion. The only advantage is that it will warm up and stay at a steady temperature.
Prius is a technological marvel beautifully executed by Toyota. Reliable, fairly economical with high bling factor. But from the practical point of view Prius' hybrid drive is too complex and expensive. This system from Nissan is everyman's "hybrid". Expect these to sell for about $16000 in the US. This will be successful.