Nissan’s brand is illuminated on a prototype of its new all-electric Ariya crossover. Nissan’s Z Proto efficiency automobile is mirrored within the automobile’s grille, whereas a redesigned Nissan Pathfinder SUV sits within the background.
Michael Wayland / CNBC
Nissan Motor plans to introduce a brand new kind of hybrid to the U.S. market that drives like an all-electric automobile however is powered — not pushed — by a conventional gas-powered engine.
The brand new Nissan “e-Energy” is known as a collection hybrid. It makes use of the engine as a generator to energy the automobile’s electrical motors that then propel the automobile. It operates like rising extended-range electrical automobiles, or EREVs, however has a smaller battery and does not require a plug.
It is also totally different from a conventional hybrid, such because the Toyota Prius, as a result of the gasoline engine in these automobiles is used to propel the automobile. The collection hybrid’s engine simply retains the battery charged to energy the electrical motors within the automobiles.
The e-Energy hybrid system for Nissan is deliberate to launch domestically later this yr in a brand new model of its widespread Rogue compact SUV.
Timing for such a automobile could possibly be superb for Nissan with climbing gasoline costs, slower-than-planned adoption of EVs and an anticipated surge in hybrid gross sales amid new entries, in accordance with officers.
After shedding billions of {dollars} on EVs, automakers corresponding to Nissan are turning to hybrid automobiles to satisfy buyer expectations for gasoline economic system and to assist with driving efficiency.
S&P International Mobility expects hybrids within the U.S. this yr to extend to 18.4% of latest automobile gross sales, up from 12.6% final yr and seven.3% in 2023. It is forecasting pure EVs, in the meantime, will likely be 7.1% of latest automobile gross sales, down from 8% final yr.
“This can be a distinctive powertrain for the for the U.S.,” Kurt Rosolowsky, Nissan North America automobile analysis and check engineer, stated throughout a media briefing. “That is an electrically pushed automobile, so far as what’s powering the wheels, but it surely does not have a plug, and also you fill it up with gasoline such as you do with a standard automobile.”
Sequence hybrids
Nissan and different automakers have used collection hybrids elsewhere, significantly in Asia, however firms have been reluctant to deliver the automobiles to the U.S. due to shopper expectations for driving dynamics and energy.
To deal with these considerations, Nissan stated it has developed a extra highly effective 1.5-liter, three-cylinder turbocharged engine particularly for the e-Energy system, along with new packaging and different upgrades, to appease American consumers.
“The turbo is simply there to serve effectivity at larger speeds for the gasoline engine to ship vitality,” Rosolowsky stated.
The e-Energy for the U.S. market is Nissan’s third technology of the collection hybrid because it debuted in Japan in 2016. Since then, Nissan stated it has bought greater than 1.6 million automobiles globally with e-Energy in almost 70 nations.
“I feel it’ll be a very good system. I feel it’ll be very talked-about for Nissan within the new Rogue when it arrives later this yr,” stated Sam Abuelsamid, vp of market analysis at communications and consulting agency Telemetry.
Abuelsamid stated the one actual disadvantage to the collection hybrid is that it is much less environment friendly at larger speeds, which Nissan is attempting to beat with the brand new engine in addition to battery dimension.
Driving e-Energy
Driving a European model of the Nissan Rogue Sport bought with the ePower system round suburban Detroit, the automobile’s driving dynamics — particularly quick acceleration and regenerative braking — are formidable.
They arrive with the acquainted sound of an engine revving however with out the shifting or sputtering of transmission gears and much much less noise, vibration and harshness, or NVH, because the trade generally refers to it.
“The driving expertise actually is what makes it totally different with these fewer elements. You may have much less noise and fewer vibration,” Rosolowsky stated.
Nissan e-Energy brand
Courtesy Nissan
In contrast to conventional gas-powered automobiles, the e-Energy system additionally doesn’t require a conventional transmission to shift gears or a driveshaft that transfers torque from the transmission to the differential, powering the wheels.
Whereas the Rogue Sport is a smaller automobile and solely forward-wheel-drive, it is simple to see how the system will translate to a bigger automobile with all-wheel-drive, which the brand new Rogue with e-Energy will likely be.
The shortage of a plug, some engine noise and slight vibration additionally could be extra acquainted for drivers who’ve been reluctant to undertake all-electric automobiles.
Whereas Nissan is just not releasing specifics corresponding to pricing or gasoline economic system for the upcoming Rogue with e-Energy, the Rogue Sport was attaining greater than 40 miles per gallon throughout heavy metropolis driving, in accordance with the automobile’s MPG system.
The present Nissan Rogue, relying on the mannequin, can obtain greater than 30 MPG, in accordance with U.S. Division of Vitality and the U.S. Environmental Safety Company.
Nissan’s automobiles traditionally been much less gasoline environment friendly than these from its bigger Japanese rivals. Honda Motor and Toyota Motor, the latter of which pioneered conventional hybrids with the Prius and continues to dominate the sector within the U.S.
Nissan declined to debate the opportunity of increasing the e-Energy system to different automobiles within the U.S., however confirmed the brand new system is modular and able to working with many alternative engines.
“If we had been to develop this to different automobiles, you possibly can theoretically bolt this onto one other gasoline engine of a unique dimension and have extra choices for an e-Energy system,” Rosolowsky stated.
