Nissan e-POWER drivetrain announced

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

It absolutely makes sense. EV Motor, EV reduction gear, EREV generator. No dead investments.

 

[stopcrazypp]

My guess is that the main advantages are simpler engineering and it avoids hybrid patents that the established players have already filed.

Nissan is late to the hybrid game and this is the path of least risk that gets them a product to sell. The downside of series hybrids has been reduced efficiency at highway speeds vs having some mechanical path whether partial as in the power-split hybrids or complete as in the parallel hybrids. Nissan has just gone the route of having no mechanical path at all.

It's not just mechanical path either. The way they drew their diagram makes it seem like the engine only charges the batteries (not even having a direct path to inverter for the motor).

Global Newsroom

 

[BluestarE3]

It's not just mechanical path either. The way they drew their diagram makes it seem like the engine only charges the batteries (not even having a direct path to inverter for the motor).

Global Newsroom

That's the way I interpreted it too: all the juice for the electric motor is coming from the battery (which, in turn, gets all its juice from the generator powered by the ICE).

 

[RiverBrick]

The e-POWER system allows you to enjoy all the benefits of an EV without having to worry about charging the battery.

This bizarre statement from Nissan's press release contradicts 90% of the marketing for the LEAF.

 

[Jeff N]

It's not just mechanical path either. The way they drew their diagram makes it seem like the engine only charges the batteries (not even having a direct path to inverter for the motor).

Global Newsroom

Sure, but that's just a silly marketing diagram.

 

[miimura]

That's the way I interpreted it too: all the juice for the electric motor is coming from the battery (which, in turn, gets all its juice from the generator powered by the ICE).

The motor's inverter, the battery, and the generator are all connected together. There is a limit to how much power can go in and out of the battery, so the inverter has to take that into account and monitor the current produced by the generator so that it doesn't over-draw from the battery when accelerating. I can guarantee that the ICE will have to rev up in order for the car to achieve maximum acceleration.

 

[Twiglett]

The e-POWER system allows you to enjoy all the benefits of an EV without having to worry about charging the battery.

This bizarre statement from Nissan's press release contradicts 90% of the marketing for the LEAF.

That's what bugs me about this car - ALL it has the driving experience of an EV.
Everything else is just like the ICE it is.
It's a weird message they are trying to push.
Essentially they are saying that EV powertrain is the best experience - which is good
But then they cloud it by suggesting that using an ICE for power is somehow better, even to the point of linking Zero Emissions to this car
Its just crazy.
One little step away from saying that EV power is better than ICE - but no cigar.

 

[Zoltrix77]

So long as the emissions and/or fuel consumption is much improved over a regular gasoline vehicle, I'm all for it, long term, its still helps the transition to full EVs.