Hybrid GT-R?

Hybrid drive in Nissan's ultra-swift GT-R seems like an answer to a question nobody asked. Well, not put off, the Carsales Network asked that question anyway -- of Kazutoshi Mizuno, program director for the car, out here for the unveiling of the 2010 model year.

Mizuno-san (pictured) looked momentarily askance, but we reminded him that Porsche is committed to a future that includes hybrid-drive sports cars.

"I already have the technology to modify the car's system, yes," he replied, after saying that the decision to go ahead with a hybrid GT-R or even investigate its viability was still in his head.

"But what system is better, for GT-R? Not yet..."

Porsche is known to be working with both flywheels and conventional lithium-ion batteries for the storage of regenerative braking energy and its conversion from kinetic to electric energy. Toyota, on the other hand, developed a hybrid Supra some years ago, to compete in Japan's GT500 domestic racing series. This car was equipped with supercapacitors in the same role as Porsche's flywheels. Which would be better for a hypothetical GT-R Hybrid, or would Nissan go with some other concept altogether?

"All engineers [around] the world are thinking about these things... what system is better?" Mizuno answered, but the Nissan executive deferred passing judgement or expressing an opinion. Conversely, he himself was uncertain as to how long Nissan could continue to market an 1800kg car exclusively fuelled from non-renewable sources.

In the wake of US President Barak Obama's statement earlier this week, concerning America's reliance on fossil fuels, cars like the GT-R would seem to be on death row. Asked whether ethanol, a renewable fuel distilled from crops and waste products, could extend the GT-R's life, Mizuno was unequivocal.

"Ethanol is no use. GT-R engine uses high [combustion chamber] temperatures, so ethanol [is] no good, in that case."

Mizuno had previously explained in a press conference that the GT-R's combustion chambers typically reach 1100 degrees Celsius, whereas conventional car engines usually range between 800 and 850 degrees.

"For the future, new technology is needed for the GT-R, it's true -- but when and what kind of technology to use, is not decided."

The conversation turned hypothetical after that, with Mizuno-san stating that the GT-R is actually laid out in a configuration that lends itself to integration of a hybrid-drive system. This, in fact, is something Mizuno had explained three years ago.

He said through an interpreter that he had first highlighted the engine flexibility of the front-engined/rear transaxle configuration when the vehicle was first unleashed on the public. The media didn't write about that at the time, he says, because the attention of the press was fully focused on the car's power. Times have plainly changed.

"Normally, the engine is connected with the transmission, but [for the] GT-R package, the engine and transmission are separated... so if the GT-R gets hybrid [drive], it's very easy..."

But if you are anticipating a Prius-like system in the GT-R, Nissan wouldn't go with a planetary gearset -- as fitted to the Toyota -- says Mizuno. We recall that Toyota has limited the Camry Hybrid to 180km/h, due to possibility durability problems in the Australian environment at speeds above that.

According to Mizuno, the planetary gearset is just plain unnecessary for a GT-R hybrid; Nissan need only add a motor/generator unit in place of the damping plates currently located between the rear of the petrol engine and the driveshaft to create an ersatz hybrid-drive system.

Mizuno described the integration of diesel or electric motor-drive alternatives (in a hybrid application or stand-alone) for the GT-R as "convenient" and "very easy," but stressed that he had not yet decided. It was the very "convenience" of the GT-R drivetrain configuration that could, according to Mizuno, reduce the development of a hybrid-drive version from three years for a conventional car to "less than two years."

It's that short development time that allows Nissan the luxury of putting off the decision on a hybrid GT-R. One issue that excuses Nissan from making any decision is the lack of an appropriate high-performance diesel engine, if that's how the Japanese manufacturer elects to power the GT-R in future. Even newly announced development partner, Daimler AG, cannot currently provide a diesel with the immense output needed the GT-R application.

"Its horsepower numbers are too low for GT-R," says Mizuno. With tongue in cheek, Mizuno suggested Audi could sell Nissan its "V12 engine for Le Mans, maybe it's possible."

Has Nissan already tried out different fuel-saving technologies for the GT-R behind closed doors?

"Sorry, it's top secret," Mizuno said with a laugh.