Is Nissan e-POWER a hybrid?

Nissan might not like you saying so, but the fact of the matter is the Japanese marque’s new e-POWER powertrain system is hybrid – not EV – technology. No ifs or buts...

It’s not a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system, in which you can top up the battery at home or via a fast-charger.

Nor is it a hybrid system as seen in the Toyota Prius or a swag of other Toyota and Lexus models.

While Toyota and Lexus’ conventional and widely accepted hybrid powertrains are termed parallel hybrids by the experts, the Nissan e-POWER system is a series hybrid.

Parallel hybrids allow the internal combustion engine (ICE) to power the wheels via different drivetrain configurations – in many cases a CVT or similar transmission.

In contrast, at its most elemental, a series hybrid is a drivetrain in which the combustion engine is connected solely to a generator that’s used to charge a relatively small battery, which in turn powers an electric powertrain.

In a series hybrid, there is no ability for the ICE to power the wheels via shared gearsets or the like. Railway locomotives and even diesel submarines are examples of long-serving series hybrids.

This is Nissan e-POWER to a tee. For instance, in the Nissan QASHQAI e-POWER, the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine operates solely to charge the electric powertrain’s 1.85kWh battery. Power to the wheels is via a 140kW motor driving the front axle only.

The same engine is used in the new Nissan X-TRAIL e-POWER. In the case of the Nissan X-TRAIL e-POWER, however, the advanced variable combustion-ratio three-cylinder petrol engine charges a slightly larger (2.1kWh) battery.

In the X-TRAIL, the Nissan also offers the choice of front and e-4ORCE all-wheel drive. The front motor is a 150kW unit and the rear 100kW. That said, don’t expect hot hatch performance – maximum power delivered across all four wheels is 157kW.

The same all-wheel drive set-up will eventually grace the QASHQAI – in some markets at least.

Nissan describes e-POWER as a “gateway to electric driving” and, in doing so, plays up perhaps the biggest difference between e-POWER and other hybrid systems – a driving experience that is very close to full a EV’s.

Indeed, as the drivetrain is electric, the same driving benefits accrue...

Nissan claims that due to the vehicle being powered by a battery pack, e-POWER is quieter than a conventional ICE-powered car.

“The system’s petrol engine charges the battery pack mainly at higher cruising speeds, when road noise helps mask its sound,” says Nissan.

The drive experience is akin to an EV’s as well. Like Nissan’s EVs, one-pedal driving is possible and practical.

Acceleration is linear and there’s the instant torque most of us expect from a battery-powered car. Lift off the accelerator and e-Pedal activates a higher level of regenerative braking which, along with boosting the battery, delivers around three times the deceleration of ‘normal’ engine braking.

Efficiency is the other benefit Nissan plays up. Although Nissan ramps the engine revs to approximate normal ICE behaviour, much of the time when charging the battery the engine operates at the most efficient rev range.

Number one – it’s still petrol-powered. e-Power might be a gateway to EVs, but it requires you to fuel and maintain the petrol engine.

And although the signs are there that e-POWER models are quite economical in comparison to equivalent ‘normal’ cars, you’re still delivering tailpipe emissions.

Other drawbacks mostly revolve around the complexity and additional mass, and of course the cost.

The X-TRAIL e-POWER models demand a $4200 premium over conventionally-engined equivalents. In the case of the QASHQAI the price difference is expected to be at least $3000.

As with all hybrids, you’re carting around two drivetrains – although, arguably, a series hybrid doesn’t require the wholesale duplication that connecting an ICE and an EV drivetrain requires in parallel hybrids.

Then there’s the extra mass of a battery you are carting around – albeit a smaller battery than in any PHEV or EV equivalent.

The expansion of e-POWER to more models across the Nissan line-up is a question on nobody’s lips... But for the record it’s been widely rumoured that e-POWER will be used in the next-generation Navara ute.

Our intelligence is that the jury remains out. Given the next Navara will be paired with the new Mitsubishi Triton, many pundits suggest a development of Mitsubishi’s trademark PHEV technology is a more logical route.

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