This new range extender version of the hugely popular Nissan Qashqai family SUV promises low emissions and running costs…
On sale August | Price from £30,000 (est)
Range extenders have long looked like being the Betamax or MiniDisc of green car technology – an interesting idea that’s destined to never catch on. But could the new Nissan Qashqai e-Power change that and tempt large numbers of people away from hybrid models?
Both types of car rely on a mix of petrol and electricity, but the key difference with a range extender is that the engine (a 154bhp 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo in the case of the Qashqai) doesn’t power the wheels directly. Instead, its job is simply to generate electricity for the batteries and motor.
Average fuel economy should be comparable with that of conventional hybrids; the Qashqai e-Power is expected to achieve around 53mpg when it’s put through the official test. However, Nissan claims that the e-Power is quieter than a hybrid, because its engine is able to run at lower revs when starting up and accelerating.
In addition, like many fully electric cars, including the Nissan Leaf, the Qashqai has a one-pedal driving mode. This turns the regenerative braking up to its maximum setting so it can capture as much energy as possible whenever you lift off the accelerator, with the side effect that the car slows so dramatically that you often don’t need to touch the brake pedal at all.
The e-Power will be sold alongside the existing Qashqai engine: a 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol, which feature mild hybrid technology and is available with outputs of 138bhp and 156bhp.
Prices for the e-Power are yet to be revealed, but we’d expect it to cost from around £30,000, making it more expensive than the Honda HR-V hybrid and only a little cheaper than the fully electric MG ZS EV.
Keyword: New Nissan Qashqai e-Power introduced