Nissan is to add a new hybrid powertrain called ‘e-Power’ to the Qashqai range, pitching it at owners who spend a lot of time in urban environments.
The Qashqai will be the first Nissan model in Europe to be fitted with the e-Power unit, which is already used in versions of the Nissan Note sold in Japan.
Nissan’s e-Power system works differently to traditional hybrid vehicles, and more like what is known as a ‘range extender’ hybrid. Here’s a brief explainer.
How a normal hybrid works
A normal hybrid consists of two complete power systems: a petrol engine, complete with gearbox and driveshafts to send power from the engine to the wheels; and an electric motor (powered by a battery), which can also drive the car on its own.
The two power sources can work independently or together, so during any given journey you might be driving a petrol car, and electric car and a combination of the two working together.
How the e-Power system works
The e-Power drivetrain combines a three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine of 156hp with a 140kW electric motor, which does sound similar to a typical hybrid car.
However, the petrol engine does not actually drive the wheels at all – it simply acts as a generator to charge the battery and power the electric motor, while the electric motor is responsible for driving the wheels at all times.
There’s still a battery, which can also gain some charge whenever you coast or brake, just like any other hybrid or electric car. But, as with any other non-plug-in hybrid, most of the charge will come from the petrol engine. There is no facility to plug the Qashqai into a charging socket to charge the battery
So, essentially, the Qashqai e-Power is an electric car powered by petrol…
Why does it matter?
According to Nissan, the new drivetrain will suit those who like the instant response of an electric vehicle – compared to a typical hybrid that is predominantly a petrol car – but don’t want to deal with charging it.
The e-Power’s designers claim that the electric motor provides a much better driving experience than a traditional full hybrid, producing an instant response with no delays under acceleration. There’s also no switching between petrol and electric driving, which can cause clunking or hesitation in some hybrid cars as the petrol engine switches on or off.
Another advantage of the e-Power system is that it does away with the need for a conventional gearbox and driveshafts for the petrol engine, which reduces weight and saves space.
The petrol engine will still be running most of the time, but it works differently to that in a normal car. Instead of working up and down through the rev range, it will sit at a fixed operating speed that maximises the supply of electricity to the battery while minimising fuel consumption. The operating speed will be lined to the car’s road speed, so will gradually increase as speed increases in a way that promises to be more natural than a regular hybrid car, which can see the engine revving hard even at low speeds.
Nissan’s research suggests that typical Qashqai owners can spend up to 70% of their time driving in urban environments, where the petrol engine would be operating in a low-power mode. Combined with energy recovery energy through deceleration and braking, it should produce fewer emissions than a regular hybrid car in built-up surroundings.
Because it’s effectively an electric car (albeit one powered by petrol), the Qashqai e-Power can also be driven with Nissan’s ‘e-Pedal’ system as used in the Leaf EV. Activated by a switch, this allows ‘one-pedal’ driving by using the electric motor to slow the car instead of conventional brakes using the brake pedal. This ensures as much energy as possible is recovered to the battery to minimise fuel consumption, and also reduces wear on the brake pads.
Official combined-cycle fuel economy and emissions of the Qashqai e-Power are expected to be in the region of 53mpg and 119g/km, but those driving solely in urban environments could well improve on these figures.
Prices for the Nissan Qashqai e-Power are yet to be revealed. Nissan says it will join the Qashqai range from ‘late summer’, so full pricing and specifications are expected in coming weeks.
Additional reporting by Stuart Masson
Keyword: Nissan Qashqai to get new city-pitched hybrid