Nissan e-Power - Does this sound familiar

[CB72]

Nissan e-power sounds remarkably like the M4 jazz, marketing like it's some revelation in EV technology
https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring/car-reviews/nissan-qashqai-e-power-car-31909025

[Jazzik]

Motoring editor Gareth Butterfield has spent a week in Nissan's clever new Qashqai e-Power

"This is a very different way of approaching the electric-vehicle dilemma. What if you could have an electric car that would never run out? What if you never had to think about where to charge it, or how soon you'll need to plug it in?"

Great discovery Gareth!

[coldstart]

Nissan e-power sounds remarkably like the M4 jazz ...

The only difference being that e-power seems to be a fully serial hybrid, wheras Honda's e:HEV has *direct drive" as well (bypassing the overhead of first generating electricity when the ICE runs at an efficient speed and has the torque necessary to directly drive the wheels).

As my Jazz is set to L per 100km rather than mpg the bar in the "Range / Fuel / Trip Meter" display clearly shows actual fuel consumption (longer bar = less efficency). The jump upwards in consumption when the system switches from direct drive to the less efficient hybrid mode (at motorway speeds) is clearly visible.

The Nissan engineers would have to be much better at optimizing the ICE's efficiency than Honda's in order to compensate for the losses involved in the permanent conversion process dictated by the serial hybrid concept.

[John Ratsey]

Surprisingly, it makes the HR-V (the nearest Honda equivalent) look cheap. I wouldn't, however, mind having the 2.1kWh battery. It will provide a bit more efficiency and performance improvement.

[Whiteshark]

Honda got their advanced technology by entering and sponsoring Formula one. When they had what they wanted they sold up to Red Bull and moved on. It is a strategy they have used before to be able to develop advanced technology and file all necessary patents. This puts them in an advantageous situation and I would accept their configuration of any hybrid and would put a bet on them having some sort of patent that restricts others copying their set up.

[Lincolnshire Rambler]

While not undermining the advances other manufacturers have made in hybrid tech -most are still playing catch up . Both Honda and Toyota have 10+ years of large numbers of real hybrids in use . The drive trains are elegant solutions derived from leading edge tech. No doubt Honda engineers are still mindful of the greater efficiency of F1 hybrids which better utilise heat management to do so - of course it’s prohibitively expensive today to apply to normal cars . I can’t see any German marques taking a lead in hybrid tech they are still making Uber expensive image cars