Nissan eyes hybrid tech for Navara and Patrol

NISSAN has hinted its new e-Power hybrid system could one day satisfy a range of applications, including off-road capable vehicles such as the Navara and Patrol.

Set to make its Australian debut on the new Qashqai and X-Trail SUVs, e-Power primarily drives the front wheels through a single electric motor, but can provide all-paw grip with the addition of the e-4orce dual-motor all-wheel-drive system.

According to Nissan, e-4orce has 10,000 times faster rear torque response than a mechanical all-wheel-drive system, with the constant torque redistribution leading to improved handling and ride comfort and the ability to adapt to various road surfaces and conditions.

Asked if this means e-4orce can be applied to serious off-road handling, Nissan Technical Centre Europe Deputy Director Adam Robertson said because the system can be installed across different vehicle platforms and is scalable, there was no reason why it couldn't be used in the Navara and Patrol.

Speaking to Australian motoring journalists at an online discussion about the new hybrid X-Trail, Robertson, who was a lead engineer on the e-Power program, pointed out the system only employs the petrol engine to generate electricity.

In other words, the wheels are driven purely by the electric motor meaning there would be more than sufficient torque needed for off-road applications.

“The torque response for electric motors is instant; one ten-thousandth of a second is incredibly quick. I always liken it back to being 10-times faster than the stopwatch used in Formula One,” he said.

“It’s incredibly fast, you’re not going to get any quicker, and it means you’ve got the permanent all-wheel-drive system, so you apply torque wherever you want at any time.

“I wouldn't comment on any future plans on any other models. But obviously, this technology offers some very, very strong benefits – and you can use that in other applications as well.”

With the combined e-Power and e-4orce system able to propel the new Nissan X-Trail from 0-100km/h in a claimed 7.0 seconds, does that mean it could be tweaked to suit performance-orientated applications.

The way Mr Robertson shook his head and suggested not to expect a hybrid Nissan Z anytime soon.

He explained how the hybrid X-Trail has a 150kW front motor and 100kW rear motor, with a total system power of 157kW, meaning full-power from each engine is never employed at the same time.

“The 157kW total output for the vehicle is the system power [which] comes from the battery output power, the engine output power, etcetera,” said Mr Robertson.

“We chose to use larger electric motors front and rear... the benefit of having the oversized electric motors is that you can move the power front to rear and that gives us the all-wheel-drive extra capability.

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“We can run up to 63.7 per cent power effectively on the rear axle so, if the fronts lose grip, you’ve still got 100kW of driving force on the tyres with traction.”

“So, having the larger motors is more about the all-wheel-drive capabilities than peak acceleration power.”