Adopting all-electric technology has become a need of the hour. At the same time, automobile manufacturers are finding ways to create unique hybrid systems.
The Nissan range extended hybrid system named the e-Power is a good example.
The concept car was first released to the mainstream buyers in Europe. Named the Nissan Note, it uses the range extender system where a petrol engine will be used to recharge the battery so that the electric motor can travel really long distances without requiring a charge point. Bigger batteries are obviously the next big step in the design but this concept idea that did prove to be a decent entry in Europe is good for starters. Note will be discontinued in Europe and probably become an exclusive version for the Japanese audience.
The e-Power range extender hybrid setup will continue to move forward and this time, the brand has planned to incorporate it in the Nissan Micra Supermini. Being one of the most successful supermini models that is a favorite about buyers, it has the potential to bring the hybrid system to buyers and witness some great adoption rate. A major upgrade in this new hybrid is that it uses only an electric motor to keep the car going whereas the petrol engine will be connected to the battery and solely used to charge them on the go.
Discussing its fuel efficiency capability, Nissan confirmed that the range extender hybrid will offer efficiency which is on par with most hybrid cars already available in the market. The company didn’t reveal technical information about the petrol engine they use to charge batteries. However, they did release an image showing a compact image which you can see here. The e-Power is one among many research projects undergoing at the Nissan lab. The brand is working hard to come up with alternative fuels and power sources. Most companies follow the path pioneered by Tesla but they do come up with their own solutions as well.
Electric cars are witnessing fast adoption rates but at the same time ways to charge the cars on the go is a dire necessity. Tesla has come up with solar roof panels which will be integrated in their Model 3 so that it could use the heat to keep the batteries running and Nissan’s hybrid option is another viable alternative. But, it is fully relying on gasoline and people may have to find a gas station on their way before the battery pack runs out.