e-Power: Nissan's New Electric-Motor Drivetrain

The Japanese auto giant, Nissan, already has an all-electric car on sale in several markets around the globe. Called the Leaf, it was first launched by Nissan in 2010 and since then it has sold over 2,50,000 units globally. That statistic makes the Leaf the best selling all-electric car in the history of automotive industry. As the name suggests, it features only an electric motor to power its wheels and has to be recharged when the batteries run out of juice. Now, though, the second largest Japanese automotive company has introduced a new electric-motor drivetrain, which has been christened as e-Power.

Unlike the drivetrain powering the Leaf, e-Power sports a small gasoline engine to charge the high-output battery when necessary, which,  in turn, eliminates the need for an external charger, while offering the same power. The drivetrain features a full-electric drive which translates to wheels only being driven by the electric motor. This sets it apart from the conventional hybrid powertrains which use power from both the electric motor and the internal combustion engine to drive the wheels. In other words, the e-Power drivetrain gets its juices indirectly from a gasoline engine, which charges the battery and that’s where the electric motor gets its energy from.

Theoretically, the e-Power drivetrain should have had a bigger motor and a bigger battery pack as compared to a conventional hybrid setup. The reason being the electric motor acting as the only source of power. However, Nissan has managed to carve out a more responsive motor and that too in a smaller package. As a result, the newly developed drivertrain uses a smaller battery pack than the Leaf, but delivers the same driving experience.

Nissan says that even though the system has a gasoline engine, its fuel efficiency figures are comparable to those of the conventional hybrids currently in the market, especially during local commutes. The company hasn’t shared any list of vehicles which will feature this new drivetrain. However, with the rapidly changing industry and consumers becoming more concerned about the non-renewable resources running out, it is just a matter of time before Nissan starts to offer e-Power in its mainstream cars around the world.