Nissan has introduced a stepping stone on the path to its fully-electric Leaf hatch for customers yet to be convinced by full battery technology: The 2017 NISSAN NOTE MEDALIST E-POWER.
Available in Japan and other markets around the world, the Note e-Power looks like a fairly conventional light hatch, not unlike a Honda Jazz, with a tall body and huge emphasis on interior space, but hiding under its skin is an interesting hybrid layout that uses the small-capacity petrol engine purely as a generator.
Similar to the series hybrid layout first seen here in the unloved Holden Volt, that means the primary motive force is provided by an electric motor. However, unlike the raft of plug-in hybrids that are becoming increasingly popular, the Note's system has a small battery that is regularly charged by the petrol motor rather than the other way around in vehicles like the Toyota Prius.
Nissan views it as a gateway to full EVs and, while the Japanese brand has ruled out the Note from being sold locally, the technology could come to Australia in other models soon, such as the next-generation Juke SUV.
So to see what the series hybrid system is like we travelled to Japan to experience the Note e-Power at Nissan's Grandrive proving ground in Japan.
Firstly, a bit of background because Nissan initially leapfrogged the hybrid era and went directly to an EV with its Leaf electric hatch, which is the world's number-one selling EV having tallied over 250,000 sales since appearing in late 2010. Despite that, electric vehicles have a small drawback in their limited cruising range and the the time it takes to replenish a used battery.
But what if you could be assured of fast recharge times everywhere you go? Just a few minutes here and there - the same as a petrol powered vehicle. Well, that's where the Note e-Power comes in as it isn't an EV in the strictest sense of the term.
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7 сен 2024
