Featured Nissan Note e-Power hybrid

I think we'll see a revision or this product is DOA. What Nissan really needs is a range extender for the LEAF.

Bob Wilson

 

More importantly, no plug. A "BEV" you can't charge.

Nissan's previous hybrids have sucked.........badly. I guess they're thinking they can't really go head to head with the Prius and other parallel hybrid designs so best to leverage their battery tech and LEAF hubris and go with a serial hybrid solution.

 

how big is 1/20 the size of leaf battery?

 

4 "D" cells

 

The Note is a less aerodynamic hatchback, and the gas engine is weaker at 1.2L, so the MPG isn't that bad... I probably wouldn't knock it much until I see how much extra it cost over a regular Note. It's most likely a much cheaper way to implement a "Hybrid".

 

isn't leaf like 30+ kWh?

 

And somewhere in 21 to 24 kWh range for the smaller base one.

The 1/20 refers to the space the battery takes up. The actual kWh is likely around what other hybrids have.

 

so how do they fit a battery the size of a prius battery under the front seats? and why do they talk about it 'not interfering on interior space'?

 

Thanks. I can see the logic in what you say, but I believe Bisco felt the space under the front seat had been 'impacted' upon by relocating the battery there, contrary to their statement.

 

Most people only store trash under their front seats though.

 

if there's room under the front seat for a prius size battery, it would be interesting to know what would normally be there.

 

My guess is that it'd be seat adjustment hardware that they're giving up. Alternately, they might be raising the seats slightly, or preventing them from reaching the bottom of their travel.

 

You know, you could just look under the front seats of your current cars.

Some cars might have the cd drive for the nav system under a front seat, or components to the upgraded stereo. Perhaps the emergency jack, but in most cars it is just empty space. Like what is under your couch.

A battery or fuel tank there will raise the floor, which would limit how low the seat can go, but it is something most people would never notice.

Yep, as outrageous as calling a fuel cell car a hybrid.

 

there is no way a prius battery could fit under my from seats, even with them all the way up. not under my couch either.

 

It is a small turbo hybrid like the jetta hybrid. There is nothing e or plug-in about it. It probably does really good at 55 mph and cruise control or in a traffic jam. It probably sucks gas at any attempt at high speed or high acceleration as its turbo engine is undersized, so its either acceleration cut off or rich mixture to work.

My guess is this is a japanese only vehicle, and it may do well there, but not nearly as well as the aqua (aka prius c).

 

Good to see Toyota has dropped the FCHV nonsense they had previously been using for their fuel cell vehicle program. Nissan calling this hybrid an electric vehicle is less contrived.

The heart of HSD is the transaxle; it is what allows the engine and motors to synergize and become a hybrid. Without that, the motor, PCU, and other parts are the components of a car with an electric only drive train.

Toyota is as free to apply HSD to their FCEVs as GM would be to use Voltec in conjunction with theirs, but both are or would be based upon marketing, not engineering.

How do you think Toyota got the gen4 battery under the rear seat? Its bottom is at about the same height as the front seats'; there usually isn't any reason for car designers to try and save space under the front seats. The floor under the front seats can be dropped some into the undercarriage if need be.

Porsche placed what is an off the shelf starter battery under the front seat of their SUV. It wouldn't be difficult for Nissan to arrange the cells and modules of this hybrid battery to fit under the seat without getting in the way of any of the seat mechanics.

Which is supported by comments in the OP links.
If the system is exported, I think it will be a PHEV.