2017 Nissan Note e-Power Preview Drive | Gateway Technology To Bring EVs To The Masses
In Japan and other markets around the world the Nissan Note is a fairly conventional light hatch, not unlike a Honda Jazz with a tall body and huge emphasis on interior space.
The latest addition to the range, the Note e-Power now packs some interesting technology under the bonnet with a series hybrid powertrain in place of a regular petrol engine.
That means that motive force is provided by an electric motor, but charge for that motor doesn’t come from a wall socket, instead an efficient 1.2 litre three-cylinder petrol engine works as an on-the-go generator charging the battery instead of driving the car.
Nissan views it as a gateway to full EVs, so to see what the series hybrid system is like TMR travelled to Japan to experience the Note e-Power at Nissan’s Grandrive proving ground in Japan.
Vehicle Style: Hybrid Light Hatch
Price: approx $22,540 (in Japan)
Engine/trans: 80kW/254Nm electric motor 58kW/103Nm1.2 litre 3cyl (generator)
Fuel Economy Claimed: 2.7 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Nissan is justifiably proud of its Leaf electric hatch, which is the world’s number-one selling EV having tallied over 250,000 sales since appearing in late 2010. But electric vehicles have a small drawback in their limited cruising range and the time it takes to replenish a flat 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. That’s where the Note e-Power comes in, as it isn’t an EV in the strictest sense of the term, but it is powered by an electric motor that carries a petrol-powered generator with it everywhere it goes to maintain charge instead of needing to be plugged in.
Unlike a parallel hybrid (the kind Toyota and Honda sell) where the petrol engine works in concert with the electric motor to drive the front wheels, the Note e-Power has no connection between engine and drive wheels, so it offers the same high-torque zip that electric cars do so well.
THE INTERIOR
The Note e-Power that I experienced was the top-spec Medalist model, packing in features like leather seat trim, satellite navigation, and LED headlights, making it a highly specced light hatch.
The interior is designed to maximise space too, with a high roof and MPV-like profile giving the Note a large, airy feel inside. Even though width isn’t too generous, headroom and legroom in either front or back are plentiful.
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