Nissan's big hybrid gamble

THE JAPANESE GIANT’S AUDACIOUS PLAN TO IGNORE PHEV TECHNOLOGY AND EMBRACE SERIES HYBRIDS AS ITS ‘EV BRIDGE’

- JOHN CAREY

NISSAN’S electrification road will be different from the route chosen by most other car makers. It plans to bypass the plug-in hybrid phase, counting instead on its new e-Power hybrid technology to bridge the ICE to EV transition.

The strategy was revealed at a recent event Nissan in Spain designed to showcase its past, present and future commitment to electrification.

The objective is clear: mainstream mass-market models powered by solid-state batteries. Nissan aims to begin low-volume production of solidstate cells at a pilot plant in Japan in 2024, scaling up to mass production for its world-wide manufacturing network by 2028.

In the meantime, Nissan will rely on e-Power to induce drivers to take a first step in the direction of total electrification. Especially in markets like Australia, where EVs are presently a tough sell.

“There are some key markets where we’re launching e-Power very quickly, because we believe that it’s where the technology is most suited,” says advanced planning manager for the region that includes Australia, Cliodhna Lyons.

This is the reason the new Britbuilt Qashqai e-Power will launch in Australia late this year, not long after it goes on sale in Europe. Around the same time the new Japanese-made X-Trail e-Power will arrive. With the Navara, these are Nissan’s most popular models in Australia.