Nissan is developing its next generation of electric powertrains, thanks to which its e-POWER hybrids will achieve a price equivalent to its thermal proposals in 2026. However, its 100% electric models will not reach cost parity with gasoline vehicles until 2030.
The power unit will be 10% smaller and 30% cheaper to manufacture, and will be used interchangeably in HEVs and BEVs. Toshihiro HiraiNissan’s senior vice president points out that this technology will also enable better performance, as well as reduce the mechanical complexity of its future electrified vehicles.
Standardization will be one of the keys to making electric mobility cheaper in the coming years, which is why Nissan will begin unifying its electric propulsion systems in 2024-2025, scaling up to mass production in 2026. According to Hirai, its The new generation of powertrains will have enormous flexibility, as they can be adapted to vehicles of all types, from kei cars even big cars.
The new configuration is called «x-in-1» because it integrates several modules in the same unit. The “3-in-1” version is intended for BEV models (motor, inverter and reducer), while the “5-in-1” will be used in HEV (motor, inverter, generator, reducer and multiplier). The reducer reduces the revolutions of the electric motor, while the multiplier accelerates the revolutions of the gasoline engine to run the generator that charges the battery (remember that in e-POWER hybrids the electric drive is the only one that acts directly on the wheels ).
Nissan will reduce the use of rare earths
akihiro shibuya, the Alliance’s director of powertrain engineering, has confirmed that neither Renault nor Mitsubishi have collaborated on the development of this solution. Although Nissan could offer this technology to its partners, nothing has been decided at the moment. Since Renault already has a similar project of its own, it is possible that only Mitsubishi will benefit from the “x-in-1” architecture.
The Japanese firm has also announced that its next electric motors will use less than 1% of the rare earths used in the first generation LEAF, which will have a positive impact on costs. In addition, Nissan wants to simplify its mechanical offer, currently made up of 4 electrified and 45 thermal systems. Thus, by 2030 its portfolio will have been reduced to 3 electrified and 16 thermal sets.
Nissan wants to start making solid electrolyte batteries in 2028, reaching mass production just two years later. Hirai has indicated that these batteries will dispense with materials such as nickel or cobalt, which could mean that it will bet on the chemistry LFP (lithium-ferrophosphate).
