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Nissan hybrid electric car to deliver more power

Having fallen behind Japanese rivals Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. in hybrids, Nissan has made the electric vehicle the pillar of its green strategy.

Automakers around the world are trying to develop ecological products amid growing concerns about soaring gas prices and global warming. Electric vehicles are zero-emission

Nissan has developed a parallel-powertrain hybrid system which connects an electric motor to the engine and transmission via two separate clutches. It basically sits between the engine and the transmission. This also eliminates the need for a conventional torque converter. Nissan used a rear wheel drive Infiniti G-Sedan equipped with this system as a Nissan Hybrid Electric Vehicle demonstrator.

The parallel-powertrain hybrid has 4 modes:

  • Idle-stop:The electric motor is powered by lithium ion batteries to save on fuel.
  • Normal driving:The engine powers the electric motor as well as charges the battery.
  • Acceleration:Both the engine and lithium ion batteries power the motor.
  • Deceleration:Brake energy regeneration.

The lithium ion batteries that power this system are sourced from AESC, a joint venture between Nissan and NEC. Look after the jump for a photo of the battery pack and two videos of the Nissan Hybrid Electric Vehicle.

Nissan hybrid electric car in Tennessee (TN):

As Nissan dedicated its new $100 million Americas corporate headquarters in Cool Springs recently, President and Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn announced that the automaker had signed a "memorandum of understanding" with Gov. Phil Bredesen to work together with the state and the Tennessee Valley Authority to develop a recharging network in Middle Tennessee.

On the day that Nissan Motor Co. celebrated one huge investment in Tennessee, the Japanese automaker's top executive announced a new initiative with the state, a partnership to develop a recharging system to support electric cars the company plans to sell here.

Initially, the system would allow at least some fleet users to transition to fully electric vehicles. The goal would be to expand the system for broader consumer use eventually.

Ghosn in May said Nissan would begin selling electric vehicles for fleet use in the United States in 2010, and plans to make them available to the mass market as early as 2012. But no recharging system has been developed for the cars in the U.S., something that would have to be in place before the vehicles could be delivered to customers, Nissan said.

The company also has said it will market an electric car beginning in 2010 in Israel and Denmark, through its alliance with French automaker Renault.

AESC will produce batteries for Nissan

Automotive Energy Supply Corp. (AESC) began operations in May this year and plans to invest ¥ 12 billion (US$110.8 million) over the next three years to build a lithium ion battery manufacturing plant in Japan. Nissan holds a 51 percent stake in the company with the remainder held by NEC and its affiliated company, NEC Tokin.

Better known as the energy source of choice for most laptop computers, cell phones and other portable electronic gadgets, lithium ion batteries are now being eyed by the automotive industry for use in vehicles.

AESC will produce batteries for electric vehicles including Nissan's planned models. Nissan has committed to launch its first all-electric car in the U.S. and Japan in 2010 and to mass market the vehicle globally by 2012.

The latest electric vehicle prototype is a version of the "Cube" model that Nissan sells in Japan modified to carry three lithium ion batteries under the floor and an 80kW motor and inverter.

In a test drive at Nissan's research and development center in Yokosuka near Tokyo, the car's motor exhibited a high torque that gave a kick when I pressed hard down on the accelerator. On the test track it easily got up to a speed of 100 kilometers per hour.

Nissan said the acceleration is roughly that of a 3.5-liter gasoline engine and cruising performance is around that of a 1.8 liter engine.

On a more positive note, Nissan seems very upbeat about its lithium-ion battery technology. While Honda and Toyota are reluctant to use li-ion cells in new hybrids (save a low-volume lease version of the Prius due for 2010), citing safety concerns, Nissan is confident that its batteries, which are half the weight and offer significantly improved performance over the current nickel metal hydride cells, will help it claw back some ground in the hybrid race and make it an EV leader.
Ref.:
http://www.businessweek.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.tennessean.com
http://paultan.org

 
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