Nissan Announces All-new Hybrid System (w/ video)

After years of simply buying hybrid drivetrains from Toyota and stuffing them underneath its Altima models, Nissan has – finally – introduced a proprietary new hybrid system for its mainstream, front-wheel-drive vehicle platforms. Based on the video they’ve provided explaining the new Nissan hybrid package, it seems genuinely innovative!

Owen Thunes, Senior Project Engineer, Zero Emissions Research Group at Nissan, provided an updated overview of the company’s new parallel hybrid system, explaining that its single-motor design is both significantly different and significantly better than the more conventional dual-electric-motor designs used by Nissan’s rivals. “In a series parallel system, motor power and engine power are somewhat scaled together, resulting in two electric machines—sometimes three — which are relatively large compared with the battery output power capability. In a parallel system, the engine power and the motor power are completely independent — it’s a design choice.”

Mated to the new hybrid system is an also-new 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder supercharged engine that replaces the ubiquitous 3.5 liter Nissan V6 currently found under the Altima, Maxima, etc. Torque exceeds the 3.5 liter V6′s in the mid RPM range, with the electric motor providing immediate, low-end torque, filling the gap between 4 cyl. and the older, less-efficient V6.

You can take a look at Nissan’s new hybrid system in the company’s pretty video, below.

Source: Nissan, via Green Car Congress.

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