The Nissan Qashquai (known as the Dualis in Australia and the Rogue Sport in the United States) has been an incredibly successful compact crossover since it entered production in 2006, selling in all major markets around the world. The third generation of the Qashquai was announced in 2021 and the e-Power version was introduced last year. The 1.5-litre petrol motor in Nissans e-Power powertrain does not directly drive the wheels, instead, it acts as a generator to charge the 1.97 kWh lithium-ion battery which in turn powers an electric motor that drives the wheels. This makes the car feel like an EV to drive but can be refuelled quickly and easily at any fuel station, allowing the driving experience of an EV without the associated range anxiety. Compared to a standard, petrol driven mild hybrid where the engine drives the wheels directly with assistance from an electric motor. According to official figures, the Nissan Qashquai e-Power is reportedly 20% more efficient than the smaller mild hybrid option that only uses a 1.3-litre engine (53.5 mpg compared to 44.2 mpg). The e-Power may be capable of even more than this, as the review states that:
“Officially, it will return 53.3mpg, and in everyday driving that’s realistic and can be bettered – especially if you drive sensibly. During our week with the car, at best we managed close on 70mpg, at worst closer to 40mpg.”
Nissan’s e-Power is an example of a series hybrid powertrain rather than a mild hybrid powertrain. Series hybrid powertrains have been used in many applications such as diesel electric boats and trains. Series hybrids are generally more efficient than mild hybrid, however the market currently prefers hybrid vehicles to send power directly from the engine to the wheels in both mild hybrids and plug in hybrids. The use of a series hybrid can improve the efficiency in vehicles like the Qashquai, and they can also be employed in battery electric vehicles as range extenders in plug-in hybrids such as BYDs DM-i system. Another recent example of this kind of technology is Mazdas SP concept which uses a petrol engine to power its electric motors and can also allow the vehicle to act as a powerplant to run exterior appliances. More vehicles will likely adopt small petrol engines as range extenders as a stop-gap to as battery technology improves, however, a pure series hybrid system with no external charging option such as the Qashquai is less certain as it will depend upon how they are classified by the different countries that have set dates to end sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles.
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