a few days in a Nissan Note e power
Discussion
I had no idea what it was when I collected it in the dark. very agreeable drive for first few miles. CVT very smooth and whole drivetrain very responsive. I figured it must be a hybrid from the instant pull, I had to examine the dash to find confirmation of the power/charging graphic, so much more subtle than the in-your-face Prius affair. Both of us in the car were very impressed after 2 days at the ride and smoothness. So I googled it and only then found out that this is a very new car not yet available in UK. If you're not aware either, the special feature is that this is an electric car with an engine for a generator, not a hybrid. That means it uses a small battery so its lighter and cheaper. Once I found out what this car is I also discovered S-mode, which emphasises regenerative power and so facilitates one foot driving. I'm really impressed. one foot driving is intuitive in this car. the package is very smooth and tidy, and the price is around same as normal Note.
Look out for this. it's a game changer.
Look out for this. it's a game changer.
Very interesting, I would love to hear more about how it drove. There have been rumours that the e-power drivetrain might make its way into the Micra at some point.
I don't really see this as a range extender - you can't plug it in at all and it runs solely on petrol. It is more a way of bringing an electric car driving experience (which most people seem to really like when they try it) to the cheaper end of the market that can't at the moment stand the cost of large batteries.
I don't really see this as a range extender - you can't plug it in at all and it runs solely on petrol. It is more a way of bringing an electric car driving experience (which most people seem to really like when they try it) to the cheaper end of the market that can't at the moment stand the cost of large batteries.
Seems odd to use the 1.2l petrol engine just to act as a generator for the batteries,a smaller engine would do the job..
I fit many chp boilers that use small engines to run the heating & electricity in buildings and charge back up batteries and the engines are 900cc or smaller.
But i will say i am tempted by this car if the price is reasonable
Drive.com say
"Under the bonnet is a three-cylinder 1.2 litre engine that is rated at 58kW and 103Nm. As it doesn't propel the car at all it's outputs are of little significance. Instead the 80kW electric motor with a 254Nm output is the more comparable set of figures".
I fit many chp boilers that use small engines to run the heating & electricity in buildings and charge back up batteries and the engines are 900cc or smaller.
But i will say i am tempted by this car if the price is reasonable
Drive.com say
"Under the bonnet is a three-cylinder 1.2 litre engine that is rated at 58kW and 103Nm. As it doesn't propel the car at all it's outputs are of little significance. Instead the 80kW electric motor with a 254Nm output is the more comparable set of figures".
Edited by goldstar500 on Thursday 8th March 09:03
what makes it a (minor) game changer for me is that there are no downsides I can see, and so opens up the EV market to a much wider audience. no range anxiety, no price premium, no heavy weight to pull round corners, no drivability concerns. Then there are the positives of smooth, low-down torque and lower running costs. plus it drives "ok".
The dashboard is showing 19 km/l (approx 53mpg) long term average and 27km/l for my last 120km trip driving at around 60 km/hr. I guess on this limited information we might guess that an owner might achieve 65+ mpg. That's not startling, but with eyes open you get low tax, and possible exemptions to city charges.
We were both struck at what great little car it is, with that smooth instant torque transforming what otherwise might be a totally bland hatch. It's this aspect that impresses most.
Now that I've found the Smart mode my mpg should improve. I've only just found this and will be exploring one foot driving more tomorrow. As I said earlier, I had no knowledge of what this car was when I first jumped in it, so I'm judging it from quite a neutral standpoint. I referred to the CVT box earlier as I had just assumed it was a hybrid at first.
The engine cuts in most of the time, which leads me to wonder whether the next model will have a bigger battery. big enough to store all the regenerative power available yet still be cheap. My S mode exploits tomorrow will be interesting. As it's a hire car I doubt anyone else will have selected this mode, especially as you're not told about it on collection.
Let me be clear, this is no sports car or Tesla equivalent with Ludicrous mode. It's just that I hired a compact class car that's impressed me, especially when the uk list price looks to be well below 20k (in Japan it's priced equivalent to petrol model, so 17k is possible). I've never felt the same when hiring a Fiat 500, Captiva or Vauxhall Whatever.
The dashboard is showing 19 km/l (approx 53mpg) long term average and 27km/l for my last 120km trip driving at around 60 km/hr. I guess on this limited information we might guess that an owner might achieve 65+ mpg. That's not startling, but with eyes open you get low tax, and possible exemptions to city charges.
We were both struck at what great little car it is, with that smooth instant torque transforming what otherwise might be a totally bland hatch. It's this aspect that impresses most.
Now that I've found the Smart mode my mpg should improve. I've only just found this and will be exploring one foot driving more tomorrow. As I said earlier, I had no knowledge of what this car was when I first jumped in it, so I'm judging it from quite a neutral standpoint. I referred to the CVT box earlier as I had just assumed it was a hybrid at first.
The engine cuts in most of the time, which leads me to wonder whether the next model will have a bigger battery. big enough to store all the regenerative power available yet still be cheap. My S mode exploits tomorrow will be interesting. As it's a hire car I doubt anyone else will have selected this mode, especially as you're not told about it on collection.
Let me be clear, this is no sports car or Tesla equivalent with Ludicrous mode. It's just that I hired a compact class car that's impressed me, especially when the uk list price looks to be well below 20k (in Japan it's priced equivalent to petrol model, so 17k is possible). I've never felt the same when hiring a Fiat 500, Captiva or Vauxhall Whatever.
I suppose the gain in efficiency is due to the petrol motor always running at it's most efficient rpm rather than having to cope with the peak requirements of accelerating of inefficient idling. If this overcomes the inherent losses in converting petrol power to electricity and temporarily storing that power then it does save the added losses in lugging about heavy batteries but a said above 1.2 does seem a little large. surely a lighter smaller engine would suffice. Might well be just a cheap one off the shelf.
Of note you're note goign to have the environmental gain of shifting the pollution out of the city.
Wonder if the efficiency and purchase cost compares favourably to a frugal petrol city car? That's what will make or break it.
Of note you're note goign to have the environmental gain of shifting the pollution out of the city.
Wonder if the efficiency and purchase cost compares favourably to a frugal petrol city car? That's what will make or break it.
I'll second the thanks to the OP, it is great to have first-hand insight into this car. Maybe it is a glimpse into the future where economies of scale mean it will be cheaper to stick with the 'mass market' drivetrain of an electric car and add an efficient ICE for niche users such as those that do huge trips?
Rather strangely I think there is also a Nismo version of the Note e-power.
Rather strangely I think there is also a Nismo version of the Note e-power.
Day 3. over 200 kms along B roads with one foot driving and max power regeneration on. used brake pedal about 4 times all day.
very intuitive throttle (brake) pedal, I do like regenerative braking in a dd. close to 70mpg (OBC) without thrashing around.
I've hauled the long term average up to nearly 21 km/l too. single petrol tank is well on its way to 900kms+.
The OH would really consider one (or maybe it's my smoother driving?). Problem is that our fleet is heavily biased to old school fun motors (earplugs to be found in 3 of them). utility cars cars get minimal budget allocation
She suggested this could replace X fun car.... er, it's good, but no. That bias to one side, this car continues to tick a lot of boxes for a runaround / commuter car.
any questions let me know. it goes back to Nissan tomorrow.
very intuitive throttle (brake) pedal, I do like regenerative braking in a dd. close to 70mpg (OBC) without thrashing around.
I've hauled the long term average up to nearly 21 km/l too. single petrol tank is well on its way to 900kms+.
The OH would really consider one (or maybe it's my smoother driving?). Problem is that our fleet is heavily biased to old school fun motors (earplugs to be found in 3 of them). utility cars cars get minimal budget allocation
She suggested this could replace X fun car.... er, it's good, but no. That bias to one side, this car continues to tick a lot of boxes for a runaround / commuter car.any questions let me know. it goes back to Nissan tomorrow.
CABC said:
herewego said:
The emissions target is currently about 50g/km as I understand it and is rewarded with significant VED discount. 70 mpg is nowhere near that but I applaud Nissan for trying.
my real world mpg was just short of 70. Japan's govt rating is 34k/l, so about 95mpg
herewego said:
I only mentioned it because you talked about it as though it's an EV solution but only EVs and plug-in hybrids can achieve the required 50g/km which is why those cars get the grants and tax breaks.
sure, fair points. i just think it's a great car for a broad niche of people who want low costs, something "E-like" and the drivability of an electric car with no anxiety.
the cost is on a par with petrol anyway. so for somebody not in a city where zero exhaust may become a requirent in a few years it'll be popular i think.
i suppose this drivetrain could also be upgraded to have a "city mode", where the engine is disabled for duration of being in a zero emission zone. that need is normally only for 50 miles so the battery could still be small.
CABC said:
what makes it a (minor) game changer for me is that there are no downsides I can see, and so opens up the EV market to a much wider audience. no range anxiety, no price premium, no heavy weight to pull round corners, no drivability concerns. Then there are the positives of smooth, low-down torque and lower running costs. plus it drives "ok".
Its a nice intro to EV but there are lots of downsides. Twice the amount of things to go wrong, more weight to carry and they are not that efficient.ex1 said:
Its a nice intro to EV but there are lots of downsides. Twice the amount of things to go wrong, more weight to carry and they are not that efficient.
well they're not that heavy, though lack of a bigger battery means they're not that efficient either, true.Quite efficient though in real life and you get electric torque. That got me interested, as for now, range anxiety is still a thing. Plus the lack of weight meant it was easily steered.
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