Nissan says it will overhaul its electric powertrain approach for its pure petrol and electric hybrid vehicles. The Japanese car brand has further stated that the move aims to reduce the cost of hybrid vehicles on par with pure petrol models by 2026. With this move, the brand’s hybrid cars will be more affordable, as the automaker has suggested, Reuters reports.
Nissan announced that it will use the same automotive parts across its models to create an electric powertrain, the part that helps propel a vehicle, that is smaller and lighter than those designed by the company. in use today. This will help the automaker reduce development and production costs by 30% within three years compared to 2019.
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In addition, Nissan also announced that it will use solid-state batteries with materials that are cheaper than the batteries in use today, such as nickel and cobalt. These cheaper materials solid-state batteries will power Nissan’s future electric vehicles. Nissan senior vice president Toshihiro Hirai said the materials used in current batteries are very expensive, leading to higher costs for EV batteries. “Materials that do not use such expensive precious metals are being developed, which will be a key factor in reducing costs,” said Hirai.
Interestingly, Nissan isn’t the only automaker exploring ways to make affordable electric cars. Several other major global automakers are trying to adopt different approaches to achieving the same goal, such as reducing the cost of electric powertrains, which have yet to reach the equivalent of systems used in conventional fossil fuel-powered vehicles. Hirai also says Nissan will start equipping its small and mid-size cars with affordable powertrains from 2024 or 2025. This strategy of introducing smaller and lighter powertrains will improve efficiency. performance by helping them stay stable on different terrains, the automaker claims. .
Date of first publication: March 9, 2023, 14:35pm IST
