Nissan Motor said it was taking a new approach to the development of electrified powertrains which it expects will result in a 30% reduction in development and production costs by 2026 compared with 2019 levels.
The automaker said it planned to share and modularise core EV and e-Power powertrain components in a new approach it has named ‘X-in-1’ which it said would help improve its competitiveness.
Nissan said it had developed a 3-in-1 powertrain prototype which modularises the motor, inverter and reducer, which it planned to use in new EV models. A 5-in-1 prototype, which additionally modularises the generator and increaser, was also planned for use in coming e-Power vehicles.
The X-in-1 approach, which covers 3-in-1, 5-in-1 and other possible variants, has been developed to enable EV and e-Power core components to be produced on the same production lines.
Nissan was the first automaker to mass-market an EV, the Leaf in 2010. It later launched its first e-Power electrified powertrain model which was based on 100% motor drive.
Nissan aims to achieve e-Power price parity with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by around 2026 with this new approach. Other advantages of this integrated approach include size and weight reduction of the e-Power system and reduced noise and vibration. It will also use a newly developed motor with magnets that have reduced heavy rare earth element content of 1% or less.
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By GlobalDataToshihiro Hirai, who heads powertrain & EV engineering development, said in a statement: “We make the most of our expertise and know how from our more than decade long development and production of electrified technologies. Through our innovations in electrified powertrain development we’ll continue to create new value for customers and deliver 100% motor-driven vehicles – EVs and e-POWER – as widely as possible.”
Under its Nissan Ambition 2030 programme, the company plans to launch 27 new electrified models, including 19 EVs, by the 2030 fiscal year.
