Instead of using older, third-party, less efficient hybrid designs, Nissan has now come up with their own hybrid drivetrain that they say is smaller, more powerful, more efficient and more flexible than what’s already on the market.
If you watch the video below, the basic working principle of Nissan’s new hybrid engine should be self-explanatory. Put simply, it consists of two clutches and one electric motor that’s housed in line with the gas engine. When the electric motor is needed, one of the clutches closes. When both are needed, both clutches close and the gas motor starts instantly to provide assistance.
That is a parallel hybrid system that, unlike Toyota’s version found in the Prius, works on a wider number of cars, just because of its small size. It can be put on front-wheel drives, four-wheel drives, SUVs and plug-in hybrids, which makes it the most attractive choice I’ve seen so far.
“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,” said Owen Thunes, Senior Project Engineer, Zero Emissions Research Group at Nissan.
Enough talk. Watch the video below and let yourself amazed.
Just like I told Elon Musk in our last e-mail exchange, Engineering ingenuity is an art: