Nissan reveals new plans for more affordable EV powertrains

EVs are still far from affordable for the masses. Hence, Nissan announces its newest approach to electrified powertrain development which would see a reduction in production costs.

Called “X-in-1”, Nissan aims to further increase the competitiveness of its EV and e-Power vehicles via this approach. In essence, core EV and e-Power powertrain components will be shared and modularised which would result in a 30% reduction, compared to 2019, in development and manufacturing costs by 2026.

For now, Nissan has only revealed prototypes for 3-in-1 and 5-in-1 powertrains under the X-in-1 approach with many other possible variants to be revealed in the future. The 3-in-1 prototype is meant for future Nissan EVs and modularises the motor, inverter, and reducer.

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Meanwhile, the 5-in-1 powertrain prototype additionally modularises the generator and increaser aside from the aforementioned 3. This is planned for use in e-Power vehicles.

Nissan said that the X-in-1 approach to electrified powertrain development provides the following benefits:

• Sharing and modularizing core components improve production efficiencies and reduce powertrain costs by approximately 30% compared to 2019. Nissan aims to achieve e-POWER price parity with ICE vehicles by around 2026
• Size and weight reduction of the unit improves vehicle driving performance and minimizes noise and vibration
• Adopt a newly developed motor that reduces the use of heavy rare earth elements to 1% or less of magnet weight
• The sharing of core components and control technology provides the enjoyable driving experience unique to Nissan EVs

Senior Vice President Toshihiro Hirai, who leads powertrain & EV engineering development, said: “We make the most of our expertise and know-how from our more-than-a-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.”

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Under its long-term vision, Nissan Ambition 2030, the carmaker aims to bolster its line-up with 27 new electrified models, including 19 EVs, by 2030.