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.