Nissan Reveals Future EV, CVT

When it comes to fuel efficient vehicles, Nissan Motor Company is hardly at the forefront of most conversations. Most would actually label Nissan more of an enthusiast’s automaker than anything with vehicles such as the GT-R, 370Z, Maxima and Sentra SE-R. Looking into the future of the automotive industry however, Nissan realized that fuel economy was a major concern and began developing new advanced technologies to use on its vehicles. This week, Nissan showed two of its new technologies including a test prototype for a future dedicated electric vehicle and an advanced continuously variable transmission (CVT).

The biggest news, by far, was more information and pictures about Nissan’s new EV project. Developed with the help of a $1.6 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy, Nissan is expected to introduce the production versions of the zero-emissions vehicle this Sunday (August 2, 2009) at its new world headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. Up to this point, the test vehicles have been based off production vehicles (the Tiida/Versa and the Cube), but when the dedicated EV models are launched next week, they will each have their own distinctive design. The EV-11 prototype (pictured above), based on the U.S.-spec Versa hatchback, uses a 108-horsepower electric motor that was designed by Nissan and a 24 kWh lithium ion battery pack that was designed by Automotive Energy Supply Corporation. Nissan claims that its EVs will seat five passengers comfortably, have the ability to drive on any road or highway and is expected have a range of 100 miles on a single charge.

As a part of the new advanced technology, the zero-emission EVs will be connected to a global data center which helps calculate important EV data such as driving radius, available charging stations and a preset charging times to coincide with off-peak electricity rates. At the touch of a button, the driver will be able to see a navigation map that displays a possible driving radius under the current battery charge and can even calculate if certain destinations are reachable. With EV charging stations still a rarity in the U.S., the system will also be able to seek out surrounding charging stations to give the batteries more juice. For more tech-savvy drivers, the will also allow remote control access through either a Web site or a cell phone. The driver will be able to monitor the state of charge, switch the charging system on or off and even set a timer to turn on the air conditioner. Production of the company’s first EV will commence sometime next year, and by 2012, production will shift to its Smyrna, Tenn. assembly plant with a capacity to build around 150,000 EVs and 200,000 battery packs annually.

On a more conventional level, Nissan is also developing its next generation CVT (pictured right) that will also increase the fuel economy of its small car. Nissan is already known for using a CVT in just about all of its vehicles, but the new transmission is a hybrid transmission that combines the attributes of a belt-driven CVT with a conventional geared transmission. Teamed up with JATCO, a leading CVT producer, Nissan was able to offer a wider ratio without dealing with the physical limitations of a CVT. The result is a transmission that offers a final ratio of 7.3:1 which is among the highest in the world and offers increased reliability, fuel economy and driving dynamic.

In more speculative news, Nissan is also said to be developing its own hybrid-electric powertrain system to not only break from using Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive System, but also to offer hybrids on a more widespread scale (currently the Altima Hybrid is only available in nine states). In-house development of a hybrid system would allow Nissan to cut down on the production costs associated with building such a car which would then lead to lower prices for the consumer.