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Nissan to work with Mitsubishi to create new hybrid cars
By Product Expert | Posted in Features & Technology, News on Thursday, January 12th, 2017 at 8:58 pm
Upcoming Nissan plug-in hybrid technology
If you look at the Nissan lineup, you might find it odd that one thing is missing: plug-in hybrids. In fact, even standard hybrids are fairly sparse. The brand’s first option, the Altima Hybrid, has been missing from the lineup for years. Currently, if you’re looking for options, the 2017 Nissan Rogue Hybrid is the only one you’ll readily find, and it’s still a difficult model to come by. The reason for this seems clear enough: efficiency numbers rarely make up for initial cost. Now, it seems, Nissan is working with Mitsubishi in adding plug-in hybrid technology to the lineup. This could be a real game changer.
Nissan will use tech from the Mitsubishi Highlander PHEV
For those not keeping up with the political happenings of the auto world, Nissan now owns 34% stake in Mitsubishi, which means we can expect some shared technology going forth. One of the more important things to look forward to is the use of plug-in hybrid technology from the Mitsubishi Highlander.
In recent years, while other automakers have built hybrids, and seen the sales mostly trickle in, Nissan has focused on making its gasoline engines impressive and keeping the Nissan Leaf going strong. One of the reasons many hybrids don’t succeed is because they cost more from the start, but fuel economy isn’t such a large jump over gasoline options to make it worth the savings. Plug-in hybrids have the potential to mix the benefits of electric with those of gasoline, but the electric vehicle infrastructure is slow to build.
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Now that things are getting a bit more stable and more focus is being placed on EVs, it only makes sense to introduce a plug-in hybrid. Plug-ins are the most practical solution for today’s market since they have gasoline to back things up when energy is low, and electric batteries can take 30 minutes to charge with advanced technology, but traditionally take hours. This isn’t even taking into account the search for charging stations.
It isn’t clear which model would get a plug-in option, but we’d expect an SUV just to mimic the Outlander. When the plug-in Nissan becomes available, it will be sent to Europe first, with U.S. availability largely depending on demand. So if you want it, start throwing hints out there now.
Do you think plug-in hybrids are the way to go, or should Nissan be making the jump straight to more EV options? Share your thoughts with a comment below, and be sure to check back here at the Glendale Nissan Blog for more news.
