Nissan’s latest electric motor-driven e-POWER technology has reached quite a breakthrough after its latest on-board engine development achieves a staggering 50% thermal efficiency. For those who know, the standard average range in the auto industry is around 40% whereas 50% is somewhere within the boundaries of Formula 1 cars, and you know how efficient and powerful those things are.

According to Toshihiro Hirai, senior vice president of the e-POWER powertrain and EV engineering division, “In pursuit of carbon neutrality across our product lifecycle by 2050, Nissan aims to electrify all new models launched in major markets by the early 2030s. Nissan's electrification strategy promotes the development of e-powertrains and high-performance batteries for EVs, with e-POWER representing another important strategic pillar.”

Nissan’s latest e-POWER system uses its on-board engine as a dedicated electric generator for the -powertrain, which also means that its operation is only limited within the most efficient range while managing the generation of electricity and the amount of electricity being stored in the battery. This method is what differentiates Nissan’s new powertrain from other conventional internal combustion engines in the market to date.

That 50% thermal efficiency was also achieved thanks to the “STARC” concept developed by Nissan. The main focus of this concept is to enable any thermal efficiency improvements by working on the air-fuel mixture flow as well as ignition by incorporating a more diluted mixture at a high compression ratio. 50% was achieved when the engine is operating at a fixed RPM together with other techs designed for waste heat recovery.

For now, the all-new Nissan Note is the only car that comes exclusively with the e-POWER powertrain and judging from over 20,000 orders received so far since its debut back in December 2020, it’ll be a defining moment in the Nissan NEXT global transformation plan.