Electrification in cars is already with us from hybrid cars, plug-in hybrids and of course electric ones.
In countries like Europe where they are advanced on the subject, they have understood very well that for an electric car to be successful, there must be a wide charging network and they have it. In the neighboring country to the north, in the United States, they are also well on their way, so that in the short term mobility will be almost 100% electric.
Now in Mexico, let’s be honest, we are super late on the issue, only in big cities like CDMX, Guadalajara or Monterrey there are chargers and that’s not that many. For our country to have a wide charging network, and thereby motivate the use of 100% electric cars, is far from being fulfilled. Without sounding negative about 15 years, although we are doing well.
However, despite this dismal specter, Nissan has developed a very smart and conscious electric mobility proposal that can help us get through that period of condensation by having a wide network of chargers.
What’s happening?
That proposal is nothing more and nothing less than the Nissan Kicks ePower 2023. Of which we are going to detail what it is and how it works in this note. If you want to know prices, versions, equipment and even driving impression, I leave you some links for you to review below because we will not touch those topics here.
See: Prices and versions of Nissan Kicks ePower 2023 arrives in Mexico
Watch: 2023 Nissan Kicks ePower put to the test
Nissan Kicks ePower 2023: What is it?
Without getting into technical terms and to make it as easy as possible to understand. It is a truck powered by an electric motor, which gets energy from a battery and it is charged by a generator, which is a gasoline engine.
Nissan Kicks ePower 2023: Why is it not a hybrid?
A hybrid to move uses both the electric motor and the combustion engine. Both combined and connected to the wheels, they drive them.
In the case of the Kicks ePower, this is not the case. Here you have an electric motor, which is the only one that gives power and torque to the wheels. The gasoline engine that it has only serves to charge the battery, it never intervenes to move the wheels, it is not even connected to them.
Nissan Kicks ePower 2023: What is the system like and how does it work?
We include two images that exemplify very well how the Kicks ePower 2023 works.
- Gasoline block that feeds a battery, it is a 1.2 L three-cylinder with 80 Hp and 76 Lb-ft of torque; again the motor is not connected to the wheels and works in the lower rev range. It has a reduction box, which houses two clutches, one serves as a reducer and the other as a multiplier.
- The battery is lithium ion 2.1 kWh, it provides energy for the electric motor. It’s under the front seats. it is 1/20 the size of the LEAF’s battery. is underweight and low maintenance costs.
- It has an inverter that connects the generator with the electric motor, through three-phase wiring.
- The electric motor, with 134 Hp and 206 Lb-ft, It is responsible for driving the front wheels and when decelerating it recovers energy to recharge the battery.
Nissan Kicks ePower 2023: what is the fuel consumption and its autonomy?
We say that it is an intelligent proposal for electric mobility, because it takes away the problem of looking for a charger to charge the battery, since the gasoline engine charges the battery and this allows you to travel long distances due to the autonomy it gives you. With official data provided by Nissan we have:
- The gasoline Kicks offers a consumption of 16 Km/l, the Kicks ePower grants 24.8 Km/l.
- If we consider that the fuel tank is 41 liters, and considering its performance, we have to It can provide a range of approximately 900 km.
It should be noted that according to Nissan the battery charge is always above 45%, so there will always be plenty of energy to power the electric motor.
Nissan Kicks ePower 2023: Emissions and homologation to circulate
By offering better fuel efficiency and since the gasoline engine is not on all the time, Nissan points out that the Kicks ePower 2023 pollutes 60% lesss (this is a reduction of carbon monoxide in the environment) than a traditional Kicks. This is why it has the homologation of an electric car, so it can circulate every day and does not check.
Additionally, you get all the tax benefits such as discounts on tolls.
2023 Nissan Kicks ePower: Driving Modes
Is Kicks ePower offers various drive modes designed to give you the best efficiency, but at the same time give you a fun drive, it has seven:
- Drive-D offers strong acceleration and handling similar to that of a conventional car.
- D-Eco, focus on fuel economy and energy regeneration.
- D-Sport, increased acceleration and energy regeneration benefit.
- Breaking-B, B-Eco and B-Sport, these three are like the previous ones, the difference is the application of the eStep (which, without being technical, helps to reduce the speed of the vehicle considerably, without braking).
- EV mode, only the electric motor operatesIt works at a maximum speed of 60 km/h. It is deactivated when the battery is less than 50% or a higher acceleration is demanded.
We hope it has become clear to you without much technical stuff how it works and what the Kicks ePower 2023 is, tell us what do you think?