Thread

Nissan's third generation e-POWER powertrain

170 points · 462 comments · mroche

gcanyon · 1790565088 · focus · HN ↗
One thing that always puzzled me was how the gas engines in hybrids were so efficient. Technology Connections has a great video explainer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnUFH5GX_fI" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnUFH5GX_fI
tl;dw: constant RPM and a weird stroke geometry where the power stroke is longer than the other strokes to extract more energy from the expanding gasses.
1. jostmey · 1790565249 · focus · HN ↗
  I'm surprised there isn't more effort to create hybrids in reverse--an electric car with optional gas generator. The gas generator could run at constant speed, never changing RMP, while the battery handles constant changes in acceleration. The idea is not mine. I've heard about it in China
  1. sjtrny · 1790565779 · focus · HN ↗
    Chevrolet Volt (2011) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended-range_electric_vehicle" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended-range_electric_vehicl...
    Twirrim · 1790566912 · focus · HN ↗
    The volt was never popular enough, unfortunately. Right around the time we were looking to buy a new car, and had the Volt high on our list, the retired the product line.
    ak217 · 1790570038 · focus · HN ↗
    GM will go down in history as the auto maker that had nine lives and blew them all on canceling EV and high efficiency products.
    deepsun · 1790571205 · focus · HN ↗
    Or their customers, who bought less than 21,000 cars in a year -- I'd cancel that production line too.
    emdash · 1790572497 · focus · HN ↗
    I think they just didn't do a good enough job at advertising it. Even the salesmen at the dealers didn't seem to really understand the Volt
    lukifer · 1790577976 · focus · HN ↗
    I've yet to meet a Volt owner who wasn't fanatically obsessed with theirs (myself included). One common theory for poor sales is that dealers tend to make more on service revenue than the actual sale, and Volts run forever with very little maintenance, but I don't know if that's just speculation. I've heard anecdotes of buyers walking in ready to write a check for a Volt, and the salesperson tried to discourage them and steer them towards an ICE vehicle instead.

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