Nissan Note e-Power: Another hybrid to note

Singapore

ANOTHER week, another new hybrid. Nissan importer Tan Chong International launched a redesigned Note e-Power here yesterday, its third petrol-electric hybrid model in three years.

A compact five-door hatchback that starts at S$99,800 with Certificate Of Entitlement, the Note e-Power zips along on electricity only, but gets its electrons from a generator that runs on petrol. It has a small lithium-ion battery, so it often runs quietly with the generator dormant.

Cleverly, the Note e-Power can detect when other cars are nearby and tries to switch on its generator then, so it can mask the noise it makes.

Nissan was first to market with a mainstream electric vehicle (EV) with 2010's Leaf. It took lessons from that car to create the e-Power system, which is more efficient than using petrol to power a car directly. It also makes the e-Power models feel like EVs to drive, with instant acceleration, whisper quietness and the ability to recapture energy so aggressively that drivers can use the brakes sparingly.

Nissan says the system helps drivers to see the appeal of EVs, without having to sweat about charging. The company may be on to something. Soon after its launch in 2016, the first Note e-Power became Japan's bestselling car. Here, just two e-Power models accounted for roughly half of Nissan's sales in 2020.

This year looks promising for hybrids in general. A revised Vehicular Emissions Scheme means such cars often attract a S$15,000 tax rebate, up from S$10,000 last year. So far in 2021, nearly every new Japanese car launched here has come with a hybrid option.

If full electric cars seem a long way off, petrol-electric hybrids look like the way to go for now.