Nissan EV push Juke, Qashqai, X-Trail lead the way
Nissan primed for EV assault. Electric Juke is set to spearhead the firm’s wholesale push towards electric sales.
Nissan is preparing for a full-scale mass-market EV push, with electric versions of the Juke, Qashqai and X-Trail being primed for sale from 2025. The move would build on the popularity of the firm’s e-Power hybrid powertrain, Nissan Europe boss Guillaume Cartier has said, and aid its push to ensure that EVs comprise more than half of its total global sales by 2030. The hybrid system helped the Sunderland-built Qashqai grow its European sales to 105,956 last year, according to figures from Jato Dynamics.
“The point is we go in a transitional manner, in a smart manner, with e-Power then to BEV,” said Cartier. “We’re just launching e-Power [now]. “We need to take the benefit of it on the Qashqai. We’ve evolved, so this is something that it’s natural to look at, which would be the future.”
The Qashqai e-Power is quickly gaining ground in the UK hybrid market, its 1825 sales in December putting it far clear of Toyota’s Yaris Cross and just below the popular Yaris supermini. It also outsold the mild-hybrid Qashqai. However, production is at an early stage, admitted Cartier: “At the moment we’re looking at those cars, for sure.”
All three cars are expected to sit on the EV-dedicated variant of the Renault- Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s Common Module Family (CMF) platform, which can accommodate a range of body shapes, wheelbase lengths and battery sizes. First used on last year’s Ariya, the CMF-EV now also underpins the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric.
Currently, the similarly sized Qashqai and X-Trail use the CMF-CD platform, while the Juke sits on the smaller CMF-B structure, which is also used by the Renault Clio supermini.
Any electric variants are expected as replacements for the current-generation models and scheduled to arrive between 2025 and 2027. A Juke EV is due first, but Cartier hinted that all three will be sold alongside an e-Power variant.
By that time, battery tech will have moved on from that which is currently available. David Moss, Nissan’s senior vice-president for R&D in Europe, confirmed in December that a new-generation lithium ion battery would arrive “within a couple of years” with “better energy density and efficiency and a lower cost”.
It’s expected that these cars will feature batteries that extend their ranges well beyond the 311 miles offered by the 90kWh pack in the Nissan Ariya, while also cutting charging times.
The trio will arrive too early to use any form of Nissan’s solid-state battery technology, which is expected to arrive in 2028, according to Moss. These new packs will provide significant boosts to range and charging rates, with the latter hitting 400kW.
Motors will also have evolved, allowing peak power and torque outputs above those of the single-motor Ariya’s 239bhp and 221lb ft respectively. Improved energy recovery and efficiency may also provide a further boost to each vehicle’s range.
Juke is expected to be first of Nissan’s new-generation EVs Electric X-Trail will rival upcoming family EVs from Kia and Skoda.
Qashqai PHEV has been a stepping stone to the full EV, due from 2025.