Nissan is the latest in a long line of auto makers that have announced plans to end development of diesel engines. According to reports, the Japanese automaker will work towards phasing out diesel engines and it has already stopped selling diesel powered passenger cars in markets in Japan. Diesel engines around the world are nearing a point of extinction. With automakers like the FCA group, which includes the likes of Fiat and Jeep already announcing a phase out of diesel engines in select markets globally by 2022 and cities in Europe imposing bans on diesel powered cars in certain areas, it is only a matter of time the development of new diesel power plants slows down or comes to a complete halt. Fellow automaker Toyota too had announced plans of phasing out diesel engines in the near past.
The reports also suggest that Nissan will continue to sell diesel powered commercial vehicles in markets around the world but the engines for these vehicles will be provided by its partners in the Renault - Nissan - Mitsubishi alliance. The money saved on development for diesel engines will instead be used to further boost the development of electric technology including motors, hybrid powertrains and battery systems.
Nissan will soon be moving to new platforms for all its hybrid and electric vehicles. The new platform will essentially be a flat floor with all the drive train components including battery packs, motors and electronics packing in with the actual cars getting different top hats. This will not only make the manufacturing of these cars cheaper but will also offer automakers a lot more flexibility with different designs and body styles. This will also give chance to automakers to offer the option of swappable battery packs in the near future. Incidentally, Nissan is also working on a new generation of solid state batteries with automakers like Honda, Toyota and electronic giants like Panasonic and GS Yuasa.
Source: Motor1
