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Nissan uses this cool tech to improve engine efficiency
Engineering Changes For New Hybrid Engine
Hybrids don't just rely on electrification to increase fuel economy. Nissan introduced a dedicated engine for its third-generation e-Power hybrid system, which is due to reach the United States in 2026, with an efficiency-focused engineering change that also required a new manufacturing process.
The turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine, codenamed ZR15DDTe, doesn't have typical press-fitted valve seats, which wouldn't have worked with the intake-port shape engineers wanted to use. So Nissan adopted what it claims is a world-first cold spray process, in which material is sprayed directly onto the cylinder head.
Cold Spray ExplainedNissan
The process involves spraying copper-based metal powders onto the aluminum cylinder-head surface, which forms a bond between the different metals without melting them, which is why it's considered a "cold" process. According to Nissan, this prevents the formation of excessive inter-metallic compounds and voids that can occur with more typical fusion welding, within the material, ensuring the durability needed for valve seats, which help seal the combustion chambers.
The spray-on valve seats allowed engineers to optimize the engine's intake ports for a strong tumble flow of incoming air, with minimal turbulence, according to Nissan. This more-controlled flow of air allows for more precise mixing of the air with fuel, contributing to a claimed thermal efficiency of 42%. That means more of the energy content of the fuel is actually being put to work.
The ZR15DDTe also receives a larger turbo, which Nissan says allows to operate at lower rpm at highway speeds, helping to reduce cabin noise. Nissan has said the updates eliminate the need for the variable-compression system employed in other versions of the 1.5-liter turbo-three—including in the U.S.-market Rogue—which is now the subject of a recall due to reliability issues, as well as a class-action lawsuit.
e-Power To The PeopleNissan
The e-Power system which debuted in Japan in 2016, is unique in the auto industry. Unlike the parallel systems used in hybrids like the Toyota Prius, this series hybrid system uses the gasoline engine purely as a generator, with an electric motor or motors providing all propulsion. Nissan touts an EV-like driving experience, and of course high mpg, while other automakers have stayed away from series hybrids because of issues with vibration and efficiency in steady-state highway cruising.
The new third-generation e-Power system debuts in the redesigned Nissan Qashqai crossover, which recently started production at the automaker's Sunderland plant in the United Kingdom. But Nissan has also confirmed that it will come to the U.S. in 2026 in the next-generation Rogue (which is also slated to get a plug-in hybrid option), as well as the Japanese-market Elgrand minivan.
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Engineering Changes For New Hybrid Engine
Hybrids don't just rely on electrification to increase fuel economy. Nissan introduced a dedicated engine for its third-generation e-Power hybrid system, which is due to reach the United States in 2026, with an efficiency-focused engineering change that also required a new manufacturing process.
The turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine, codenamed ZR15DDTe, doesn't have typical press-fitted valve seats, which wouldn't have worked with the intake-port shape engineers wanted to use. So Nissan adopted what it claims is a world-first cold spray process, in which material is sprayed directly onto the cylinder head.
Cold Spray ExplainedNissan
The process involves spraying copper-based metal powders onto the aluminum cylinder-head surface, which forms a bond between the different metals without melting them, which is why it's considered a "cold" process. According to Nissan, this prevents the formation of excessive inter-metallic compounds and voids that can occur with more typical fusion welding, within the material, ensuring the durability needed for valve seats, which help seal the combustion chambers.
The spray-on valve seats allowed engineers to optimize the engine's intake ports for a strong tumble flow of incoming air, with minimal turbulence, according to Nissan. This more-controlled flow of air allows for more precise mixing of the air with fuel, contributing to a claimed thermal efficiency of 42%. That means more of the energy content of the fuel is actually being put to work.
The ZR15DDTe also receives a larger turbo, which Nissan says allows to operate at lower rpm at highway speeds, helping to reduce cabin noise. Nissan has said the updates eliminate the need for the variable-compression system employed in other versions of the 1.5-liter turbo-three—including in the U.S.-market Rogue—which is now the subject of a recall due to reliability issues, as well as a class-action lawsuit.
e-Power To The PeopleNissan
The e-Power system which debuted in Japan in 2016, is unique in the auto industry. Unlike the parallel systems used in hybrids like the Toyota Prius, this series hybrid system uses the gasoline engine purely as a generator, with an electric motor or motors providing all propulsion. Nissan touts an EV-like driving experience, and of course high mpg, while other automakers have stayed away from series hybrids because of issues with vibration and efficiency in steady-state highway cruising.
The new third-generation e-Power system debuts in the redesigned Nissan Qashqai crossover, which recently started production at the automaker's Sunderland plant in the United Kingdom. But Nissan has also confirmed that it will come to the U.S. in 2026 in the next-generation Rogue (which is also slated to get a plug-in hybrid option), as well as the Japanese-market Elgrand minivan.