Nissan had previously revealed that it is considering the Note e-Power for the Indian market. Now, Autocar India has spotted the car testing in the country.
The Nissan Note e-Power was spotted testing in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu without any camouflage.
Trending Article:
Read Now - Best Road Trip Routes In India
The Note e-Power being tested in India is a range-extender version of the hatchback. The spy images also reveal that Nissan is testing the Medalist trim of the Note e-Power which features signature V-Motion front grille and large wraparound headlamps.
The Note e-Power comes with a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder, petrol engine, but it is used to charge the batteries and does not power the wheels. The batteries power the electric motor which produces 108bhp and drives the front wheels.
The range extender engine on the Nissan Note e-Power kicks in when the batteries are running low on power. This setup is suitable for the Indian conditions as the charging infrastructure is still not in place.
Nissan claims that the engine can charge the batteries to deliver a driving range of 37km using one litre of petrol, which will make it the most fuel-efficient car in India. But the range extender cars are considered as hybrid vehicles in the country which attracts high tax as opposed to the electric vehicles.
Currently, in India, there are no range-extender cars, and the Note e-Power will be a unique hatchback if launched in India. Apart from that, Nissan is also planning to introduce the all-electric Leaf in India.
DriveSpark Thinks!
Nissan Note e-Power is a unique car which is not an all-electric or a hybrid car. It will be interesting to see how the Indian government classifies the hatchback. Currently, India does not have the required infrastructure for the electric vehicles, so the Note e-Power would be a perfect solution, as India is planning to shift to electric vehicles by 2030.
