Nissan is no stranger to the EV house, with a lengthy background of critically studying EVs and maker of 1 of the much more prosperous EVs to date: the economical Leaf. It also has a significant compact truck legacy, introducing a sequence of pickups in the U.S. starting off way back again in the late 1950s and hitting a substantial place with the D21 “Hardbody” truck of the mid-1980s. The Hardbody was, and stays, an icon of compact truck layout, and it was a great deal utilitarian, as well. As reaction to the recently announced Ford Maverick seems to display, buyers are intrigued by the thought of inexpensive compact pickups with appealing alternative gasoline options. So it can make sense that Automotive Information is reporting that some folks at Nissan have taken a “why not both equally?” solution, and are researching a compact EV pickup.
Opposite to the common “no remark on future solution” response we count on from important automakers, AN even obtained Nissan division Vice President of income and regional functions in the U.S. Judy Wheeler to opine on the subject. The TLDR is that she wouldn’t confirm it is remaining researched, but wouldn’t be astonished if it did, and that there’s purchaser curiosity in these types of a auto. You can study the Automotive Information report and Wheeler’s comments in this article (membership needed).
What would this sort of a truck search like? We imagine it’d appear a ton like the new compacts from opponents Hyundai and Ford: a unibody, 4-door, somewhat reasonably priced trucklet with modest but appropriate abilities. Our ideal guess would be styling that combines the futurism of the Nissan Ariya with the rugged modernism of the new Frontier. To be goofy, we have included a rendering of a Leaf-primarily based pickup above absolutely a genuine Nissan EV trucklet would seem harder.
The Nissan Leaf Plus’ powertrain could probably be leveraged it creates 214 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque, backed up by a 62-kWh battery pack that benefits in a EPA-believed array of 226 miles, possibly as a foundation front-wheel-generate choice on par with the Ford Maverick hybrid.
EVs are fundamentally scalable, so a two-motor variation offering all-wheel-push a la the upcoming Ariya could be critically impressive. That future SUV provides 389 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque, with a 90-kWh battery pack possibility and a most array of 300 miles when adequately configured, although it’d most likely be slightly detuned for pickup duty. Either way, Nissan is setting up EV powertrains that could fall suitable in to a competitive little truck.
It may even be economical in comparison to its fuel- or partially fuel-powered competitors. Recall that Nissan just dropped the rate of its Leaf and Leaf Plus by 1000’s, bringing it inline with where by industry forces had been pressuring it. Prices fall with scale, typically, so gearing up to develop a substantial-volume pickup could have a favourable impression on Leaf and Ariya price ranges, as well.
Creating a truck like this would be a daring transfer, but it’d also be a decisive 1, perhaps supplying Nissan an edge in the brewing compact pickup wars. As Ford will take in a good deal of the desire with its F-150 Lightning comprehensive-dimensions EV pickup merely by currently being initially on the scene, possibly Nissan will get a similar gain. Right after all, in the truck room, basically obtaining a competitor to industry has not tested to be plenty of, as the Titan’s troubled existence has shown. It could be that an “eHardbody” is just what Nissan needs.
