Has Nissan just confirmed what will be powering the Y63? "Technical development" underway on e-Power tech for new Patrol and Navara

Nissan says development work is already underway for an electrified solution for the Nissan Patrol and commerical vehicles like the Navara, seemingly confirming e-Power technology is coming to its large SUV and commercial fleet.

With Toyota yet to introduce electrification on its LandCruiser 300 Series - or its HiLux, for that matter - the news means Nissan could be first to market in Australia with a hybrid solution in its Patrol.

While the brand hasn't locked in timing or specifics, the brand has furthered the e-Power conversation for its commercial and large SUV fleet, confirming not just that its hybrid tech would work on those models, but that development work was already underway to bring them to market.

"It's not appropriate to talk about the future product plan, but for a 4WD application, we have already applied e-Power technology to X-Trail, so you can confirm its performance," says Nissan Vice President of Powertrain and EV Engineering, Shunichi Inamijima.

The current Nissan Patrol is powered by a big petrol V8 engine

"But I can say that the technology itself is applicable to larger SUVs or commercial applications, and technical development is going on."

The brand went on to suggest the technology could be deployed in regions with high fuel prices and/or poor EV charging infrastructure, presenting as a real-world answer to reducing emissions.

"Nissan e-Power is applicable not just to big SUVs like Patrol, but also for commercial applications like commercial vans or commercial trucks. It really depends on the customer needs or market request," the brand said.

"We're looking at the regional requests, for instance with infrastructure or fuel pricing, so we'll consider that in the technical application of the products, whether it's e-Power or EV."

Unlike Toyota and others, which use a conventional hybrid system, Nissan's e-Power uses a petrol motor to recharge the onboard lithium-ion battery, with only the electric motors used to power the driving wheels.

Also present on an e-Power Navara or Patrol would be Nissan's e4ORCE tech, which sees a second electric motor fitted at the rear axle for all-wheel-drive capability that delivers "constant torque, near-perfect weight balance and is 10,000 times faster than a regular 4WD system".

Whether the technology appears on the Y63 Patrol – expected next year – or as a mid-life update, or as part of a future model, it is expected to eventually make its way to Australia, where the vast distances covered by Patrol drivers would seemingly make e-Power a better direct fit than a full BEV.

While it's yet to be drawn on details, Nissan in Australia has confirmed it has a sizeable seat at the Patrol planning table, and says it will use it to ensure that the model's capability isn't impacted, no matter what is powering it.

"We’re the only major right-hand-drive market, and the investment to make these vehicles right-hand-drive was specifically done for Australia, and it’s not a small investment," says Nissan Australia boss Adam Paterson.

"What we're advocating for is that the use case here is more rugged, and people are spending a lot money after the fact (to personalise vehicles), so when it comes to Patrol specifically, anything that’s done to the platform going forward can’t soften its capability.

"It needs to be as capable as it is today, if not more so, because that’s what our customers want."