Electric Nissan Juke Or Rogue SUV On The Way?
Originally published on EV Obsession.
The electric SUV market is a nearly barren one, with the Tesla Model X and the plug-in hybrid Mitsubishi Outlander being the only real options.
That may soon be changing, though, with Nissan (of all companies…) apparently considering electrifying its popular Juke and Rogue models, according to the noted British magazine Autocar.
After all of these years wondering what Nissan is doing dragging its feet on electric vehicles, it would be quite interesting if an electric version of the Juke or Rogue was to appear around the same time as the refreshed LEAF, in 2017/2018. (Editor’s Note: I love the Nissan Juke design and have to admit I’d be tempted by an all-electric Juke … if it had the right price and range, and Supercharging access.)
Release times are up in the air, though, with Nissan’s Gareth Dunsmore being quoted as saying that the company would be combining its electric car technologies with its crossover business “in the future.” A vague statement … to be blunt … so who knows on timing? Notably, though, the Juke is now over 7 years old and certainly due for a refresh.
As the refreshed Nissan LEAF that’s set to hit the market in the relatively near future will possess a range of (up to) 200 miles per charge, and a battery-pack size of (up to) 60 kilowatt-hours (kWh), one would guess that an all-electric version of the Juke or Rogue would feature similar range options.
A 200-mile all-electric Nissan SUV available for ~$40,000 in 2018 or 2019 would likely sell quite well. And would perhaps be a means of growing market share even with strong competition from Tesla and GM/Chevy. It doesn’t seem likely that a crossover version of the Tesla Model 3 would hit the market before 2020 or so.
So… there’s certainly an opportunity there. Hopefully Nissan follows through on this one.
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An excellent prospect being, with its high ground clearance and compact dimensions, a world vehicle. That price though…….
It makes more sense to perform new EV-car design, than transform fueled. Remember, what E. Musk reveiled as his biggest ‘mistake’…
It’s time to end ICEV conversion designs. Get the batteries under the floorboard where they belong. Design the trunk and frunk as trunks and frunks, not ICEV leftovers.
Look at the demand for the Tesla 3. There’s demand for EVs, enough to justify a dedicated body. Lots of body parts (doors, windshields, seats, etc.) can be used in both EVs and ICEVs but the basic body structure does not fit both purposes.
I’ve been amazed that a Rouge PHEV or BEV hasn’t been introduced already. It’s such an obvious move, the fuel economy improvements over a std SUV or CUV is much more than a smaller vehicle.
Nissan must have considered it before now, wonder why they don’t at least experiment with the idea in just some markets if they are unsure.
Just a guess –
Perhaps Nissan has seen where Tesla is taking battery prices and decided to hold back on intermediate models while battery prices are higher.
If LG Chem can sell cells to GM for $145/kWh then Nissan/Renault can purchase them for about the same price. But GM might have contracted for the initial supply and N/R is having to wait for LG to bring more capacity online.
LG is targeting 450,000 EV cell production by 2020. Let’s assume GM has dibs on the first ~100k, then Nissan might not be able to produce a new long range model until 2018, 2019.
Good points. It seemed Carlos/Nissan expected a lot more EV sales a few years ago. Maybe they were aiming to get more of their investment back while waiting on batteries to improve a bit.
That is one of the ugliest vehicles I’ve ever seen. Is it Nissan’s policy that an EV must be ugly?
ha, I knew someone would hate it. I love the look, and it sells quite well, so others do too. That’s the thing about cars and art, eh?
The Juke looks like a miniature Dakar buggy, which isn’t popular in the US. Americans probably aren’t really the target market for it.
All Nissan needs to do is raise current Leaf a couple of inches and do some cosmetic surgery…. 🙂
If true, this is great news. Hopefully, Nissan is pushing hard and will release all 3 models in 2017. I have no personal interest in the Juke. However, making the Rogue all electric or even a PHEV with 100 miles EPA range is very interesting.
That sums it up. Surely the main priority is imminence of introduction of a practical vehicle instead of arguing about the platform?
I don’t understand this “Nissan dragging its feet” thing. It implies they are deliberately trying to delay next gen ev when it is clear when you listen to interviews with their engineers that they are still testing the new battery tech. Just because Musk decided to bring forward the release of model 3 does not mean that Nissan has to do the same just to save you a few months of waiting. They need to be confident in the product. Anyone remembers the issues with Mercedes A class which was rushed to the market and ridicule and humiliation that followed when it turned out that the car was unstable when going into bends?
Tesla/Musk likes to announce things years in advance. Japanese manufacturers are at the other end of the spectrum.
The author apparently fails to see this key difference.
Renault-Nissan is the first and still #1 mass-market EV manufacturer, no other has sold as many. I really wish the whole industry would be “dragging its feet” the same way. (Hello Honda! Hi Ford! Ciao Chrysler!)
The XC90 is the top selling EV in a number of markets, the BYD Tang is the top seller in the largest market (and not the only offering). The BMW X5 is a decent option.
The SUV market is barring for electric options but not that barren.
The big problem is almost all offered models, except the Outlander, being in the luxury segment. So lots of void to be filled by low price brands like Nissan. The Qashqai is very popular especially in Europe but also the US so it could be a top seller as an EV.
We’ve leased two LEAFs (consecutively) a 2011 and a 2014 and they both averaged about 4.3 mi/kWh. Thus, if Nissan puts a 60 kWh battery in the new LEAF, I would think the range would be about 250 miles, which could be significant in terms of market acceptance vs. a 200 mile LEAF.
What sort of driving gets you 4.3 miles to the kWh? (0.23 kWh per mile). —
I think there’s something magic about 200 (like pricing stuff at $4.99 rather than $5). Keeping the MSRP down as low as possible while clearing the 200 mile range threshold would sell a lot more vehicles. My guess.
That’s why I was a little surprised at the 60 kWh figure when it appears that the Tesla may have a 56 kWh battery. Although when Nissan dropped the first shoe they were showing a high figure something around 500 km (European standard I’m sure). I suspect, if the market sees 200 as the next threshold that Nissan may reconsider for the very reason you mention… cost. We drive our LEAF in Brake mode and ECO mode. ECO just makes the accelerator more responsive, and of course as you know the Brake mode just increases the regeneration. When in the ECO mode the power to the motor is the same if the accelerator is depressed to the floor (for safety reasons). About 3 miles out from our house there is a 55 mph speed limit. I try to do the 3 miles at 55 also. Beyond that it is all 65. If there is someone behind me I will set the cruise control at one or two miles faster than the speed limit. I want the person behind me to intentionally speed to get around me so that EVs don’t get a bad rap for not being able to keep up.