Infiniti: Development and Technology News
01-19-2018, 10:50 AM
#121
Azine Jabroni
I think that's a foregone conclusion. Selling yourself as an electric brand is an exercise in futility. In 10 years, every major luxury brand will have EVs for every class that sells. Battery powered is NOT a selling point.
01-19-2018, 01:25 PM
#122
Team Owner
It is one thing to have EV in your line up, it is another to change the entire lineup to EV.
Infiniti is struggling as it is and changing the entire business structure will just accelerate the process.
While EV is getting more popular but i don't see it will out sell gas powered cars any time soon,... as in decades.
The infrastructures are not there, no one buys EV as their primary and only car due to range limitation.
Battery power might be the future, but it is not as soon as Infiniti is predicating. All it does is jumping to its own death.
Infiniti is struggling as it is and changing the entire business structure will just accelerate the process.
While EV is getting more popular but i don't see it will out sell gas powered cars any time soon,... as in decades.
The infrastructures are not there, no one buys EV as their primary and only car due to range limitation.
Battery power might be the future, but it is not as soon as Infiniti is predicating. All it does is jumping to its own death.
02-01-2018, 09:31 PM
#123
Senior Moderator
Infiniti's variable-compression engine: witchcraft explained
Interesting read on their variable-compression engine: https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...raft-explained
02-06-2018, 08:13 AM
#124
Race Director
The Nissan brand will get four full electric vehicles and Infiniti will receive two over the next five years, a top Nissan Motor Co. powertrain executive says.
Those six battery-powered vehicles are the Japanese automaker's share of the 12 EVs that are now planned for Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi through 2022, according to a multiyear business plan announced last September by alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn.
Ghosn's business plan did not break down the number by brand. But Toshihiro Hirai, Nissan's corporate vice president for powertrain and EV engineering, detailed Nissan's share of the arrangement.
The six Nissan vehicles include only full EVs, not hybrid powertrains such as the company's new e-Power system.E-Power, introduced in the Japan-market Nissan Note in 2017, is a range-extender hybrid that uses a small gasoline engine to generate power for an electric motor that drives the wheels.
A Nissan survey of drivers found that 95 percent of respondents thought e-Power made the Note more fun to drive, Hirai said.
The EV plan reflects only the next five years. Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa separately last month revealed a longer range plan in which, starting in 2021, every new vehicle coming out of Infiniti will be either an EV or an e-Power system vehicle.
Read more: EV bonanza at Nissan: 6 new electrics headed to Nissan, Infiniti
Those six battery-powered vehicles are the Japanese automaker's share of the 12 EVs that are now planned for Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi through 2022, according to a multiyear business plan announced last September by alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn.
Ghosn's business plan did not break down the number by brand. But Toshihiro Hirai, Nissan's corporate vice president for powertrain and EV engineering, detailed Nissan's share of the arrangement.
The six Nissan vehicles include only full EVs, not hybrid powertrains such as the company's new e-Power system.E-Power, introduced in the Japan-market Nissan Note in 2017, is a range-extender hybrid that uses a small gasoline engine to generate power for an electric motor that drives the wheels.
A Nissan survey of drivers found that 95 percent of respondents thought e-Power made the Note more fun to drive, Hirai said.
The EV plan reflects only the next five years. Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa separately last month revealed a longer range plan in which, starting in 2021, every new vehicle coming out of Infiniti will be either an EV or an e-Power system vehicle.
Read more: EV bonanza at Nissan: 6 new electrics headed to Nissan, Infiniti
02-26-2018, 02:44 PM
#125
Burning Brakes
Infiniti is preparing to unleash an electrified BMW M4 and Mercedes-AMG C63 rival.
One year since the premium Japanese maker revealed its Project Black S Coupe Concept car at the 2017 Geneva motor show, Infiniti director of global motorsport and performance Tommaso Volpe confirmed to Drive that the brand will unveil a near production-ready demo at the Paris motor show in October.
It will be the first production vehicle to implement a Formula One-derived kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) hybrid engine that supplements the petrol motor in short bursts of increased power and torque.
The technology is unique in a road car because it can regenerate power when either braking or accelerating, the same as an F1 car.
Implementing the technology was possible through Infiniti’s technical partnership with the Renault Sport Formula One Team which is responsible for building the R.S.18 F1 car’s electric motor system.
The Black S' KERS engine is built in Paris, where Renault builds its F1 engines, while chassis development has been performed at Nissan's Technical Centre in Cranfield, England and Renault Sport Team’s engineering facility up the road in Enstone.
“The Project Black S developed on our Q60 coupe is a special version with hybrid technology from formula one that we are unveiling later this year as a demo car for the first time in Paris in October,” Tommaso told Drive.
“This is a genuine product coming from our partnership in Formula One.”
/editorial/117372/infiniti-black-s-578.jpg)
“The kinetic system recovers energy during the braking while the other recovers when you accelerate, so it’s a much more complicated system.
“Yes, we will keep the 3.0-litre twin turbo V6 and in reality, it is going to be even more complex than the Formula One [engine] because we’ve got not just one turbo [but two], so there’s one more turbo for recovery – but no more recovery options than in Formula One.”
It means that although there’s twice the amount of heat to deal with from the turbos, no extra power is generated from it.
However, Tomaso says the team has solved most of the challenges and expects very good results, with peak power likely to reach 400kW of power when the KERS system is engaged.
“It is significant recovery for us and gives sustainability of the power. It looks good and it will perform even better because we start from 400 horsepower and we will add at least 20 to 25 per cent – even more than 500 horsepower, something more than 500 horsepower with electric torque.
“It will be a dual-hybrid system like the one in formula one which at the moment doesn’t exist on road cars. It will be the KERS but also the MGU-H so you will recover energy from the braking like a traditional hybrid but also from the heat of the exhaust of the turbos – it doesn’t exist in a road car yet.
“This will be the first time on a road car.”
Tommaso says the Black S will be the first car to arrive as part of the brand’s commitment to produce electric-only vehicles, but it will be a technological showcase only in terms of drivetrain and not systems such as autonomous ability.
/editorial/117372/infiniti-black-s-244.jpg)
And while it will be seen as a rival to the likes of the BMW M4 and AMG C63 coupe, Infiniti isn’t out to gun down the Germans, despite the performance car likely to produce more power than either of them.
“Yes, the Black S is the first in terms of timing [of our electric strategy] apart from the current hybrid system [in use]. And yes, it is a driveable car.”
“Autonomous is not much a part of the Black S, of course autonomous is an important part of the future for us but not in the Black S at the moment. It’s not that sort of car.”
“The way we want to position the Black S is not like the fastest performance car ever, it will be very fast of course and very powerful, but our ambition is more to position it as a smart technology and so smart performance.
“The performance will be there of course, so we will be among the competitors with performance cars. But we don’t aim to be like the fastest on the zero to sixty fields, it’s more a technological experience."
As Drive understands, Infiniti has been testing a white-coloured Black S alongside the familiar matt grey coupe first revealed with an interior update at Nissan’s Cranfield site and at Enstone. Shoehorning the KERS system in along with cooling and battery storage issues were key challenges to overcome.
While production is yet to be officially confirmed and likely to be announced in October, a spokesperson said the world-first technology will push the price of the Black S into unchartered territory, though not quite as high as the Honda NSX which landed in Australia at $420,000.
https://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/...ltsHeroReviews
One year since the premium Japanese maker revealed its Project Black S Coupe Concept car at the 2017 Geneva motor show, Infiniti director of global motorsport and performance Tommaso Volpe confirmed to Drive that the brand will unveil a near production-ready demo at the Paris motor show in October.
It will be the first production vehicle to implement a Formula One-derived kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) hybrid engine that supplements the petrol motor in short bursts of increased power and torque.
The technology is unique in a road car because it can regenerate power when either braking or accelerating, the same as an F1 car.
Implementing the technology was possible through Infiniti’s technical partnership with the Renault Sport Formula One Team which is responsible for building the R.S.18 F1 car’s electric motor system.
The Black S' KERS engine is built in Paris, where Renault builds its F1 engines, while chassis development has been performed at Nissan's Technical Centre in Cranfield, England and Renault Sport Team’s engineering facility up the road in Enstone.
“The Project Black S developed on our Q60 coupe is a special version with hybrid technology from formula one that we are unveiling later this year as a demo car for the first time in Paris in October,” Tommaso told Drive.
“This is a genuine product coming from our partnership in Formula One.”
“The kinetic system recovers energy during the braking while the other recovers when you accelerate, so it’s a much more complicated system.
“Yes, we will keep the 3.0-litre twin turbo V6 and in reality, it is going to be even more complex than the Formula One [engine] because we’ve got not just one turbo [but two], so there’s one more turbo for recovery – but no more recovery options than in Formula One.”
It means that although there’s twice the amount of heat to deal with from the turbos, no extra power is generated from it.
However, Tomaso says the team has solved most of the challenges and expects very good results, with peak power likely to reach 400kW of power when the KERS system is engaged.
“It is significant recovery for us and gives sustainability of the power. It looks good and it will perform even better because we start from 400 horsepower and we will add at least 20 to 25 per cent – even more than 500 horsepower, something more than 500 horsepower with electric torque.
“It will be a dual-hybrid system like the one in formula one which at the moment doesn’t exist on road cars. It will be the KERS but also the MGU-H so you will recover energy from the braking like a traditional hybrid but also from the heat of the exhaust of the turbos – it doesn’t exist in a road car yet.
“This will be the first time on a road car.”
Tommaso says the Black S will be the first car to arrive as part of the brand’s commitment to produce electric-only vehicles, but it will be a technological showcase only in terms of drivetrain and not systems such as autonomous ability.
And while it will be seen as a rival to the likes of the BMW M4 and AMG C63 coupe, Infiniti isn’t out to gun down the Germans, despite the performance car likely to produce more power than either of them.
“Yes, the Black S is the first in terms of timing [of our electric strategy] apart from the current hybrid system [in use]. And yes, it is a driveable car.”
“Autonomous is not much a part of the Black S, of course autonomous is an important part of the future for us but not in the Black S at the moment. It’s not that sort of car.”
“The way we want to position the Black S is not like the fastest performance car ever, it will be very fast of course and very powerful, but our ambition is more to position it as a smart technology and so smart performance.
“The performance will be there of course, so we will be among the competitors with performance cars. But we don’t aim to be like the fastest on the zero to sixty fields, it’s more a technological experience."
As Drive understands, Infiniti has been testing a white-coloured Black S alongside the familiar matt grey coupe first revealed with an interior update at Nissan’s Cranfield site and at Enstone. Shoehorning the KERS system in along with cooling and battery storage issues were key challenges to overcome.
While production is yet to be officially confirmed and likely to be announced in October, a spokesperson said the world-first technology will push the price of the Black S into unchartered territory, though not quite as high as the Honda NSX which landed in Australia at $420,000.
https://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/...ltsHeroReviews
02-26-2018, 06:12 PM
#126
Team Owner
all sounds nice and all...... except we can't afford it...
04-06-2018, 06:44 AM
#127
Safety Car
MotorAuthority
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...ar-wheel-drive
Infiniti to ditch rear-wheel drive?
Most Infinitis are likely to be all-wheel drive in the future as the automaker looks to phase out its rear-wheel-drive platform found in the Q50, Q60, Q70 and QX70 models.
In an interview with GoAuto published Tuesday, Infiniti product chief Francois Bancon said the existing RWD platform, code-named FM and introduced in 2001, isn't compatible with the new electrification strategy the automaker plans to implement.
“We are going to have to change, this [FM] platform is a V-6 platform, it is rear-wheel drive,” Bancon said. “We are going to have to shift because this platform is not an electrified platform; you need a battery, you need an electric motor, it’s a different package.”
Bancon went on to explain that future Infinitis would probably be AWD, with an internal combustion engine and electric motor combo driving the front wheels and another electric motor at the rear.“Since you shift electric you have a motor in the front and in the back, so RWD does not make sense anymore,” he said. “So with the new generation electrified platform…it’s a bit like Audi with its 4x4.”
Bancon said the introduction of the new platform will take some years, with the 1st model not due before 2021. Infiniti's older models will be prioritized, meaning the 1st model on the new platform is likely to be a redesigned Q70 hopefully styled like the Q Inspiration concept unveiled earlier this year. Recall, the current Q70 arrived in 2010 as a 2011 model.
The wait for the new platform may also explain why Nissan is yet to redesign its own models based on the FM platform, like the 370Z and GT-R (Godzilla rides on a unique version of the FM platform code-named PM). Bancon didn't confirm whether other brands from the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance will use the new platform.
Infiniti has already started the transition away from RWD models with the 2019 QX50, which rides on a unique front-wheel-drive platform with available AWD. The previous QX50 was based on the FM platform.
Infiniti Q Inspiration conceptIn an interview with GoAuto published Tuesday, Infiniti product chief Francois Bancon said the existing RWD platform, code-named FM and introduced in 2001, isn't compatible with the new electrification strategy the automaker plans to implement.
“We are going to have to change, this [FM] platform is a V-6 platform, it is rear-wheel drive,” Bancon said. “We are going to have to shift because this platform is not an electrified platform; you need a battery, you need an electric motor, it’s a different package.”
Bancon went on to explain that future Infinitis would probably be AWD, with an internal combustion engine and electric motor combo driving the front wheels and another electric motor at the rear.“Since you shift electric you have a motor in the front and in the back, so RWD does not make sense anymore,” he said. “So with the new generation electrified platform…it’s a bit like Audi with its 4x4.”
2018 Infiniti Q70Bancon said the introduction of the new platform will take some years, with the 1st model not due before 2021. Infiniti's older models will be prioritized, meaning the 1st model on the new platform is likely to be a redesigned Q70 hopefully styled like the Q Inspiration concept unveiled earlier this year. Recall, the current Q70 arrived in 2010 as a 2011 model.
The wait for the new platform may also explain why Nissan is yet to redesign its own models based on the FM platform, like the 370Z and GT-R (Godzilla rides on a unique version of the FM platform code-named PM). Bancon didn't confirm whether other brands from the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance will use the new platform.
Infiniti has already started the transition away from RWD models with the 2019 QX50, which rides on a unique front-wheel-drive platform with available AWD. The previous QX50 was based on the FM platform.
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