Nissan e-Power is a range extender hybrid powertrain heading for Nissan showrooms

Nissan has revealed the e-Power hybrid powertrain developed for road cars which is a range-extender set-up with a petrol engine for charging.

We’ve long argued that a range extender is the best way to turn car buyers on to electric cars, but car makers haven’t really embraced the route.

Yes, we’ve had the BMW i3 with a BMW motorbike engine adding charge and range when needed, and the Vauxhall Ampera which looked good on paper but was bought by almost no one. Which was a shame.

But now, just as car makers are managing to deliver electric cars with the sort of range that should quell range anxiety, Nissan has done what it promised last year – launch a range extender that’s not a Leaf – with the arrival of Nissan e-Power.

Nissan e-Power is a new drivetrain from Nissan which uses a petrol engine to charge a small battery pack which in turn drives an electric motor.

Nissan are being a little coy about the size of the petrol engine and the output of the electric motor, but they do say that the batteries are just 1/20th the size of those in the LEAF and hidden under the front seats.

In theory, this should give lots of the benefits of an EV – like quiet running and instant torque – with excellent economy from a computer-managed engine charging the battery.

Nissan are planning to fit the e-Power range extender in the Nissan Note first, but as the UK is about to lose the Note we’re not likely to see it.

But, as we suggested last year, we could see a Nissan Micra e-Power range extender instead in the UK.