Here’s how Nissan might electrify trucks and SUVs for the US

Not every automaker’s taking the same strategy when it comes to electrification.

During an interview at the 2024 New York auto show Nissan North America’s Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer, Ponz Pandikuthira laid out for Green Car Reports the automaker’s viewpoint on where EVs, PHEVs, and series hybrids make the most sense.

The chat with Pandikuthira took place days after Nissan laid out its plans for hybrids, PHEVs, and a U.S.-bound three-row electric SUV, leading to a clearer vision about which powertrains will show up in which types of vehicles in the near term.

Nissan Surf-Out concept (2021)

Series hybrids

A chunk of Nissan’s electrification strategy lies within its e-Power powertrains, which is the automaker’s marketing speak for a series hybrid. A small combustion engine creates energy to power the electric motor once the battery reaches a particular state of charge. That ICE engine acts as a generator only, and there’s no direct mechanical connection between the ICE engine and the wheels. Being able to skip the transmission and all that complexity makes it particularly attractive to automakers from a cost standpoint.

Pandikuthira didn’t completely rule out e-Power for a pickup truck, but he said that in a smaller body style pickup, like a Ford Maverick-sized pickup, the series hybrid powertrain could make sense. It would be more of a lifestyle truck aimed at city dwellers and or surfers, like the Nissan Surf-Out concept shown in 2021.

“e-Power is really suited for a vehicle like Kicks and Rogue,” Pandikuthira said. A vehicle that will spend most of its time in urban environments along with stop-and-go traffic with maybe only 30% of the time being highway driving.

The executive also noted that a series hybrid is not the best during highway usage or at a steady state of 70 or 75 mph. That generator would return poor fuel economy and it wouldn’t be a good towing experience, and he noted that for mid-size and full-size trucks, the average pickup driver does a lot of that.

This directly goes against the strategy Stellantis took with the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger. While it has a 92-kwh battery pack that can be charged up, when it’s depleted the