While there’s no confirmation that we’ll be getting the next-generation Nissan Navara in the UK following the brand dropping the popular pickup in 2021, the new model looks set to embrace electric power while integrating impressive new solid-state battery technology.
The new Navara will be built around the underpinnings of the recently released Mitsubishi Triton (known as the L200 when it was available in the UK), but it’s Nissan that is leading battery technology development.
Following a visit to Nissan’s European Design Centre in London, Professional Pickup learned that all future electric Nissans that demand high performance or high load uses — roughly speaking, a sports car, off-road capable SUV or pickup — will be powered by solid-state batteries.
Solid-state batteries have much higher energy density than the lithium-ion batteries in most current electric vehicles. They use a solid electrolyte that improves efficiency and resists problems caused by temperature fluctuations, meaning they won’t require expensive and bulky cooling systems. The net result is more power provided from a battery pack that is more compact and weighs less than a conventionally powered electric vehicle.
It could also mean that as well as being more easily able to carry a tonne of cargo, towing limits could be raised closer to the expected 3.5 tonnes diesel-powered models provide.
Challenges remain before solid-state batteries reach the mainstream. Chief amongst those is the reliance on lithium, a metal already in short supply, which is significantly increased. There’s also no viable way of recycling a solid-state battery at this point. Questions have also been raised about their lifespan, as internal changes to the battery stricture from charging stresses limit how far the battery can be used. Positively, while they’re far more expensive to produce than lithium-ion battery packs, it’s expected that the cost will drop rapidly to the point where there could be price parity with a traditional petrol or diesel engine.
The news means that the Navara will likely skip hybrid technology, including Nissan’s e-Power technology, in favour of pure electric power.
It’s all part of the Ambition 2030 plan
from Nissan to push its electric agenda, which will see the manufacturer introduce 27 electrified vehicles by 2030, including 19 pure-electric models. The new Navara isn’t expected to arrive until 2025, but an electric version is expected to be announced as one of the 19 electric vehicles when the new pickup breaks cover.
Nissan closed the Barcelona factory where the previous Navara was built, but there’s capacity at the Sunderland plant in northeast England. With a free trade agreement allowing duty-free distribution to Australia — a huge market for pickup trucks — there’s the intriguing possibility that a future Navara could be UK-built.
