If you’re familiar with Nissan products, you may have noticed the e-4ORCE logo on the electric Ariya SUV. This technology has been around for a few years, but it debuted elsewhere in the world before reaching us, so we don’t know it inside and out. What’s it all about?
- Currently, only the Ariya SUV offers this system in North America.
- The system was unveiled at CES in Las Vegas in January 2020.
- The system’s primary advantage is its efficiency at high speeds.
The name says it all. We’re talking about a technology that reinvents all-wheel drive for the electric era. The ‘e’ stands for electric, while ‘Force’—spelled with a ‘4’ replacing the ‘F’—represents the raw power of four-wheel drive.
Let’s now look at the sophisticated engineering behind this original name that’s changing the game at Nissan.
Two motors, but a different approach
At the heart of e-4ORCE are two externally excited synchronous electric motors (EESM) (instead of using permanent magnets, the field is generated by external coils, allowing the magnetic flux to be controlled dynamically). The first drives the front wheels; the second handles the rear wheels. Without getting lost in technical details, Nissan’s approach offers a high-speed advantage because, unlike permanent magnet motors, the magnetic field can be modulated as needed. This means less resistance at high speeds, resulting in greater efficiency.
Nissan touts the speed of its system’s execution, and it’s true. However, this is the result of the manufacturer’s programming of the electronic control chain, if you will. With the Ariya, for example, the system can intervene up to 10,000 times per second (you read that right) via the electronic control unit, adjusting torque distribution to maintain stability and grip levels.
In practical terms, if you need to avoid an obstacle on the road, the e-4ORCE system redistributes torque between the front and rear wheels before you even have time to realize what’s happening. By default, the distribution is balanced, but the system can send up to 100% of the power to the front or rear wheels as needed.
An interesting origin
What’s fascinating about any technology is its origins. Engineers rarely start from scratch to “invent” a system. They often draw inspiration from what’s been done before. For the e-4ORCE, they looked at two systems: the ATTESSA E-TS (Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain Electronic Torque Split) from the GT-R sports car and the intelligent all-wheel-drive system from the Patrol SUV. Expertise in sports performance, but also in off-road driving for the best of both worlds.
The Ariya, for now
Currently, only the Ariya SUV offers e-4ORCE in North America. Elsewhere in the world, a second model benefits from it: the X-Trail SUV, which is actually our Rogue but in hybrid configuration. Not to be confused with the Rogue PHEV arriving this month (February), which actually uses technology from the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.
The effectiveness of the e-4ORCE system has been demonstrated and will continue to be appreciated as more models adopt it. The technology serves the less experienced driver as much as the performance enthusiast. Both want the best possible traction, whether in gentle or more aggressive driving, and that’s what the system delivers.
