Amit Sharma, General Manager of Stallion NMN, Nigeria’s exclusive representative of Nissan brand, says Nissan’s E-POWER, a revolutionary technology which has already been introduced to both the Qashqai and the X-Trail models is a game changer in the global quest for optimum performance of vehicles.
He disclosed this while speaking at the 2023 Nigeria Auto Journalists Association’s training workshop held in Lagos with the theme, “Autogas/Electric Vehicles as Alternatives”
Sharma stated that while the world is moving towards full electric vehicles, Nigeria still lacks basic infrastructures that will make this a reality soon for the country.
“Electrification is the future, E-POWER provides us with an incredible solution in a continent which has the challenges which Africa has.”
He said: “Range anxiety or the amount of power you have in your battery, just like your mobile phone or your laptop, is a major concern, which is even worse when there is not an infrastructure of charging stations that you can rely on.
According to him, basic infrastructure like charging points in urban planning is still very limited and expensive, adding also that an enabling policy on EVs development is also lacking.
He said this is why Nissan has developed the revolutionary E-Power technology to help Africa and other areas while Nissan operates to solve their mobility issues with technology that takes into account road severity and fuel efficiency.
“The E-POWER is not a hybrid engine, but an electric engine, where the electricity is generated by a smaller internal combustion engine.
“Best of both worlds, it does away with range anxiety, but introduces all the benefits of electrification, like the incredible torque and performance that we have been witnessing, especially on the Formula E circuit.
There are many innovations that have made motoring better, faster and safer because of Nissan’s commitment – from E-POWER to E-4ORCE regenerative braking and all-wheel drive technology, the smart pedal and even battery life.
In his own contribution at the event, Chairman of National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP), Dr. Mohammed Ibrahimsaid not less than 9,000 out of 10,000 filling stations in Nigeria have been approved to operate as multi-fuel stations, where vehicle owners can refuel for autogas, petrol and diesel.
He said the move was part of the government’s efforts towards cushioning the effects of petrol subsidy removal on Nigerians.
He said: “Under NGEP, we have what we call the multi-fuel scheme whereby we do not intend to shut down the current petrol stations that we have in the country, about 10,000 of them. But rather, we have carried out an audit whereby 9,000 out of 10,000 of them qualify to retrofit to become multi-fuel.
His words: “We have an N250bn National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) fund domiciled in the Central Bank so that if you want to import conversion kits, if you want to import related products, you can access this fund.”
