Over the decades, we have seen some exceptionally innovative designs and game-changing engines produced by Asian marques. From the Toyota 2JZ-GTE to the Honda K-Series engines, they bring strength, power, and versatility to the market.
Sometimes wrongfully overlooked, though, is Nissan, which has given us engines like the RB26DETT and the almighty VR38DETT in the past. Today, they are on the cusp of changing the auto market forever with a new engine they are rolling out. By utilizing new technology, new production techniques, and AI-driven processes, Nissan is now leading the way in the next wave of exciting engine technology and construction.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Nissan and other authoritative sources, including FuelEconomy.gov.
Redefining Engine Design With Cold-Spray Tech
Though not voted as the most innovative auto brand this year, Nissan has always maintained a reputation for trying new things with engines, but their latest creation might be one of the most important in recent years.
With their new creation, a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-three engine called the ZR15DDTe, they are utilizing cold-spray tech to create the world’s first valve seat produced this way. Instead of pressing a pre-made ring into the cylinder head, Nissan is now spraying a copper-based alloy straight onto the aluminum surface of the head. This means that the valve seat becomes part of the engine, rather than just an add-on.
New Techniques Reshaping Valve Engineering
Even with some of the best engines ever created, valve seats are generally made from a cobalt-based alloy that is sintered and then forced into the head, and while this method has been proven to work for decades, it can make things relatively difficult in production. Different materials used together for heads and valve seats expand at different rates under heat (when being produced and combined), so tolerances and limits need to be accounted for, which in turn limits how the engine can be designed.
This is where the cold-spray tech comes in handy. By speeding up powder particles to supersonic velocity and spraying directly onto the cylinder head, the alloy bonds firmly without melting the other material.
That means Nissan has created a way to avoid the stress and distortion that can occur when welding or using other high-temp methods to bond them; so, the bond is tailored to withstand the knocks and bangs that valves take in an engine, and is resistant to prolonged wear.
Better Airflow And Combustion Mean Higher Efficiency
The real payoff of this technique, though, comes from Nissan engineers being able to reshape the intake port. By spraying the valve seat instead of pressing it, the intake passage can be shaped to create stronger tumble flow, or the swirling motion of air and fuel as it enters the combustion chamber.
A better mix means that the new cold-spray-produced Nissan inline-three will have a reduced chance of knocking and misfires, and improved fuel frugality, while also achieving better thermal efficiency. Nissan has claimed that their new engine-making tech has resulted in the ZR15DDTe achieving around 42 percent thermal efficiency, a figure that only top-end mills can really boast.
Advancing e-Power Performance And Efficiency
While we haven’t seen any Nissan vehicles here in the U.S.A. boasting their e-POWER system yet, European models, like the new Qashqai, have it. e-POWER is Nissan’s hybrid system that uses the gas engine part of the system solely as a generator to create power for electric motors, which in turn send power to the wheels.
Instead of the engine sending power to the wheels, like we find in a lot of hybrid systems, you get an almost-EV feel with a smooth, torquey output without the need for any sort of charging. The use of cold-spray tech (with intake channel shaping) in production means that things could get a lot more efficient and could make the new Nissan strike a balance between hybrid tech and EV feel.
STARC Combustion Strategy Is Upping The Game
Nissan’s STARC Combustion Strategy (Strong Tumble and Appropriately stretched Robust ignition Channel) is designed to get every drop of energy out of gas. The idea is relatively simple in writing; generate the strongest tumble flow while keeping the ignition channel as well-controlled as possible.
With the use of their new cold-spray tech, this should, in theory, become easier thanks to the ability to shape the intake valve geometry with more ease, which should then mean a more efficient burn, more torque at lower rpm, and a smoother-running mill.
AI-Driven Quality And Advanced Materials
Producing an engine like this is no easy task without the proper materials and kit. Nissan has created a cobalt-free alloy to utilize for the valve seats, which can perform under stress as well as more-used materials, while also being arguably slightly better for the environment (no mining needed for the cobalt).
To be able to use the new alloy and keep things as precise as possible, Nissan had to create new custom nozzles for the cold-spray. Like a lot of automakers that are now using AI to keep things in check, Nissan is also using it to check for coating thickness and bonding quality of their newly made nozzles.
Bringing Next-Gen Powertrains To The U.S.A.
AI-driven quality, new tech, new production techniques, and new materials; it all sounds like very impressive stuff from Nissan, and we are looking forward to getting it all. The UK market is already benefiting from the ZR15DDTe under the hood of the Nissan Qashqai, which we have as the Nissan Rogue. It doesn’t mean we have to wait long for it, though; the cold-spray tech engines are coming soon.
Nissan has confirmed that the next-gen Nissan Rogue will boast this engine. We are expecting to see the new Nissan Rogue generation hitting the forecourts here in the U.S.A. in 2027, and while the current Nissan Rogue can achieve a very impressive combined mpg rating of 33 mpg with the use of a 1.5-liter gas engine, the UK’s e-POWER Qashqai has a reported combined mpg rating of 62.8 mpge.