Business
Nissan’s new hybrid is a U.S.-first that mixes EV driving with a gas engine
Nissan’s logo is illuminated on a prototype of its new all-electric Ariya crossover. Nissan’s Z Proto performance car is reflected in the vehicle’s grille, while a redesigned Nissan Pathfinder SUV sits in the background.
Michael Wayland / CNBC
Nissan Motor plans to introduce a new type of hybrid to the U.S. market that drives like an all-electric vehicle but is powered — not driven — by a traditional gas-powered engine.
The new Nissan “e-Power” is called a series hybrid. It uses the engine as a generator to power the vehicle’s electric motors that then propel the vehicle. It operates like emerging extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs, but has a smaller battery and doesn’t require a plug.
It’s also different from a traditional hybrid, such as the Toyota Prius, because the gas engine in those vehicles is used to propel the vehicle. The series hybrid’s engine just keeps the battery charged to power the electric motors in the vehicles.
The e-Power hybrid system for Nissan is planned to launch domestically later this year in a new version of its popular Rogue compact SUV.
Timing for such a vehicle could be ideal for Nissan with climbing gas prices, slower-than-planned adoption of EVs and an expected surge in hybrid sales amid new entries, according to officials.
After losing billions of dollars on EVs, automakers such as Nissan are turning to hybrid vehicles to meet customer expectations for fuel economy and to help with driving performance.
S&P Global Mobility expects hybrids in the U.S. this year to increase to 18.4% of new vehicle sales, up from 12.6% last year and 7.3% in 2023. It’s forecasting pure EVs, meanwhile, will be 7.1% of new vehicle sales, down from 8% last year.
“This is a unique powertrain for the for the U.S.,” Kurt Rosolowsky, Nissan North America vehicle evaluation and test engineer, said during a media briefing. “This is an electrically driven vehicle, as far as what is powering the wheels, but it doesn’t have a plug, and you fill it up with gas like you do with a normal car.”
Series hybrids
Nissan and other automakers have used series hybrids elsewhere, particularly in Asia, but companies have been reluctant to bring the vehicles to the U.S. because of consumer expectations for driving dynamics and power.
To address those concerns, Nissan said it has developed a more powerful 1.5-liter, three-cylinder turbocharged engine specifically for the e-Power system, in addition to new packaging and other upgrades, to appease American buyers.
“The turbo is only there to serve efficiency at higher speeds for the gas engine to deliver energy,” Rosolowsky said.
The e-Power for the U.S. market is Nissan’s third generation of the series hybrid since it debuted in Japan in 2016. Since then, Nissan said it has sold more than 1.6 million vehicles globally with e-Power in nearly 70 countries.
“I think it’s going to be a really good system. I think it’s going to be very popular for Nissan in the new Rogue when it arrives later this year,” said Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at communications and consulting firm Telemetry.
Abuelsamid said the only real drawback to the series hybrid is that it’s less efficient at higher speeds, which Nissan is trying to overcome with the new engine as well as battery size.
Driving e-Power
Driving a European version of the Nissan Rogue Sport sold with the ePower system around suburban Detroit, the vehicle’s driving dynamics — specifically fast acceleration and regenerative braking — are formidable.
They come with the familiar sound of an engine revving but without the shifting or sputtering of transmission gears and far less noise, vibration and harshness, or NVH, as the industry commonly refers to it.
“The driving experience really is what makes it different with those fewer components. You have less noise and less vibration,” Rosolowsky said.
Nissan e-Power logo
Courtesy Nissan
Unlike traditional gas-powered vehicles, the e-Power system also does not require a traditional transmission to shift gears or a driveshaft that transfers torque from the transmission to the differential, powering the wheels.
While the Rogue Sport is a smaller vehicle and only forward-wheel-drive, it’s easy to see how the system will translate to a larger vehicle with all-wheel-drive, which the new Rogue with e-Power will be.
The lack of a plug, some engine noise and slight vibration also might be more familiar for drivers who have been reluctant to adopt all-electric vehicles.
While Nissan is not releasing specifics such as pricing or fuel economy for the upcoming Rogue with e-Power, the Rogue Sport was achieving more than 40 miles per gallon during heavy city driving, according to the vehicle’s MPG system.
The current Nissan Rogue, depending on the model, can achieve more than 30 MPG, according to U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Nissan’s vehicles historically been less fuel efficient than those from its larger Japanese rivals. Honda Motor and Toyota Motor, the latter of which pioneered traditional hybrids with the Prius and continues to dominate the sector in the U.S.
Nissan declined to discuss the possibility of expanding the e-Power system to other vehicles in the U.S., but confirmed the new system is modular and capable of working with many different engines.
“If we were to expand this to other vehicles, you can theoretically bolt this onto another gasoline engine of a different size and have more options for an e-Power system,” Rosolowsky said.
Virgin Media O2 recorded its highest-ever broadband traffic spike as millions across the UK tuned in to watch Arsenal‘s Uefa Champions League semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid.
Peak downstream traffic on the network surged by 17 per cent compared to an average Tuesday evening, marking an unprecedented event in Virgin Media’s broadband history.
This figure was 4.2 per cent higher than the previous record, established during Liverpool’s Champions League match against Real Madrid last November.
Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2, commented on the phenomenon: “Live sport is one of the biggest drivers of broadband traffic in the UK and last night’s Champions League semi-final set a record on our network.
“As more people stream the biggest sporting moments from home, reliable, high-capacity connectivity has never been more important.”
Bukayo Saka delivered the decisive goal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night as Arsenal secured a 2-1 aggregate triumph over Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions League final in Budapest on May 30 – their first on Europe’s grandest stage for 20 years.
And although Arsenal have received an official allocation of just 16,824 tickets from UEFA for the final at the 67,000-capacity Puskas Arena, Declan Rice wants the Hungarian capital to be a sea of red for the fixture against either Bayern Munich or Paris St Germain.
He said: “Bring it on, bring it on, I’ll be ready. I want every Arsenal fan out there, 200,000 of you, come out. Let’s try and do it because we’re going to need all the support, all the energy and let’s make it special.”
Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, hailed his “incredible” players for “making history” after securing the win.
Arteta said: “It was an incredible night. We made history again together and I cannot be happier and prouder for everybody that’s involved in this football club.
“The supporters were with us for every ball. They made it special and unique, and I have never felt it like that in this stadium.
“We knew how much it meant to everybody, we put everything on the line, the boys did an incredible job and after 20 years, and the second time in our history, we are back in the Champions League final.”
Business
Airlines spent 56.4% more on jet fuel in month after Iran war started, U.S. government says
A technician prepares to refuel a Delta Airlines aircraft at the Austin-Bergrstrom International Airport on April 10, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
U.S. airlines spent 56.4% more on jet fuel in March, the month after the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran began, than they did in February, U.S. government data released Wednesday shows.
U.S. carriers spent $5.06 billion on fuel in March, up from $3.23 billion in February. It was 30% more than what they paid in March 2025, according to the Department of Transportation.
Airlines have lowered or scrapped their 2026 forecasts altogether because of the spike in fuel, their biggest expense after labor. Some carriers have scaled back growth plans to cut costs and avoid having too much expensive capacity in the markets.
The spike in jet fuel was even sharper and topped $4 a gallon in some markets in April as the war continued and the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed.
Spirit Airlines collapsed over the weekend, and the carrier said the surge in jet fuel costs foiled its plans to emerge from bankruptcy midyear.
Other major carriers told Wall Street as they reported earnings last month that they expect customers to cover the higher jet fuel costs by early 2027, if not the end of this year.
So far, booking trends show consumers are still traveling, In March, travel agency ticket sales rose 12% from a year ago to $10.4 billion, with the number of domestic trips up 5% and international up 1%, according to the Airlines Reporting Corp.
Up to 150 high street stores previously part of the WH Smith business face closure, with hundreds of jobs understood to be at risk.
TGJones attributed the significant restructuring to the “direct result of government policy and recent geopolitical events”.
The firm stated that the planned closures are a necessary measure after 12 months of “highly challenging trading conditions”.
These outlets were rebranded as TGJones following Modella Capital’s acquisition of 480 WH Smith stores last year.
In a statement provided to the Press Association on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the business emphasised that the decision to restructure “had not been taken lightly”.
In a statement provided to the Press Association on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the business said the decision to restructure the company “had not been taken lightly”.
The statement said: “While we continue to believe in the strength of the core business, TGJones has experienced highly challenging trading conditions over the past year, along with many other brick-and-mortar retailers.
“Weak consumer spending and cost-of-living pressures, combined with rising operating costs as a direct result of government policy and recent geopolitical events, have meant that the company as a whole has remained loss-making.
“The forced name change from WH Smith has also negatively impacted consumer awareness, despite the fact that the proposition has improved.”
The statement continued: “The survival of this iconic 234-year-old business is our imperative. No decisions have yet been taken on how this will impact roles, but we will aim to preserve as many jobs as possible.
“Any potential store closures or role reductions will be subject to appropriate consultation, and we are committed to engaging openly and constructively with colleagues and their representatives.
“We want to be clear, however, that the plan may result in the closure of some stores and the loss of some roles.
“We recognise the impact this uncertainty will have on colleagues, their families and the communities we serve.”
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