Nissan is world’s first carmaker to use cold spray in engine manufacturing

MANILA: Nissan Motor Corporation has revolutionized engine manufacturing with the world’s first valve seat made using cold spray technology. According to the brand, the aforementioned feature is currently being applied to a new 1.5-liter e-POWER engine that will be used in an upcoming electrified Qashqai crossover variant.

Cold-sprayed valve seat

As shared by the Japanese car brand, the new 1.5-liter mill is code-named the ZR15DDTe. Through the cold spray process, Nissan is equipping the new e-POWER engine with a concept dubbed the “Strong Tumble and Appropriately stretched Robust ignition Channel” (STARC) concept, which is touted to increase thermal efficiency by 42 percent. 

Nissan says this design minimizes airflow turbulence from the intake port into the combustion chamber, resulting in a stronger “tumble flow.” For the unaware, the term tumble flow refers to the swirling of an air-fuel mixture introduced into an engine cylinder to initiate combustion. Modern-day engines are designed to create this phenomenon for better efficiency. 

To achieve the aforementioned, Nissan engineers use cold spray technology to produce a “metallic coating” of a copper-based alloy over the cylinder head surface. The said coating uses metal powders thrown into the cylinder head at a rapid rate to create a valve seat. 

Cold spraying, after all, won’t compromise the structural integrity of the head. Per its name, the said process does not involve high temperatures or melting. Instead, it introduces additional material without creating much in the way of heat. 

Moreover, the company uses special nozzles and artificial-intelligence-driven quality assurance systems that were all developed in-house. 

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Engine innovation at Nissan

According to the Yokohama-headquartered marque, its application of cold spray technology in engine manufacturing was the result of years of accumulated knowledge.

Moreover, the new e-POWER with STARC is itself a new innovation, although the brand has yet to disclose any date regarding performance or efficiency gains from its new cold spray manufacturing technique.

The Nissan Qashqai e-POWER will be introduced in September 2025 for the European market. Later in 2026, Nissan will also rolled out the Elgrand e-POWER “large minivan” in Japan. 

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E-POWER in PH

In the local market, the Nissan Kicks e-POWER is available with a price ranging from P1.179 million-P1.479 million. 

The model’s e-POWER system consists of a 1.2-liter gasoline engine, an automatic single gear transmission, a lithium-ion battery, and an AC synchronous electric motor. The said combustion component charges the battery, which in turn supplies power to the vehicle’s AC synchronous motor.

Altogether, the system can produce up to 134 horsepower and 280 Newton-meters of torque. 

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