The “e” represents Nissan’s technologies enabled by a 100% electric motor drive system. “4ORCE,” pronounced “force,” evokes physical power and energy with “4” standing for the all-wheel control driving capability. With almost 300 horsepower instantly on tap, a dual-motor Nissan Leaf was purpose-built to showcase the tremendous potential for building all-electric performance vehicles.

“Careening around a water-slicked skidpad, a tight slalom course, and a flat-out acceleration run at Las Vegas International Speedway in the new Nissan e-4ORCE twin-motor prototype, I get the distinct sensation that this vehicle, despite significant touting of efficiency and ride smoothness by the Nissan engineers on hand, is actually being designed with performance in mind”. – Autoblog.com

Unparalleled ride comfort is the result of the e-4ORCE technology’s ability to minimize vehicle pitch and dive. This is accomplished by employing regenerative braking from both front and rear motors, making city stop-and-go traffic less jostling. Similarly, on rough, bumpy roads and when accelerating, motor control is optimized to maintain ride comfort by minimizing irregular movement.

“The idea is here is to demonstrate the application of this technology to consistent driving,” said Jonathon Ratliff, the brand’s senior manager of zero-emission tech deployment, “But this test car shows that we could achieve very high performance with this system, and the potential for performance benefits in terms of greater acceleration and grip.”

The technology was born from lessons learned in the development of the Nissan GT-R’s ATTESA E-TS torque split system and the Nissan Patrol’s intelligent 4X4 system. Engineers developed the e-4ORCE technology to specifically manage electric vehicle power output and braking performance to be smooth and stable.

“We see this system as the future of our electrification strategy,” says Ratliff. “The question becomes delivering the right product that the customer is looking for in an EV at the right time. If you extrapolate out, you could definitely see this being applied in our performance vehicles. It just depends on consumer appetite for that kind of vehicle at the time.”

Nissan engineers say that although the system is in the prototype stages, it is production-ready and only needs a vehicle to be installed in. And rumours persist that one of the first new models to receive the e-4ORCE dual-motor AWD system will likely be the all-new Ariya sport SUV concept when it goes into production as well.

“The biggest aspect of this is being able to move torque from front to rear, and control it at the individual wheels. And, yes, other higher-end OEMs are implementing these systems, and without naming names, those were the companies whose products we were benchmarking,” said Ratliff. “But the control mechanism we have is more robust, which leads to quicker response time, smoother responses through curves, and quicker sensing, reaction, and control of the electric motors.”

e-4ORCE increases driver confidence by faithfully tracing the driver’s intended line thanks to ultra-high-precision motor and brake control. With the confidence to handle such a variety of road surfaces, even for novice drivers on slippery surfaces, driving becomes more enjoyable.

“The e-4ORCE twin-motor all-wheel control technology offers precise handling and stability, which gives drivers greater confidence and even more excitement than ever before,” said Takao Asami, Nissan’s senior vice president of research and advanced engineering. “This technology enables excellent cornering performance and traction on slippery surfaces and comfortable ride for all passengers.”

Stay tuned to these pages for more news on the exciting e-4ORCE all-wheel-control system and many more innovative technologies coming to Nissan production vehicles very soon.

Please Note: The details of this article were accurate at the time it was written. Manufacturers may change the details of any vehicle’s specifications, at any time, without notice.