Engineering patents often provide an insight into the future of the automobile, and if Nissan’s latest is anything to go by, the Japanese brand might have found a way to squeeze a little extra life out of the combustion engine, especially when used in a hybrid configuration. In a new patent discovered by CarBuzz filed with the Japan Patent Office (JPO), Nissan details a new variable valve timing mechanism for use in a series hybrid system. That’s the type of system used in Nissan’s e-Power hybrid vehicles, like the forthcoming Rogue e-Power that will arrive in the US next year.
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