A strategic alliance between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Nissan has been launched to develop the new lunar rover, which will have the electric technology present on Leaf and Ariya models to ensure optimal performance once it is operating.
To this end, the vehicle manufacturer has been working since 2020 on the driving control of the lunar rover prototype, implementing the technology of electrified cars so they can manage complicated terrain, such as sand, rocks, small mountains and any other irregular terrain, providing a significant amount of energy.
In addition, the e-4ORCE traction system on Nissan Ariya will also be present for all-wheel control so that all the lunar vehicle’s capabilities are at 100% on a continuous basis. What stands out about this system is the ability to autonomously operate the wheels, ensuring greater all-terrain capability on space surfaces.
“Automobile uses and driving situations are very varied. Our goal is to achieve maximum driving performance through research and development. We believe the knowledge gained from this joint research with JAXA will lead to vehicle innovations that will bring benefits to customers,” said Toshiyuki Nakajima, General Manager of the Advanced Vehicle Engineering Department responsible for the development of e-4ORCE control at Nissan.
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Now, to traverse sandy terrain, Nissan has modified the e-4ORCE drive by using a motive force control that monitors the terrain over which it will travel, reducing the spin of each wheel and making a difference so the lunar vehicle is not stuck on the surface.
On the other hand, Ikkoh Funaki, Director of JAXA’s Space Exploration Innovation Center, says they hope to use the knowledge gained from partnerships with brands, including Nissan, for the development of their lunar prototypes.
“JAXA aims to apply research results to future space exploration…. By conducting research with Nissan, which has expertise in electrified technologies, we hope to apply our findings to the development of higher-performance lunar vehicles”, said Funaki.
Written by | Ronald Ortega
