Nissan Cube electric AWD
 

About 1:50 into the video they show and describe the electric AWD system for the rear wheels. Pretty interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09BCIQomREo

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2200/...7c25d274_o.jpg

I dont get it...why no battery pack? Its not like that engine produces so much power that the front wheels alone would be overwhelmed. Nor does it look like an off road type vehicle where having all 4 wheels driven means the difference between getting stuck or not.

By adding a small battery pack it could:

• Get higher fuel economy
• Accelerate much faster than by ICE alone
• Provide ~5 to 20 miles of PHEV range
• Regen
• etc

Seems like a waste of a motor/generator setup for such limited additional value.