Tokyo (October 23, 2001) - Nissan today announced its plans to bring environmentally friendly technologies providing cleaner exhaust emissions and improved fuel efficiency in new vehicles in Japan. The goal of the strategy is to provide quick and concrete benefits to air quality in Japan with future products.
"We are continuously developing long term technical solutions to protect the environment, with the belief that they must be affordable and readily available to be truly impactful. We must approach such solutions from the perspective of 'society needs,' not only regulatory," says Nissan President Carlos Ghosn.
U-LEV for Cleaner Exhaust Emissions
Nissan will expand the use of the U-LEV (Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle1) technology in up to 80% of its products by March 2003. U-LEV is defined as a vehicle in which reduction of exhaust emissions is 75% or more below the levels mandated under Japan's 2000 exhaust emission regulations.
With approximately 80% of Nissan's passenger car sales in Japan becoming U-LEVs by the end of March 2003.
- It will be possible to reduce by the end of FY2003 total hydrocarbon (HC) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from new Nissan passenger cars sold in Japan to more than 85% below FY1995 levels.
- This strategy will have the same benefit to air quality in terms of HC and NOx reduction as putting on the Japanese roads approximately 400,000 zero-emission vehicles, fuel cell vehicles inclusive, over the same amount of time.
U-LEV technology applications have been made possible by using highly efficient catalysts and a high-accuracy air-fuel ratio control system. These have already been demonstrated in the world's cleanest gasoline-fueled cars already launched by Nissan.
These include the Sentra CA2 launched in the U.S. and the Bluebird Sylphy in Japan, both offering the world's cleanest emission control technologies. The system incorporated since last year in these models realizes exhaust levels already 50% lower than the most stringent U-LEV standards for low-emission vehicle certification as defined by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Already these products have made significant contributions to reducing HC and NOx emissions. In Japan, Nissan has sold 49,000 units of Bluebird Sylphy so far, with about 60% being U-LEV.
CVTs for Fuel Economy
In addition to active incorporation of the U-LEV technology for Nissan vehicles in Japan, Nissan plans to launch the world's first use of a belt-drive CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) paired with large displacement engines of more than 3 liters on front wheel drive production vehicles next year.
The decision to introduce on a front-wheel-drive vehicle fitted with large-displacement engines will allow Nissan to have a full lineup of belt-drive CVTs for use on front-wheel-drive vehicles, from 1.0-liter cars to 3.0-liter and larger class vehicles.
Nissan has played a pioneering role in the automotive industry in improving fuel economy through the diffusion of CVTs.
- In 1992, Nissan introduced its first model featuring CVT with the compact car March. Nissan has continued to develop belt-drive CVTs offering customers excellent fuel economy and seamless acceleration.
- In 1997, Nissan launched the world's first belt-drive CVT for 2.0-class engines on the Primera and has continued to expand its application.
- Nissan was the first automaker in the world to successfully commercialize a troidal CVT, marketed as the Extroid CVT in 1999.
FCVs for the Future
Moreover, Nissan will participate in the domestic testing program3 for fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) the Japanese government plans to begin in 2002. Nissan expects to have the technology for FCV production by 2005.
Already in this area:
- Nissan and Renault are working together in an intensive five-year joint R&D program to develop FCV technology; 85 billion yen will be invested in this program.
- In the U.S., Nissan is participating in the California Fuel Cell Partnership.4 In April 2001, it launched in the U.S. public road testing of the high-pressure direct-hydrogen-fueled Xterra FCV. This FCV incorporates various cutting-edge technologies that Nissan has demonstrated in its electric vehicles such as the Altra EV and Hypermini EV, and in its hybrid electric vehicles such as the Tino Hybrid - all of which have already been commercialized.
Nissan is committed to continuing its development of innovative and creative solutions to protect the environment. The pursuit of this endeavor at Nissan is based on the principle that while at the same time it is vital to conduct research for future technologies, it must also provide effective and readily available solutions to auto-users of today.
End
Editors Note:
1 U-LEV is a category of reduced exhaust emissions. To qualify as ULEV, emissions must be 75% or lower than the levels allowed by Japan's 2000 exhaust emission regulations.
U-LEV is the most stringent level specified under the low-emission vehicle certification system inaugurated in April 2000 by the former Ministry of Transport (currently Ministry of Land, Transport and Infrastructure. This system was implemented to promote the sale of low-emission vehicles to the general users of automobiles.
Under Japan's 2000 exhaust emission regulations, put in place on October 1, 2000, emissions of CO, HCs and NOx must be reduced to approximately one-third from the levels mandated by the previous exhaust emission standards even if a vehicle has driven 80,000 km (as measured by Nissan's in-house method). The regulations also strengthened restriction on evaporative emissions and, among other requirements, call for the provision of an onboard diagnostic system for emission control components.2 Sentra CA became the first gasoline-fueled vehicle to qualify for partial zero emission credits in California from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in November 1999.
3 The official name of this program is undecided. The name used in the provisional appropriation request for fiscal 2002 was "Research and Demonstration of a Solid Polymer Fuel Cell System."
The program is being promoted by the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which intends to determine an official name for the program after the fiscal 2002 budget has been adopted by the government at the end of December and has been approved by the Diet at the end of March next year.
4 The California Fuel Cell Partnership comprises vehicle manufacturers, fuel cell companies, U.S. federal and state government agencies and other members. It activities have the following four principal goals:
- To demonstrate FCV technologies through day-to-day use under real-world conditions in California.
- To demonstrate the viability of alternative-fuel infrastructure technology, including hydrogen and methanol refueling stations.
- To explore various issues involved in the commercialization of FCVs.