Nissan Eco-Friendly

"Symbiosis of people, vehicles and nature" is the fundamental concept underlying automotive design and engineering at Nissan. Nissan believes that the basis of environmental protection lies in understanding the environment better. In every facet of the Nissan's activities, Nissan brings to bear a shared concern for the environment and the Earth with the aim of improving life on earth.

Nissan is working hard to achieve a state of overall zero emissions. Additionally, extensive efforts are being made to design and engineer Nissan vehicles that combine environmental friendliness with driving pleasure. Based on this philosophy, Nissan set "the environment and driving pleasure 3-2-1" as its future R&D objectives in September 1998. These figures mean tripling Nissan's fuel economy, doubling Nissan's driving pleasure and achieving Nissan exhaust emissions as clean as the ambient air.

The ultimate R&D goal is to incorporate all of these performance attributes into all Nissan vehicles. Consistent with these objectives, Nissan plans to continue to develop technologies highly beneficial to the environment and implement them steadily into Nissan products at prices readily affordable to customers in the future.

Nissan activities contributing to zero emissions

Here we outline some specific examples of Nissan's efforts to achieve zero emissions include R&D activities for reducing exhaust emissions, improving fuel economy (reducing CO2 emissions) and development of clean-energy vehicles.

The BLUEBIRD SYLPHY released in Japan in August 2000 is an extremely clean gasoline-fueled car that lowers exhaust emissions to one-eighth of the levels required by Japan's 2000 exhaust emission standards set by the Japanese government.. It has been certified as an ultra-low emission vehicle (U-LEV), which requires that exhaust emission levels be reduced by an additional 75 percent from the 2000 exhaust emission standards. Even more significantly, it attains exhaust emission levels that are more than 50 percent lower than the U-LEV criteria, thus contributing to the attainment of zero emissions.

Nissan is also taking measured steps to reduce CO2 emissions and to conserve energy. The application of NEO Di direct-injection engines that contributes to improved fuel economy is steadily being expanded on new and fully redesigned models.

Similarly, the use of Nissan's continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) that are effective in improving fuel economy is also being expanded to cover a broad range of Nissan models. Moreover, driving tests of a Nissan fuel cell vehicle are being conducted with the aim of making fuel cell technology a practical reality because of its superior environmental friendliness and potential for energy savings.

As well as these activities to achieve zero emissions from products, Nissan is also working to reduce exhaust emissions from production plants and to recycle end-of-life vehicles as part of company-wide efforts to become a zero-emission automotive enterprise.

Nissan Fuel Cell Vehicles Activities

In view of their outstanding environmental friendliness and energy conservation potential, Nissan is committed to research and development work aimed at making fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) a practical reality.

FCVs obtain electric energy directly through electrochemical reactions between hydrogen and oxygen, emitting only water, thus operating on exceptionally efficient and clean power sources.

Nissan is actively involved in the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) in North America and initiated public road testing of the high-pressure direct-hydrogen-fueled XTERRA FCV in April 2001. This Nissan technology allows a simpler system configuration because it eliminates the need for a reformer to produce hydrogen. As a result, it provides a superior power unit capable of providing high efficiency and responsiveness.

Parallel with the development of the high-pressure direct-hydrogen-fuelled system, Nissan is also developing a gasoline-reformer FCV that would make it easier to build the infrastructure for ensuring a more readily available fuel supply.  Due to their superior fuel efficiency and zero-emission performance, Nissan feels that fuel cells are highly promising as power sources for vehicles in the future. Nissan is moving ahead with the development of high-efficiency FCVs based on the advanced technologies of hybrid electric vehicles and existing electric vehicles.

Zero-Emission Technologies

Nissan is working to reduce exhaust emissions with the aim of achieving a zero emissions vehicle.

The worlwide demand for vehicles that emit clean exhaust gas is increasing throughout the world today as customers and comapnies become more aware of environmental issues.

In February 2000, Nissan launched the SENTRA CA in the U.S. market, certified as "the world's cleanest petrol-fueled car". The SENTRA CA became the world's first petrol-fueled car to qualify for partial zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) credits from the California Air Resources Board, making it equal to an electric vehicle in terms of emission performance further improved and adopted on the BLUEBIRD SYLPHY released in Japan.

The BLUEBIRD SYLPHY delivers exhaust emission levels that are 50% lower than Japan's ultra-low emission vehicle (U-LEV)* standards, representing the most stringent category of the low-emission vehicle certification system specified by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The remarkably clean exhaust gas emitted by this car is comparable to the quality of air taken in at the front of the vehicle.

*A U-LEV-certified car reduces exhaust emissions by an additional 75% from the amounts allowed under Japan's 2000 exhaust emission regulations. This is the most stringent level specified under the low-emission vehicle certification system specified by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in April 2000. This system is aimed at promoting the penetration of low-emission vehicles through their selection by ordinary consumers

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