HR12DE Engine Achieves Low Fuel Consumption of 26 km/L
HR12DE Engine
Nissan developed the new 1.2-liter HR12DE engine in pursuit of lighter weight and smaller size. This 3-cylinder engine requires fewer moving parts than the 4-cylinder engines more commonly used in small cars. By applying bore circularity machining to the cylinder block, we have reduced friction by 20% compared with conventional 4-cylinder engines. Moreover, improved noise vibration performance-at a level equivalent to that of a 4-cylinder engine-has been achieved by adjusting the weight balance of the engine's rotary shaft. This engine is used in the new March launched in Japan in July 2010.
MR16DDT Direct Injection Gasoline Turbocharged Engine
MR16DDT Engine
Nissan's newly developed 1.6-liter 4-cylinder MR16DDT engine is based on a downsizing concept that combines a turbocharger with a low displacement, direct injection gasoline engine (fuel is injected directly into the engine cylinders) to achieve both higher power output and lower fuel consumption. The MR16DDT engine adopts new technologies including Continuously Variable valve Timing Control (CVTC), which continuously changes the opening-closing timing of the inlet and exhaust valves, and a new friction-reduced valve spring. From low to high engine speeds, the MR16DDT achieves an excellent balance between acceleration performance and fuel efficiency, with power equivalent to that of a 2.5-liter engine. This engine is used in the Juke sold in the Japanese, U.S. and European markets.
HR15DE Engine with Dual Injectors
HR15DE Engine
Nissan has also developed the new HR15DE 1.5-liter engine, the world's first mass-produced 1.5-liter engine with dual injectors (2 compact injectors per each cylinder).
The dual injectors stabilize combustion by reducing the size of the particles sprayed in the form of a mist by approximately 60%. Improved thermal efficiency and reduced air intake resistance have been achieved by combining the injectors with continuously variable valve timing control (CVTC). As a result, fuel economy has been improved by approximately 4% compared to Nissan's conventional engines in the same class. In addition, more efficient burning helps to control the hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas and reduces the amount of noble metals needed for exhaust purification. The engine is mounted on the Nissan Juke, which was launched in Japan in June 2010.
Idling Stop System with Shorter Startup Time
Nissan's Idling Stop system automatically stops a car's engine when waiting at signals or other times the car is stopped, and then restarts it when the car needs to move again. Cutting the engine when the car is stopped improves fuel efficiency and reduces CO2 emissions.
The restart function after an idling stop of the engine is crucial to making this technology practical.
Nissan has adopted a sensor to detect reverse engine rotation, and has achieved simpler and more convenient idling stop technology without the addition of new equipment. To do this, we worked, for instance, to reduce the time required by completing startup in the second cycle rather than in the fourth cycle as in conventional engines. This helps our system to reduce fuel consumption by about 8% (10-15 Mode).
The Idling Stop system with an Energy Control Motor (ECO Motor) for quiet running and quick engine starts is used in the Serena launched in November 2010 in Japan.
Use of New CVT
Number of CVT-Equipped Units Sold, Fiscal 2007-2010
Nissan aims to reduce total CO2 by increasing the use of genuinely effective technologies. We consider the continuously variable transmission (CVT) to be an important technology in raising fuel efficiency.
The new XTRONIC CVT developed by Nissan utilizes a one-piece structure equipped with a subplanetary gear. Its compact, lightweight design is 10% smaller and 13% lighter than previous CVT designs, while also achieving a 30% friction reduction for powerful acceleration performance, quiet operation and improved fuel economy. Its gear ratio of 7.3 (versus a conventional CVT's 6.0) is the world's largest among automatic-transmission-equipped passenger cars. We have also adopted a new Idling Stop system that includes an internal lock function using the sub-planetary gear. The engine can be restarted on roads with a slope of 6% or less without sliding backwards. The engine restart time is also shortened. During everyday driving, the Idling Stop function works so smoothly that the driver will hardly be aware of it. This CVT is used on the new March and Juke.
We have introduced a wide range of vehicle models with CVTs, from compact to full-sized cars. Since fiscal 2007 we have sold more than one million vehicles per year worldwide, in fiscal 2010 selling more than 1.58 million units. By fiscal 2016, we will have sold a cumulative 20 million CVT-equipped vehicles, since launch in 1992.
New Engine Achieves High Fuel Efficiency
HR12DDR Engine
Nissan has developed the HR12DDR, a 1.2-liter engine, aiming to achieve the lowest level of fuel consumption in the world for gasoline-powered cars. The engine is based on the HR12DE, the 1.2L 3-cylinder engine mounted on the new Nissan March, and features power output equivalent to that of a 1.5L engine and CO2 emissions of 95 grams per kilometer (New European Drive Cycle). The engine will be mounted on the new Micra (branded as the March elsewhere) in the European market in the first half of 2011. We have achieved high engine performance and low fuel consumption levels by adopting the Miller cycle, a gasoline direct injection system and a highly efficient supercharger, in combination with the Idling Stop system.
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