We consider reduction of tailpipe CO2 emissions to be a crucial technical issue, and are working to develop technology to improve fuel efficiency and then incorporate it in our products.
Approach for CO2 emission reduction
Trend in sales-weighted average CO2 emissions of
new passenger cars (Japan, EU, USA)
Nissan discloses fuel-consumption data for its vehicles in accordance with the measurement standards in each country, and in developing technology is always mindful of the potential effects emissions can have on society.
In Japan, for example, the figures used for fuel efficiency in our product literature are those determined with the 10-15 mode, a measure of fuel efficiency established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
When developing technology to raise fuel efficiency, we use not only these official standards but also internal standards we have established which take into consideration fuel consumption in actual use. This is average fuel consumption in a range of driving conditions based on customer surveys of actual driving in city, highway, and heavy-traffic conditions.
The basic unit of environmental friendliness is fuel economy in Japan and North America and CO2 emissions in Europe. To achieve the regulatory standards in each region, we estimate companywide averages by multiplying average fuel consumption (Japan and North America) or CO2 emissions (Europe) by the number of vehicles sold annually. This helps us to set targets to meet regulatory standards in each region and reduce overall CO2 emissions.
The graph below shows average annual CO2 emissions, calculated based on the actual number of new Nissan passenger vehicles sold in Japan, United States, and Europe.
Reaching annual global sales of 1 million CVT*-equipped vehicles
Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVTs) have spread rapidly since the first one was adopted on the 1992 March. We believe that the cumulative effect of this powerful technology has contributed to a reduction in CO2 emissions, and we have worked to further expand use of CVTs. CVTs are fitted to many different types of Nissan vehicles, ranging in size from the very small to the very large. Global sales topped one million vehicles in fiscal 2007 and cleared 1.25 million in fiscal 2009.
In July 2009, Nissan announced it had jointly developed a next-generation CVT with its affiliated company JATCO Ltd. The new CVT uses an original construction combining conventional CVT belt operation with an auxiliary gearbox, giving a significantly increased gear ratio range and at the same time allowing more compact size, lighter weight and greater efficiency. Nissan will be using the next-generation CVT in vehicles worldwide.
- *CVT: Continuously Variable Transmission. These transmissions are also known as stepless transmissions, and they contribute to reducing emissions and raising fuel efficiency.
