Fuel efficiency differs significantly depending on how an automobile is operated. To raise fuel efficiency (and reduce CO2 emissions) in real-world driving, Nissan is cooperating with members of society in various ways to ease traffic congestion and promote eco-driving.
Supporting Customer’s Eco-Driving Practices
Participants can receive eco-driving advice from Nissan employees.
Nissan is conducting activities to encourage more drivers to adopt eco-driving habits by holding eco-driving session in various events.
Grand Prix Held Jointly with Yokohama City
Nissan and Yokohama City launched the E1 Grand Prix on September 28, 2009, as part of their five-year collaborative project, Yokohama Mobility “Project Zero.” The E1 Grand Prix, which aims to encourage more drivers to adopt “eco-driving” practices, is a fuel consumption competition open to Yokohama residents. Competitors can register their car details online via the E1 Grand Prix site and report their fuel consumption using a computer or mobile phone. This enables them to see eco-driving rankings by car model and area, as well as graphs and other displays showing improvements made in fuel consumption. There is also an eco-driving diagnosis system that gives points for different driving situations, such as starting, cruising, decelerating and stopping.
Support for U.K. Eco-Driving
Nissan carried out a trial project using Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) to give support for eco-driving to motorists in the United Kingdom for eight months starting June 27, 2009. Some 100 Nissan car owners took part in the trial. Information relayed to drivers onboard included fuel consumption trends to check their eco-driving and rankings to compare their average fuel consumption with that of other drivers from the previous month. Out of the vehicles, the participants received evaluations of their daily eco-driving performance and analyses including a breakdown of fuel consumption trends by distance and road type. Nissan held briefing sessions about the trial with the U.K. government, and will be checking to see if this sort of information provision can help increase individual awareness of CO2 reductions in normal daily driving scenarios in the United Kingdom. The results of the trial will be used in the development of a next-generation navigation system for the European market.
Eco-Driving Training Sessions in China
Nissan has been working proactively to increase the number of drivers using eco-driving practices both in Japan and overseas. We held eco-driving training sessions for customers in China during fiscal 2009 in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Our classes were well received, and many of the participants saw the benefits of improved fuel consumption as a result of the eco-driving advice and hands-on practice. (Please refer to page 50.)
The ECO Pedal system
As part of its technological development efforts aimed at promoting eco-driving, Nissan creates various systems to help vehicles themselves support drivers' eco-friendly driving habits. The ECO Pedal system monitors pressure on the accelerator, displaying a visual alert on the instrument panel and activating a push-back mechanism on the pedal when the driver presses too hard and burns more fuel than needed. In many driving situations, this system can improve fuel efficiency by up to 10%.
