Nissan up to the task on new fuel efficiency
The country is heading down the right road toward creating a sustainable, mobile society by passing much-needed new energy legislation and proposing new rules mandating that automakers dramatically improve vehicle fuel economy.
Nissan supported new legislation because we recognized the need to boost fuel economy requirements, to create a long-term plan aimed at reducing energy consumption and to establish the same mileage standards for all states.
Much of the discussion around the recently proposed rules has centered on a requirement that automakers boost combined fuel economy of their cars and light trucks by 25 percent over five years. That’s certainly a significant challenge to automakers. It will be costly and difficult to achieve such dramatic fuel economy savings so quickly, but we at Nissan believe that we are up to the task.
Nissan believes that a multi-industry approach is needed to significantly reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and to improve the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the ground on which we live.
In other words, all of society must consider its overall impact on the planet.
Nissan has begun a broad-based environmental strategy through the Nissan Green Program 2010. This midterm environmental action plan has three primary goals — reduction of CO2 emissions, cuts in other emissions to environmental levels and an increase in recycling efforts.
We’re doing that right here in Tennessee today.
Nissan’s Smyrna vehicle assembly plant, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has been successfully reducing CO2 emissions and significantly cutting energy consumption. The plant cut CO2 output by 36,000 metric tons from 2006 to 2007, earning its second Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR award. The plant also has lowered the amount of energy consumed in producing one vehicle by nearly 18 percent.
At our newest Tennessee facility, the Nissan Americas building in Franklin, environmentally friendly features have been thoughtfully designed and built into the structure. Exterior sun shades, an interior light-harvesting system, under-floor heating and cooling, abundant green space and the restoration of a 2.5-acre wetlands preserve are a few examples of how we’re working to improve the community in which we live and work.
As part of Nissan’s plan to reduce CO2 emissions and respond to consumers’ demands, our vehicle lineup includes affordable, fuel-efficient cars. In the near future, Nissan will introduce zero emission vehicles. In fact, Nissan will launch electric vehicles for fleet use in 2010, mass market electric vehicles in 2012.
We view preservation of our environment as a serious responsibility. Each of these measures is designed to reduce the environmental impact of our activities and the vehicles our customers drive.
When government, industry and private citizens work toward the same goal, a sustainable mobile society will become a shared reality.
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