Curbing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), which is believed by
many scientists to be a major contributor to global warming, is one
of the top priority issues that must be addressed by automobile
manufacturers. Automakers have set their own strategies to improve
fuel economy and to reduce CO₂ emissions. Some of them include
integrated approaches, focusing on not only improvement of vehicle
technology, but also human factors (eco-driving support for
drivers) and social and transportation factors (traffic management
by intelligent transportation systems [ITS]). Among them, electric
vehicles (EVs) will be a key contributor to attaining the
challenging goal of CO₂ reduction. Mass deployment of EVs is
required to achieve a zero-emission society. To accomplish that,
new advanced technologies, new business schemes, and new
partnerships are required.
This paper describes Nissan's challenges and solutions in
the following three areas aimed at achieving widespread marketplace
acceptance of electric vehicles: - Technologies for electric
vehicles, such as lithium-ion batteries and advanced motor control,
- Establishment of an infrastructure with partners, - New business
strategies based on the use of EV batteries, such as a battery
leasing model and a new "4R" business model of reuse,
resell, re-fabricate and recycle, to give EV batteries a second
life as energy storage solutions in markets worldwide.