By making a sincere commitment to the development of ecologically minded transportation, Nissan already has two electric vehicles in production, the Altra EV and Hypermini, as well as a hybrid electric, Japan's Tino Hybrid. As for the Altra EV, a spacious 4-passenger vehicle with a 75-mph maximum speed, it's the first production electric vehicle to use state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries. The result is up to an 80-mile "real-world" range and a 5-hour recharge time.
Nissan recently joined the California Fuel Cell Partnership to advance this new automobile technology that could move the world toward practical and affordable environmental solutions. The partnership will place about 50 fuel cell passenger cars and fuel cell buses on the road between 2000 and 2003.
But even as we forge ahead in the realm of alternatively powered vehicles, there's the minor miracle of the gasoline-powered SULEV Sentra. Simply put, it's the cleanest gasoline-powered vehicle in the world; in fact, it's one of the only gasoline-powered cars certified to the California Air Resources Board Partial Zero Evaporative Emissions (PZEV) standard. For some context, consider this: You drive 10 miles to work and then home in your SULEV-rated Sentra. An ordinary car sits in the driveway all day, with its engine off. You guessed it, the Sentra pollutes less. We call it the non-alternative alternative.
Nissan is also doing its part when it comes to our regular lineup of cars and trucks, and our efforts haven't gone unnoticed. For our innovations in improving fuel economy and reducing ozone-depleting hydrofluorocarbons, Nissan received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 1999 Climate Protection Award. Nissan is the only automaker to receive such a commendation.
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