A three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and the world’s first dual clutch hybrid system were two of the new technologies introduced to the media under Nissan’s environmental technologies field.
The new developments were unveiled during Nissan’s 2010 advanced technology briefing to the global media in Japan.
To meet environmental challenges the Nissan Green Programme has set objectives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The Infiniti Direct Response Hybrid and the new three-cylinder 1.2-litre direct injection petrol engine with supercharger are just two of these fuel-efficient technologies developed under the programme for 2010.
With the new HR12DDR, 1.2-litre engine, Nissan aims to achieve the lowest level of fuel consumption in the world for petrol-powered cars and class leading low CO2 emissions. Compared to traditional four-cylinder engines, combustion efficiency has been improved on this new engine by reducing friction by 30 percent.
We drove a lap around the Grandrive test facilities, adjacent to Nissan’s Oppama plant, to feel the responsiveness of the three-cylinder engine.
The high efficiency supercharger provides the power where needed, and when the engine is running at a constant reduced speed the supercharger shuts down automatically - assisting performance and fuel economy. A Start-Stop system automatically turns off the engine when the car is not moving to further reduce carbon emissions. Nissan told us the high engine performance and low fuel consumption levels have been achieved through the adoption of the Miller cycle.
The engine is designed for small cars and will be offered in the 2011 Micra in Europe with the Start-Stop system. The Infiniti Direct Response Hybrid is the world’s first one-motor/two-clutch parallel hybrid system developed to provide the outstanding energy efficiency needed to deliver highly responsive acceleration, while also raising environmental performance.
Nissan says by maximising the advantages particular to electric motors and petrol engines, this system simultaneously achieves both high fuel efficiency and outstanding driving performance. We tested Nissan’s first Hybrid Electric engine in the Infiniti M35 with a V6 3.5-litre.
Thanks to the use of powerful lithium-ion battery, this hybrid exhibits linear acceleration response that out-performs some petrol engine vehicles. Although Infiniti models are not available in South Africa, it was an eye-opener to drive these luxurious vehicles affording us an opportunity to experience Nissan’s engineering ingenuity.
