Nissan’s Commitment to Staying Green

Nissan was one of the first companies to successfully produce and market an electric car to the masses.  By doing so, the Nissan LEAF, which was introduced in the United States in December 2010, has been able to bring home several accolades that speak to its innovative ways, including the “2010 Green Car Vision Award,” the “2011 European Car of the Year,” the “2011 World Car of the Year,” and the “2011-2012 Car of the Year Japan.”

Now, Nissan is upping the ante on their green initiatives once again by cutting its use of the rare-earth mineral dysprosium in the LEAF’s engine by 40 percent without affecting performance.  In fact, if anything, drivers should actually feel increased performance in their LEAF.  Dysprosium is used in the electric motor magnets to help increase their resistance to heat.  However, a new process called “grain boundary diffusion” allows Nissan to drastically cut back on its use of the rare-earth mineral.

As if this isn't impressive-enough news, Nissan also announced that they will be creating 15 new hybrid vehicles over the next four years.  Nissan has always been one of the most innovative companies we know of, and with commitments like that it’s easy to see why.

Tips on Driving Green

Whether you love our environment clean or just a full wallet, there’s a lot you can do to help either cause.

1.     Car Pooling – This one’s pretty simple.  If two people ride together, the number of cars on the road decreases and both people save money on gas.

2.     Proper Tire maintenance - Underinflated tires negatively affect fuel efficiency.  Check your owner’s manual to find the optimal amount of air that should be in your car’s tires.

3.     Clean your car out - If you drive a heavy car, your car needs to work harder to get to where you want it to go.  If you’ve got some old luggage or a stack of newspapers in the trunk of your car, clean it out and your gas mileage will instantly improve.

4.     Change the way you drive – When your car is in motion, you want to preserve its momentum as long as possible.  Accelerating or breaking hard means that the car has to overcome a lot of inertia, and overcoming inertia means using a lot more energy.  Using a lot more energy means using a lot more gas.  The EPA says that most cars actually run at maximum efficiency at 60 mph, and lose 6 percent efficiency for every 5 mph you drive over 60.

Another easy way to improve your gas mileage is to simply upgrade to a more fuel efficient car! Stop by Rothrock Motors and trade in your clunker for a car that gets great gas mileage!