Nissan’s Longterm CO2 Strategy to Include ICE

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

28th January 2021

Nissan has set a target for electrification of all powertrains sold in key markets by 2030 meaning those other than pure electric will cannot be sold in the UK.

While announcing its mission to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 mirroring the Paris Climate Agreement, crucially for skeptics of pure battery technology’s climate credentials, the strategy envisions no end date for the use of ICE in hybrid powertrains. UK’s government announced last year that is was bringing forward plans to ban all new ICE powered vehicles by 2030 much to the concern of several automakers and powertrain providers. This will come as good news to powertrain suppliers such as Bosch which sees ICE as having a crucial role to play in bringing down CO2 emissions quickly while engineers attempt to create batteries that are less damaging to the global environment as the current lithium-ion units fed by fossil fuel fired power stations.

Its strategy involves:

Battery innovations including solid-state and related technologies to develop cost-competitive and more efficient EVs;
Further development of Nissan’s ICE employing e-Power electrified powertrains;
Development of a battery ecosystem to support decentralized, onsite power generation for buildings with renewable energy sources in collaboration with energy providers supporting the decarbonization of power grids;
Innovations to support higher manufacturing productivity in vehicle assembly, starting with the Nissan Intelligent Factory initiative.

Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida, said: “We’re determined to help create a carbon neutral society and accelerate the global effort against climate change. Our offering in electrified vehicles will continue to expand around the world and this will make a major contribution to Nissan becoming carbon neutral. We will continue to drive innovation that enriches people’s lives as we pursue a sustainable future for all.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in London. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_

Engines