By Charles E. Buban
Inquirer

TOKYO, Japan–The Tokyo Motor Show has always been about technology and this year’s 40th staging of one of the world’s leading automobile expos is no exception as green cars featuring advanced propulsion technology share centerstage with some of today’s fastest and most powerful production cars.

This writer finally got the chance to get up close and personal with the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X as well as Fuji Heavy Industries’ (maker of Subaru brand of vehicles) new Impreza WRX STI.

Of course, this writer also witnessed the much-awaited debut of the all-new Nissan GT-R.

“It only shows that while the car industry is continuously developing solutions to increase energy efficiency and reduce a car’s environmental impact, carmakers will never stop dishing out passion-inspiring high-performance sports cars,” said Raymond Tribdino, Nissan Motor Philippines Inc. senior manager for market and product planning.

Paraded

Indeed, while Nissan finally rolled out its most anticipated muscle car, it also paraded its latest breakthroughs in gasoline, diesel and electric-powered vehicles.

According to Tribdino, Nissan sets a mid-term environmental action plan called Nissan Green Program 2010 that seeks ways to maximize the fuel economy of internal combustion engines. Included in this plan is the development of a clean diesel engine that will soon power the upcoming 2008 X-Trail compact SUV (to be sold in Japan); the development of the Variable Valve Event and Lift system that will be installed in the upcoming gasoline engine of the Skyline Coupe (also to be sold in Japan); the development of the company’s own design of a continuously variable transmission that will be paired to several Nissan engines; and the acceleration of the development of the next generation lithium-ion battery for use in various hybrid electric and electric vehicles that Nissan is conceiving.

Environmental consideration

In fact, even the newly unveiled GT-R super car, which boasts a 475 horsepower, 3.8-liter twin turbo V6 VR38 engine, meets Japan’s ultra-low emission vehicle standards as proof of Nissan’s seriousness in putting environmental consideration a top priority.

Aside from developing cleaner emissions in both of its gasoline and diesel engines, Nissan is also putting a lot of research in battery-powered vehicles, which the company believes holds a lot of promise.

“Case in point is Nissan’s lithium-ion powered Pivo 2 that was unveiled at the motor show. While it uses the same type of rechargeable battery commonly used in consumer electronics, Pivo 2’s powerplant is more advanced,” Tribdino said.

More compact

For the first time, Nissan was able to develop a more compact lithium-ion battery. Like flat metal sheets that can be laid on top of one another (similar to a sans rival cake), they require much less space than today’s cylindrical-shaped lithium-ion batteries, thereby freeing up more space to increase cabin dimension as well as saving on total car weight.

Though half the size of today’s conventional batteries, it’s 1.5 times more powerful and twice the capacity. With this battery, Pivo 2 could now travel about 126 km on a single charge and plugs into a regular home electric socket.

But despite the advancement, carmakers like Nissan admit that they are still looking for the ultimate environment-friendly vehicle.

“The goal is to have a car that could deliver zero impact on the environment. However it must also be cost-efficient to build as well as it should be attractive for the car buyer not only in terms of price but also to its drivability, safety and reliability,” Tribdino said.