Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is 100% committed to increasing the fuel efficiency of all models in every vehicle category worldwide in order to reduce CO2 emissions and ensure a more sustainable future for the planet.

 

This commitment has taken the form of advanced technologies on its cars including stop/start systems, regenerative braking, clean diesels, hybrid and pure electric powertrains. The Alliance is the world’s leader in electric vehicles and has sold more than 274,000 EV since its first EV – the Nissan Leaf – went on sale five years ago.

 

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is also committed to reducing CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process by introducing numerous energy-savings methods, including the use of renewable energy sources. Take the use of solar energy, for example:

 

In 2012, Renault installed the largest photovoltaic system in the auto industry. Located at six Renault plants in France, the solar panels cover a total area of 400,000 square meters – or the equivalent of 60 soccer pitches. Together, they generate a power output of 59 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity a year – enough to power a town of 15,000 people – and reduce CO2 emissions by 14,200 tons each year. The panels are installed on vehicles storage centers at Renault’s Douai, Maubeuge, Flins, Batilly, Sandouville and Cleon plants. They also cover parking lots, providing shade for employees’ cars but also protecting new vehicles awaiting delivery from the worst of the weather. The panels are designed to resist impact including hail.

 

Since 2012, Renault has installed an additional 300,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels at its Busan plant in South Korea, as well as another 100,000 square meters of panels in Spain.

 

Nissan’s Aguascalientes 1 plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico, is a big user of wind energy. Sixty percent of the plant’s electricity is provided by 35 wind turbines with capacity of two megawatts (MW) each. The turbines are located in the state of Oaxaca, about 1, 000 km away. The Aguascalientes 1 plant also generates 5% of its electricity from biogas. The plant produces about 370,000 vehicles a year which means more than half of the cars produced in Aguascalientes 1 today are manufactured using renewable energy.