Japanese car company Nissan has achieved paint innovation through its Nissan Intelligent Factory project.

Along with efforts to achieve carbon neutrality through products and energy management, Nissan Intelligent Factory, the new production method, will be introduced to build smart, connected electric cars.

Nissan Intelligent Factory will contribute to further CO2 reductions by making production operations more flexible, efficient and sustainable.

For example, the company has developed a water-based paint that maintains the proper viscosity at low temperatures, so bodies and bumpers can be painted together.

Nissan

This will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the process by 25 percent.

Also Nissan, in another innovation in painting, will use a paint booth without water that allows all waste paint to be collected and reused in other production processes.

At the same time, Nissan has plans for a major expansion of renewable energy generation equipment at its Sunderland plant in the UK, which is the largest car plant in England.

In addition to existing wind turbines and a solar farm, 37,000 solar panels will be added for an extension.

With this expansion, 20% of the plant’s power will be provided by renewable energy produced on site, and it is expected that renewable energy can supply power for the assembly of Nissan LEAF vehicles sold in Europe.

On the other hand, closed-loop recycling of aluminum parts Nissan is promoting efforts to reduce CO2 emissions by reducing dependence on resources.

For example, Nissan has introduced a «closed-loop» recycling system for the new 2021 Nissan Rogue at Nissan North America and Nissan Motor Kyushu, and for the new Qashqai at Nissan Motor UK, in collaboration with aluminum suppliers.

The system helps reduce CO2 emissions compared to using parts made from primary alloy raw materials.

Nissan also promotes the use of materials that are not dependent on newly mined resources, such as NISSAN aluminum coils and the reduction of waste from Nissan’s Sunderla factories.

The hood and doors of the 2021 Rogue and all-new Qashqai are stamped from aluminum alloy, a material that reduces vehicle weight and helps improve fuel efficiency and power output.

Nissan is considering expanding the application of this process to future models and other factories.