2000 Nissan Sentra Certified As Cleanest Gasoline-Fueled Car
10 November 1999
2000 Model Year Nissan Sentra Certified As Cleanest Gasoline-Fueled Car in the World Sentra 'CA' Meets CARB's Stringent Tailpipe, OBDII
And Zero Evaporative Emissions Levels
GARDENA, Calif., Nov. 9 -- Nissan North America, Inc., said
today a version of the all-new 2000 Nissan Sentra sedan was certified by the
California Air Resources Board (CARB) as the only gasoline-fueled vehicle in
the world to attain the agency's most stringent tailpipe emission levels and
zero evaporative emissions, while fulfilling all OBD II requirements.
By doing so, Nissan becomes eligible to earn zero emission vehicle credits
in California, since the vehicle meets CARB's Super Ultra Low Emissions
Vehicle tailpipe standards, attains zero evaporative emissions levels and
meets all On-Board Diagnostic II requirements.
CARB said testing verified that a Sentra equipped with a 1.8-liter engine
and new environmental technology met its most-stringent requirements for a
gasoline-fueled vehicle in three critical areas:
* Significantly reduced tailpipe emissions to one-fourth of the unburned
hydrocarbon (HC) and one-tenth of the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions of
the cleanest gasoline-powered car sold now in California. In other words, the
average concentration of tailpipe emissions is nearly the same or cleaner than
that of the surrounding air at big cities.
* OBD II (On-Board Diagnostic II) standards enable cars to detect minute
changes in emissions, and to notify the driver when service may be needed to
keep the engine running in its cleanest possible state.
* Zero evaporative emissions, or elimination of fuel vapors escaping from
fuel systems even while a vehicle is standing still.
According to CARB: "The Nissan (Sentra CA) alone qualifies for partial
zero emission credits because it also has zero fuel evaporative emissions and
has adopted CARB's optional 150,000 mile durability and warranty standards on
emission control parts."
"This shows that modern technology can move even gasoline-powered vehicles
toward our ultimate goal of a zero-emission vehicle fleet," said CARB Chairman
Dr. Alan Lloyd. "Tailpipe from these vehicles are eight times cleaner than an
ultra low emission vehicle (ULEV), the cleanest gasoline-powered automobile
currently being sold in California."
The 2000 Sentra CA (for "Cleaner Air") will be offered for sale early next
year in California because only California mandates the sale of low-sulfur
gasoline. Fuel in all other parts of the United States has higher levels of
sulfur, which makes attainment of super clean emission levels impossible even
with the high technology system in the Sentra CA.
"Being able to meet SULEV tailpipe levels, OBD II requirements and,
especially, zero evaporative emissions was a very difficult task to
accomplish," said Jason Vines, NNA vice president for external affairs. "But
we did it, and this is just the start.
"We are working to expand the availability of this technology into new
vehicles beyond the Sentra CA," Vines said. "We also want to market them in
other states, but first, low-sulfur fuel must be made available elsewhere in
the United States. Until that happens, the Sentra CA will be offered for sale
only in California."
The most significant feature of the Sentra CA is zero evaporative
emissions, a feat thought extremely difficult, if not impossible, to attain
just a few years ago. Fuel vapors, which contain gases, which are potentially
harmful to the environment, seep from fuel systems constantly, whether a
vehicle is being operated or whether it is parked. Some of these gases react
with sunlight to create smog, which has been linked to a range of health
problems related to breathing, including chest pain, coughing, and shortness
of breath. The Sentra CA eliminates all of those vapors.
"In other words, a Sentra CA that is driven 10 miles to work in the
morning and 10 miles home in the afternoon would emit fewer harmful vapors
than a typical new car sitting in a driveway all day with its engine turned
off," said Rob Strassburger, director of government and technical affairs for
NNA in Washington, D.C. "The Sentra CA shows you don't have to sacrifice
utility, performance or the 'fun factor' for low emissions. This car does it
all."
In addition, the Sentra CA will include a technology that actually helps
eliminate harmful ground-level ozone, which is the main component of smog.
The radiator of all Sentra CAs will be coated with Engelhard Corp.'s
PremAir(R). As ozone-laden air passes over the radiator, the PremAir(R)
coating will convert ozone molecules into oxygen. In effect, the air the
Sentra CA leaves in its wake should be cleaner than the air in front of the
vehicle.
Nissan plans to begin selling the Sentra CA equipped with SULEV
technologies in California in February. The nationwide debut of the all-new
Sentra for the 2000 model year will occur in January at the North American
International Auto Show in Detroit.
In North America, Nissan's operations include styling, engineering,
consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and
manufacturing. Nissan in North America, which includes employees and
facilities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, generates more than 90,000
jobs, approximately 20,000 directly and over 71,000 through approximately
1,500 Nissan and Infiniti retailers across the continent. More information on
Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles
can be found online at http://www.nissandriven.com .
PremAir(R) is a registered trademark of Engelhard Corporation.
