Nissan Plans For 100% Low-Carbon Aluminum Parts

Nissan has started to ensure that all its metal parts are green and recycled aluminum. This 100% low-carbon aluminum will make up all metal parts products.

Nissan’s vehicle lineup will soon feature only cars, crossovers, and the compact Frontier as the Nissan Titan is being discontinued due to lack of robust sales

Commitment To Green and Recycled Aluminum

Nissan began using low-carbon and recycled aluminum in its vehicles this year and plans to be using this metal solely in all its products by 2030. Currently, Nissan says that aluminum makes up roughly 10% of vehicle weight, and using low-carbon aluminum will help ensure that the automaker reaches carbon neutrality in the lifespan of all its vehicles by 2050.

So-called green aluminum is made by using electricity generated from non-fossil fuel sources. This can reduce carbon emissions during production by roughly half. Recycled aluminum reduces emissions even further, at up to 95%.

It’s important to note that roughly 75% of the 1.5 billion metric tons of aluminum ever made by humans remains in use today. This means that aluminum is one of the most recycled materials on the planet. The use of recycled aluminum to make new aluminum uses less energy than the process of extracting the raw material.

Nissan Uses Aluminum Sheets Made in Japan

According to Nissan, the automaker has been buying low-carbon aluminum sheets to construct vehicle panels from Kobe Steel and UACJ Corporation. The sheets are produced in Japan and Nissan plans to use them for all its global parts currently using that metal. Starting from fiscal year 2027, low-carbon aluminum will be used.

For its current models, Nissan plans to purchase chassis and axle parts, harness wires, and wheels that are made from green aluminum produced in Japan, Europe, and the U.S. By the end of 2024, roughly 20% of the new aluminum that Nissan uses for car parts should be replaced by green or recycled aluminum in the above markets.

What Is Green Aluminum?

Although aluminum is considered to be an environmentally friendly metal as it stands now, there are parts of its production that could be improved. Green aluminum purports to use new manufacturing methods to make aluminum even more environmentally friendly.

Aluminum is normally produced by extracting alumina from bauxite ore through a particular process. This process uses a lot of energy and creates carbon emissions. Green aluminum reduces energy and emissions through various methods. Another factor is whether the produced aluminum uses any recycled content. Making recycled aluminum takes about 5% of the energy used to make new aluminum.

The Future Is Green

Moving toward green aluminum offers several benefits. It will help align global companies with the mission of reducing carbon footprints. It will also promote environmental conservation through the use of cleaner production practices.

Many companies, like Nissan, believe that green aluminum is the future. As one of the most widely used metals ever, reducing the carbon emissions of production can have a profound effect on the effort to save the environment.