Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Kobe Steel, Ltd. announced that Nissan plans to use Kobenable Steel for its models from January 2023 onward. Kobenable steel, commercialized by Kobe Steel, significantly lowers CO2 emissions in the blast furnace process, as per the press release by the company.
Kobe Steel will also provide the automaker with aluminum sheets made from green-aluminum raw materials. This would be the first time Kobenable Steel will be used in mass-produced vehicles.
Nissan to be carbon neutral by 2050
By 2050, Nissan aims to reach carbon neutrality throughout the product life cycle.
Since roughly 60% of a vehicle’s weight comes from steel parts and about 10% is from aluminum parts, using green steel, and green aluminum is an effective way to lessen CO2 emissions during parts manufacturing, which is part of the vehicle’s lifespan.
Hence, the companies’ decision to use steel and aluminum for Nissan vehicles is due to the significant CO2 emission reductions, and the same high quality as conventional products could be achieved.
Nissan model to use Kobenable Premier
In addition, Nissan models will use Kobenable Premier, reducing 100% of CO2 emissions during manufacturing through the mass-balance method. The exact amount of steel to be used by the carmaker will be determined through further discussions.
The green aluminum raw materials bought by Kobe Steel to produce aluminum sheets for the automaker are electrolytically smelted using only electricity generated by solar power, which reduces CO2 emissions during aluminum ingot production by roughly 50%.
Additionally, recycled aluminum materials generated at Nissan’s manufacturing sites will further reduce CO2 emissions during production.
Both companies will continue their efforts to lower CO2 emissions to realize a carbon-neutral society in the future.
