This special edition of Hitachi Cable News was compiled using information and materials provided by Katsutoshi Ito, Deputy Manager of JAMA's Technology Division.

When the news was released in December 2002, a ripple of excitement was felt around the world. Toyota Motor Corporation and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. simultaneously released the first fuel cell-powered car in the world, leasing them to government agencies. Then, at the North American International Auto Show held in Detroit in January 2003, big name auto manufacturers GM and Ford unveiled a hybrid vehicles and fuel cell vehicles, signaling that development of the next-generation Eco-car had shifted into a high gear. The main reason so much attention has been focused on fuel cell technology rather than any of the other various Eco-car technologies is its extremely low environmental impact. A fuel cell converts hydrogen and oxygen into water, producing electricity in the process, which can then be used to drive a car motor. The advantage of fuel cells is that they produce very little CO₂, which causes global warming or nitrogen oxides, which pollute the atmosphere.

Source: Clean Energy Car Guidebook 2000 by JAMA (The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc.)

The fuel cell-powered vehicle has been hailed as the ‘true Eco-car’ but many issues remain to be solved. The cost per unit of over 100 million yen (approximately $85thousand) must be reduced and such infrastructure-related issues as the availability of hydrogen stations must be addressed. Although full-fledged use of these vehicles is not expected for another ten years at the earliest, the need to reduce CO₂ emissions and related standards in recent years imposed by both federal and local governments have driven the demand for low environmental impact vehicles.
“Against this background, auto manufacturers are simultaneously working to perfect such next-generation vehicles as fuel cell and hybrid-powered cars while striving to produce ‘clean’ gasoline and diesel engine vehicles that conserve energy,” states Katsutoshi Ito, Deputy Manager of JAMA's Technology Division.
“Research is also being conducted on mixing plant biomass derivatives with gasoline and diesel fuel to create fuels with lower environmental impact,” Katsutoshi Ito adds.

Another important mission in the area of automobile-related environmental protection measures is the full use of resources and reduction of emissions resulting from the more widespread practice of recycling. Almost 100% of scrapped cars are now sent to recycling centers and although the recycling rate has risen to between 75 and 80% by weight, resource and garbage-related environmental problems are becoming more urgent and it has become necessary to make further improvements. In 2000, in response to this situation, the Japan Automobile Recycling Promotion Center, which aims to set up a nationwide recycling system by the end of 2003 that will efficiently collect and recycle 5 million vehicles per year was established. Of course, the use of recyclable materials with low environmental impact in new car models has also been introduced.