10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About the Nissan Leaf

#10: It's Made From Recycled Water Bottles

In fact, 60 percent of the plastic on the Leaf's interior is already recycled material—much of it comes from used water bottles—and at the end of the Leaf's lifespan, 99 percent of the 3375-pound vehicle weight is recyclable and can be transformed back into water bottles or other Leafs.

Read more: Nissan Leaf Facts - Electric Car Facts - Popular Mechanics

NISSAN ANNOUNCES VEHICLE RECYCLING RESULTS FOR FY2011

YOKOHAMA, Japan (June 1, 2012) - Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today shared the progress report on its recycling/recovery efforts in Japan for fiscal year 2011 (April 2011 to March 2012). Nissan announced its recovery results for Automobile Shredder Residue (ASR), airbag-related products and fluorocarbons recovered from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) in accordance with the Japan Automobile Recycling Law*1.

In FY2011, Nissan recovered 94,692.0 tons of the 101,288.3 tons of ASR collected from 476,628 vehicles - an amount that represents a recovery ratio of 93.5%. The Japan Automobile Recycling law stipulates an ASR target of a 70% recovery rate by 2015. The recovery ratio for ELVs (actual value) stands at 98.8%*2.

Nissan recovered 1,168,299 airbag-related products from 367,456 vehicles through recovery processing and on-board deployment operations*3. The airbag recycling ratio stood at 93.8%, exceeding the legal requirement of 85%. A total of 125,765.161 kg of fluorocarbons collected from 430,846 vehicles was processed.

The cost of the recycling efforts for these specified materials amounted to 4,823,211,460 yen. Recycling fees and income generated from the fund for vehicle recycling totaled 5,266,809,996 yen, contributing to a net surplus of 443,598,536 yen. From FY2004 to FY2011, the total cost of recycling operations led to a net surplus of 1,443,414,618 yen, an amount that is equivalent to 340 yen per vehicle. For the mid- and long-term forecast, Nissan anticipates the cost of recycling operations to stabilize.

Consistent with the Nissan Green Program 2016, the company will continue with its efforts to improve its ELV recovery rate, aiming to achieve a top-level ELV recovery rate.
*1: The Japan Automobile Recycling Law: Article 27.2 of Automobile Recycling Law and Article 29 of Enforcement Regulations (Law Concerning Recycling Measures of End-of-life Vehicles).
*2: Basis for calculation: Nissan's recovery ratio for ELVs (actual value) stood at 81.6%, according to materials distributed in May 2003 by the government. The balance of 18.4% represents ASR recovery. At an 81.6% recovery rate for ASR (18.4%), the combined effective recovery rate is calculated at 98.8%. Recovery Rate 98.8% = 81.6%+ (18.4% x 93.5%).
*3: On-board deployment operations: One of the methods for airbag recycling is when airbags are left on the vehicle to be activated.

Review

I would like to thank George Zink and the Management team for their assistance with the purchase of my 2000 Volvo.  They went above and beyond to make sure that I got the deal that I wanted.  I will recommend Haldeman Nissan to my friends and family.

Myth: A dealership must perform regular maintenance to keep your car's factory warranty valid

Reality: As long as the maintenance items specified in the vehicle owner's manual are performed on schedule, the work can be done at any auto-repair shop. If you're knowledgeable, you can even do the work yourself. Just keep accurate records and receipts to back you up in case of a warranty dispute on a future repair.

Myth: Let your engine warm up for several minutes before driving

Reality: That might have been good advice for yesteryear's cars but is less so today. Modern engines warm up more quickly when they're driven. And the sooner they warm up, the sooner they reach maximum efficiency and deliver the best fuel economy and performance. But don't rev the engine high over the first few miles while it's warming up.

Myth: After a jump-start, your car will soon recharge the battery

Reality: It could take hours of driving to restore a battery's full charge, especially in the winter. That's because power accessories, such as heated seats, draw so much electricity that in some cars the alternator has little left over to recharge a run-down battery. A"load test" at a service station can determine whether the battery can still hold a charge. If so, some hours on a battery charger might be needed to revive the battery to its full potential.

Myth: If regular-grade fuel is good, premium must be better

Reality: Most vehicles run just fine on regular-grade (87 octane) fuel. Using premium in these cars won't hurt, but it won't improve performance, either. A higher-octane number simply means that the fuel is less prone to pre-ignition problems, so it's often specified for hotter running, high-compression engines. So if your car is designed for 87-octane fuel, don't waste money on premium.