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In July
2006, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation
(MFTBC) launched the sale of the “Canter Eco
Hybrid” light-duty truck (LDT), fitted with a parallel
diesel hybrid power unit. That means power to drive the vehicle
comes from the vehicle’s electric motor, the diesel
engine or both, and gives up to 20% better fuel efficiency,
particularly during stop-and-go delivery driving. The vehicle’s
41% reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) and 46% decrease in
particulate matter (PM) emissions bring significant ecological
benefits, as well.
The hybrid system employs a newly developed small displacement
diesel engine; an ultra-slim electric motor/generator (35
kW); a high performance lithium (Li)-ion battery; and the
INOMAT-II automated mechanical transmission. The latter is
part of Fuso’s advanced “Easy Drive” concept,
making operation simple and efficient for drivers of all skill
levels. The Canter Eco Hybrid complies with Japan’s
new long-term emission regulations due August 2007—the
strictest in the world—over one year before the deadline
and ahead of all other competitors.Having first launched the
Canter Eco Hybrid in Japan, MFTBC is now evaluating the product
for international markets. The vehicle is produced at the
company’s Kawasaki Manufacturing Plant in Kanagawa Prefecture,
Japan. motor/generator (35 kW); a high performance lithium
(Li)-ion battery; and the INOMAT-II automated mechanical transmission.
The latter is part of Fuso’s advanced “Easy Drive”
concept, making operation simple and efficient for drivers
of all skill levels. |
The Canter Eco Hybrid
complies with Japan’s new long-term emission regulations
due August 2007—the strictest in the world—over
one year before the deadline and ahead of all other competitors.
Having first launched the Canter Eco Hybrid in Japan, MFTBC
is now evaluating the product for international markets. The
vehicle is produced at the company’s Kawasaki Manufacturing
Plant in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. |
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| The
Canter Eco Hybrid, now on sale in Japan |
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| Mitsubishi
Paper Mills, already active in environmental preservation,
has earned yet another certification from the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC), an international non-profit organization that
works to spread sustainable forest management practices. The
FSC label assures environment-conscious consumers that their
paper comes from sustainable forests. In July this year, Mitsubishi
HiTec Paper Bielefeld, a German subsidiary of Mitsubishi Paper
Mills that produces a variety of business communication papers,
became the fourth of the company’s production bases
to earn theFSC’s Chain-of-Custody (CoC) certificate.
This certificate guarantees that all stages of production,
from the procurement of certified wood products to processing,
manufacturing and distribution of certified papers, have been
done sustainably. |
| In Japan, three
of Mitsubishi Paper Mills’ manufacturing centers already
hold the CoC certification. In 2001, the company’s Hachinohe
Mill became the first in Japan to be certified. Since then,
two other domestic paper mills, in Takasago and Kitakami,
have also obtained the certification, with Mitsubishi Paper
Mills continually expanding sales of FSC-labeled products. |
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| Mitsubishi
HiTec Paper Bielefeld is now FSC-certified |
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| Mitsubishi
Estate Home, Mitsubishi Electric, Kansai Electric
Power Co., Inc. and Hankyu Corporation have jointly developed
technology for a new type of “Eco Homes,” which
combine comfort with energy conservation. To prove the effectiveness
of the concept, the first homes are now being built in the
Saito International Culture Park, a joint industry-academia-government
project in the hills of northern Osaka, to develop a community
for cultural and academic, research and development, and international
exchange. |
| The Eco Homes project
was adopted in order to develop technology for improved comfort
and energy conservation in the timber frame construction sector,
under the umbrella of “government-subsidized projects
for the development of cutting-edge technology in the construction
and housing sectors” as promoted by the Ministry of
Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The aim of this project
is to instigate an integrated approach to all aspects of housing
design, such as air circulation and ventilation, sun and shade,
insulation and air-tightness, integrated air-conditioning
systems and all-electric power, in order to combine energy
conservation with comfort in the home. The four companies
intend to assess and evaluate these designs with the cooperation
of occupants in order to enhance market penetration in the
future. |
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| The
Eco Homes are based on a novel, integrated approach
to housing design |
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