Now in Japan, talking about the emissions of small "low-emission vehicles," we must first think of the electric car. Similarly, both equipped with electric motors and hybrid engine emissions is also considered small. Automobile exhaust emissions contain harmful substances, car exhaust less natural environmental impact is also small, which we are all accepted.

    Japan's emissions regulations enacted in 1973, since then, more and more stringent emission requirements. Tokyo and other big cities, but the situation has not improved air pollution, the government wanted to promote new energy to replace gasoline and diesel. First appeared in the late 1980s, low-pollution vehicles say, electric vehicles, CNG (compressed natural gas) vehicles, methanol fuel vehicles began a pilot introduction. But in fact these three vehicles have not gained popularity in the market, only partially in government departments and enterprises to be used.

    CNG vehicles to natural gas demand for gas hoping to expand the company provides a good opportunity. However, there are many limitations to use gas, the relative lack of filling equipment, so CNG vehicle is mainly used for cleaning car parts and other utility vehicles. Fewer the number of methanol vehicles, gas stations want to store methanol generally need to invest huge sums of money, and methanol can corrode oil pipelines, automobile manufacturers from it. The late 1990s, Japan used car cheap oil pipelines are made of copper, can not resist the corrosion of methanol.

    Thus, only the electric car market in Japan has been small batch production. But the 21st century, electric vehicles quickly attracted people's attention. The idea of ​​surplus night power company will charge for automotive power. In Japan, the energy industry's most powerful power industry, the government has a great influence. As the nuclear power plant can not stop and start in a short time, so nuclear power plants generate electricity 24 hours a day 365 days, at night a large number of surplus electricity. Based on this part of the surplus power of the idea of ​​charging for electric vehicles, plans to start making electric vehicles popular for.

    1997 Toyota Prius hybrid on sale beginning on the good word of mouth, in general, also formed between the owners of less-polluting electric power consensus. However, for ordinary consumers, high prices and short driving distance of pure electric cars have not overcome the shortcomings. However, the U.S. government launched a popular plug-in plug-in hybrid concept, but also have great enthusiasm in Japan, Toyota developed the Prius plug-in is based on this development. Result, the Japanese always concerned about Americans in mind.

    On the other hand, some people began to attack the plug-in hybrid is "neither fish nor fowl", since the use of electricity is of course pure electric vehicles better. In fact the Prius plug-in hybrid than Prius fuel consumption is higher. This is because the plug-in electric vehicle models to the same as driving a distance by electricity, this need to carry more of the battery pack, an increase of vehicle weight.

    2008 Mitsubishi Motors sold a pure electric car i-MiEV, once the plug-in Japan's hot climax. The Japanese are three minutes, changing trends, the results become a popular low-pollution vehicles. Mitsubishi Motors to all power companies to provide trial production stage i-MiEV, driving carefully conducted experiment, the power company has vigorously promote the enterprise. Next year, Nissan sold a pure electric vehicle LEAF.

    March 11, Japan's great earthquake occurred in the Northeast region, the day I just went to the Nissan Corporation LEAF media test ride will be. Fukushima nuclear power plant when the incident has not been reported. But the next day, the leakage of radioactive substances on nuclear power plant is confirmed, a hydrogen explosion took place, and now the Japanese attitude towards nuclear power has been very different and original.

    Now, most Japanese believe that hybrids than pure electric vehicles more practical. Toyota Prius for sale has been a large number of wagon orders, delivery time, has lined up eight months later. I do not like the way the Toyota hybrid car to basically all done automatically by the control, do not reflect the driver's intentions. But these cars in Japan is the most popular.