Car manufacturers facilitate water conservation

Nissan, alongside other companies like Maruti, is adopting a unique method to counter water shortage in India.

Nissan claims to have saved 6.1 million liters of water in India since 2014. According to the Japanese company, this has been achieved using a special car wash technique, which has been adopted throughout Nissan’s nationwide service centers.

Termed as the ‘Foam Wash Technique’, it reduces the water wastage by substituting water with dry foam to clean the accessible areas of a car. Nissan claims that an average car wash consumes up to 160 litres of water, and by using the Foam wash technique, the water wastage can be saved by 70 litres per wash. This equals the daily water consumption of 25,000 average Indian households.

The process begins with clearing any dust off the car’s surface and then spraying the Foam Wash on the surface. The foam is then evenly distributed across the car’s exterior and is left there for a while. Finally, foam is cleared off the car’s surface using microfiber towels. Of course, certain areas like the car’s underbody or rotors and calipers still need water spray because they cannot be easily accessed by hand.

Commenting on this eco-friendly achievement, Sanjeev Aggarwal, VP- After Sales, Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Nissan always aims to deliver innovative and best-in-class sales and after sales service to its customers. Using the foam wash technique for our customers’ cars saves their time and a significant amount of water. That’s a winning combination for both Nissan and Datsun customers and for the environment.”

While Nissan may be proud of this achievement, it isn’t the only one which has adopted this technique. Very recently on the occasion of the World Environment day, Maruti officially introduced a similar system in over 1,000 of its service centers.

Popular multinational 3M has also been providing similar car cleaning services for quite a while now, where services can be booked at your door step and a dedicated 3M team will arrive at your house to clean your car using waterless methods.

It is always good to hear that manufacturers are taking initiatives like this to conserve water. However, there is still a long way to go before this technique reaches every part of the country and becomes mainstream. The major hindrance in this process is the cost. Maruti Genuine Parts is selling the Foam Wash Kit at a hefty price of Rs. 12,000. This, undoubtedly, will ensure that a vast majority of people will still take the traditional route for car cleaning.