2004 Climate Protection Award

Since 1998, the Climate Protection Award is awarded by the US Environmental Protection Agency in recognition of achievements in protecting the Earth's climate. On April 13, 2004, this award was presented to 12 international individuals and organizations, including the Electrical Inverter Air Conditioning Team, comprised of DENSO Corporation (global supplier of advanced technology, systems and components), Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Industries Corporation. This team developed an electrical inverter air-conditioning system that provides cooling during "idle" stop when the engine shuts down to save fuel and emissions. DENSO's managing Director considers this system achieves a 25% reduction in refrigerant leakage over traditional belt-driven compressors and believes the advantages conferred by this technology are essential for the market expansion of hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles.