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Car firm unveils green 4x4 with a unique celling point
David Williams, Motoring Editor15.07.08
This is the 4x4 of the future: fuelled by hydrogen and emitting just a few drops of water for every 300 miles travelled.
On the surface it looks much like an ordinary Nissan 4x4. But under the bonnet, engineers have installed one of the most advanced hydrogen fuel cells yet. A tank filled with hydrogen enables the vehicle to travel that far - and those water drops are said to be clean enough to drink.
The Japanese car giant unveiled the multi-million-pound research car at Imperial College, London, today and said it represents the way millions of motorists will travel by 2020. Work on the firm's Fuel Cell Vehicle programme began in 1996, reaching a pinnacle with this version of the X-Trail. Nissan says it is world's most advanced FCV.
Officials admit there is still "significant" development work to be done. But scientists expect to have cracked key challenges - such as the durability of the fuel-cell - by 2010. Then they must achieve "drastic" cost reductions and make breakthroughs in the storage of hydrogen before the car can go on sale, after 2015.
Already engineers have boosted fuel-cell performance so it is 40 per cent smaller than earlier prototypes. And they have developed a system to compress hydrogen that allows enough fuel to be stored for about 300 miles.
On London test-runs, drivers reported travelling in near silence thanks to technology that relies on hydrogen being fed through the fuel-cell to produce electricity.
That electricity powers a motor that drives the wheels, the surplus charging a heavy bank of batteries that are used to give extra acceleration when needed.
The X-Trail already achieves 93mph and can carry five adults plus luggage. A spokesman admitted: "The cost of the system is still too high for mass production."
Reader views (8)
A "stupid" 4x4? It's music to the ears of us current X-Trail owners,and all 4x4 users,I would think. Besides, it's the technology that matters. When it's perfected it will be used in all cars. Electric cars are a no-no.
- Larry Leonard, Southampton,England.
You don’t “have” to use electricity to make hydrogen. Hydrogen is already the most widely produced gas in the world and 95%+ of it comes directly from reforming natural gas. ure its still fossil fuel but it is cleaner then burning it to generate electricity in a plant. The idea with fuel cells is to get the H2 from wind or solar. If you drive an electric car (and I do) the electricity is from burning fossil fuels. Part of my electricity is form solar panels and if I had a bigger system I would be totality driving off the power of the sun. We will always produce CO2 even if we all switch to H2.
- Mark, Texas, USA
The trouble is, it's still a stupid 4x4. How uncreative is that?!
- Blake Ludwig, London
Trouble is, you need electricity to create hydrogen. And where does most of our electricity come from? Fossil fuels. Hydrogen is a dead end. We should focus on making cleaner electricity and better electric cars.
- Michael, London
Yes, and if Neues Liebour Party remains in office beyond 2010, they will find a way of renaging on zero emission and electric vehicles when they realise the potential loss of Tax revenues. Of course they will tax everything in sight, and squander Tax revenues like drunken Sailors on a Pub crawl.
- B Clark, Chelmsford England
Good news & Honda has similar plans. As for separating hydrogen and oxygen this technology has been around for several years, but manufacturer are discouraged to go down this route because refuelling would simply be a matter of a hose pipe and some water. And think our government would lose out on £30Bn a year. This is why the manufacturers have had to produce a car which runs on a fuel that can be metered, but of course once such cars are available some smart alec will find a way to modify them to run on tap water.
- Jeremiah, London
Now this is what should be being done to combat fumes from vehicles and whatever it's alleged they cause, not just sitting back thinking up new ways to tax the motorist. Well done to Nissan. Now just wait and see what tax Greedy Gordon will come up with for these vehicles.
- Anil Chatterjee, Manchester
Another positive step towards solving the green issue with car emissions, only problem now is hydrogen is very flammable, as an idea just use a diffuser to separate hydrogen and oxygen and you can then use common tap water.
- Simon, hemel uk
