From: Corporate Communications Dept.
Date: May 13, 1999
Nissan Begins Driving Tests of a Methanol Fuel Cell Vehicle
Tokyo -- Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that it has recently developed and begun driving tests of a fuel cell vehicle equipped with a methanol reformer to generate hydrogen from methanol as the fuel. This new vehicle has resulted from Nissan’s vigorous R&D program aimed at the development of various types of alternative-fuel vehicles and low-pollution vehicles in order to address global environmental concerns.
Nissan’s newly developed fuel cell vehicle is equipped with a methanol reformer that produces hydrogen through the use of a catalyst to induce chemical reactions between methanol and water. With this onboard fuel cell system, only methanol in the form of a liquid fuel needs to be supplied, making the system highly practical as an automotive powertrain for near-future application.
(Note)A fuel cell is a device for directly tapping electricity generated by reacting hydrogen and oxygen . Fuel cells have attracted a great deal of attention as clean power sources because they produce only water as emissions. There are two options for fueling of fuel cells. One is to directly use hydrogen stored on vehicles and the other is to produce hydrogen by reforming methanol stored on vehicles.
Another advantage of this system is that it produces virtually no nitrogen oxides (NOx) because the methanol reforming temperature is markedly lower than the combustion temperature in conventional gasoline and diesel engines. Moreover, hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions are also kept to low levels, making it possible to obtain exhaust gas as clean as the air. Furthermore, methanol is also highly advantageous as an alternative form of energy because it can be produced relatively easily from natural gas and other sources.
This methanol fuel cell vehicle adopts a high-efficiency neodymium magnet synchronous traction motor combined with lithium-ion batteries. These same cutting-edge technologies are used on the R’nessa EV that has already been commercialized and on the Tino Hybrid that is now undergoing driving tests on public roads. This enables the vehicle to achieve optimum electric power control by switching between a fuel cell-powered driving mode and a battery-powered driving mode depending on the operating conditions. In addition to the inherent high efficiency of the fuel cell, the vehicle’s kinetic energy is also efficiently recovered during regenerative braking to enhance the energy efficiency of the entire system substantially. A fuel cell vehicle is expected to reduce fuel consumption to one third of that of a gasoline-powered vehicle in the future as its systems are made more efficient, lightweight and compact.
Nissan intends to push ahead with further R&D work aimed at commercializing this methanol fuel cell vehicle in the future.
The major features of the methanol fuel cell vehicle are outlined below
(1) Exhaust gas as clean as the air
A fuel cell itself is essentially a clean power source because it emits only water as a byproduct of electrochemical reactions. When methanol is reformed, the burner that supplies heat to the reformer emits exhaust gas, but the use of a catalyst in the conversion process achieves highly efficient combustion at low temperatures. As a result, since virtually no NOx, CO, HC or other harmful substances are emitted, the exhaust gas is expected to be as clean as the air.
(2) Methanol is a promising candidate as a substitute energy for petroleum.
Methanol is produced from natural gas, which is expected to be a substitute fuel for petroleum in the future. It is looked to as a promising alternative fuel candidate, as it will be possible to produce methanol from renewable energy sources in the future, including biomass, hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide gas.
(3) Substantial improvement in fuel economy through optimum electric power control
The methanol fuel cell system provides electric power control by switching between a fuel cell-powered driving mode and a battery-powered driving mode according to the operating conditions. A neodymium magnet synchronous traction motor, lithium-ion batteries and other high-performance components have been used to achieve a more compact system that delivers enhanced efficiency. Moreover, the motor serves as a generator during regenerative braking to produce electricity for charging the batteries. This selective and optimal use of onboard power sources further enhances the practical efficiency of the methanol fuel cell system to achieve a substantial improvement in overall energy efficiency.
Contact: Foreign Media Section
Corporate Communications Dept.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd
Tel: 03-5565-2147
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