| First Drive | Millbrook, England | Nissan X-Trail FCV |
Well before the current fuel price and 'global warming' problems dominated the media, car makers have been working behind the scenes to clean up our cars and develop alternatives to the internal combustion engine. The fuel cell, in theory, could be the ideal power source. Broadly speaking, fuel cells produce electricity created by a catalysed chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The only by-product is pure water. Sounds perfect, doesn't it? Unfortunately it isn't easy to make a fuel cell vehicle work, but that hasn't stopped Nissan from persevering with the technology. Eleven years of research have culminated in a prototype FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle), which is certified for road use in Japan. Nissan UK shipped it over so that we could sample a glimpse at the future.
In the Metal
The X-Trail FCV is actually based on the 2005 model year
X-Trail and the Japanese market version at that, which explains the front wing-mounted side mirror. If it were not for the huge FCV decals plastered all over the car you'd be hard pushed to notice the smoother bumpers, with extra vents up front and no exhaust pipe at the rear. The styling is fairly irrelevant at this stage.
Of more importance is the FCV's packaging. Given the challenges of retro-fitting the necessary fuel cell components to a car, it's understandable why Nissan chose a roomy SUV. Under the bonnet you'll find an inverter and a motor driving the front wheels. Hidden above the rear axle line is Nissan's own, remarkably compact, laminated lithium-ion battery pack. Its development has allowed 400mm extra length in the luggage compartment over its predecessor. The fuel cell itself is under the front seats, while the tank that houses the compressed hydrogen nestles under the rear passengers. The result of all this is loftier seating than normal, but not noticeably so. All of the other controls appear normal enough, with an extra monitor on the centre console displaying the power flow through the vehicle.
What you get for your Money
Well, given that only a handful of companies in Japan have had the opportunity to lease the X-Trail FCV, Nissan makes very little mention of costs. The technology is still in its infancy and is not ready for public use. At this stage, production of fuel cells on a mass market scale is just not economically viable either, so until that changes we are unlikely to see many fuel cell cars on the road.
Driving it
It's fairly irrelevant that the X-Trail FCV prototype has a poor ride, bad body control and lifeless steering, as the vehicle is merely to demonstrate the propulsion system. This particular car has a long-winded start-up procedure, but once underway it feels quite similar to any other electrically-propelled vehicle. The maximum power available to the front wheels is 121bhp, which is quite impressive. However, the FCV is quite heavy, so it needs its 207lb.ft to get off the line. Due to the nature of electric motors, that maximum torque figure is available from a standstill, so 0-30mph is actually quite impressive, certainly enough to keep up with quick-moving town traffic. Acceleration tails off above that speed, though Nissan claims a top speed of over 90mph.
Worth Noting
Our test car was fitted with a new high-pressure hydrogen storage tank, which Nissan reckons allows the FCV to travel over 300 miles. That's an impressive achievement, but you'll need to travel a lot further between hydrogen filling stations, as there is no infrastructure in place as yet. It is possible to build an on-board reformer, which can extract hydrogen from another source, petrol for instance, but that would result in emissions of other pollutants. The very first fuel cell vehicles may have to utilise this method though, until a proper 'hydrogen economy' is in place anyway.
Summary
There are undoubtedly huge obstacles for the automotive industry to overcome before the hydrogen-fuelled fuel cell car can become a reality. The supply of hydrogen is perhaps one of the biggest barriers, but the cost of manufacture and the complexities of the technology have yet to be mastered. Nissan hopes to have a fuel cell powered car on the road in the next decade, but even that may be optimistic. We should be encouraged by the research though, and wholeheartedly welcome it.
