Solid Oxide Fuel Cell prototype from Nissan moves toward eco-friendly transport

Nissan's Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell vehicle is making news. The company revealed what they say -the Solid Oxide Fuel-Cell (SOFC)-powered prototype vehicle runs on bio-ethanol electric power.

Earlier this month in Rio de Janeiro, Nissan unveiled two new vehicle prototypes the Nissan BladeGlider, a 100 percent electric sports car, and the Solid Oxide Fuel-Cell (SOFC)-powered prototype.

A small amount of CO2 is produced when ethanol is reformed into hydrogen. But the CO2 emissions are neutralized with the process of growing these plants allowing for a carbon neutral cycle. Nissan has been talking in terms of goals toward realizing a “zero emission and zero fatality society.” Electric vehicles will have a cruising range of more than 600km and some of the strong points also include silence and brisk acceleration.

“The advantage of this technology is that a full hydrogen infrastructure isn't needed to get hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles on the road. Instead, these vehicles can refuel at any gas station that offers ethanol. In fact, it doesn't even have to be 100-percent ethanol. It can be an ethanol-water blend that Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said ‘is easier and safer to handle than most other fuels.’”

Read more at Tech Xplore

Image Credit: Nissan

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