In the automotive industry, a common goal is set: to produce vehicles which are environment-friendly. One of the car makers dedicated to the production of clean cars is Nissan. They have recently developed a fuel-cell powered vehicle which they are making available for the public to experience. The X-Trail, Nissan's sports utility vehicle, received a make over and part of it is the fuel-cell technology that it now employs. This hybrid version of the X-Trail can be accessible to commuters in Japan.
This is because the Nissan Motor Co., Ltd has recently delivered to Knagawa Toshi Kotsu Ltd. the latest version of the X-Trail. The hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle will be part of the company's chauffer-driven hired-car fleet. Nissan is the first manufacturer to make available to a hired-car service a hired-car service. The use of the Nissan X-Trail fuel-cell powered vehicle will give commuters a chance to experience how it is like to ride in a vehicle that runs on fuel-cell technology.
The Nissan X-Trail FCV or fuel cell vehicle is equipped with a Nissan fuel-cell stack and a compact lithium-ion battery. The good combination of these gives the X-Trail FCV a performance like that of a gasoline-powered X-Trail. The fuel-cell stack provided by Nissan to the FCV is capable of producing as much as 90 kilowatts. This power gives the FCV a top speed and acceleration rate almost similar to that of the gasoline-powered X-Trail. The use of fuel cell in vehicles reduces the dependence on fossil fuel which is non-renewable source of energy. This means that once the supply of fossil fuel is gone, it is going to be gone forever. That fact makes the development of alternative source of energy of utmost importance.
The use of fuel-cell technology is a good alternative to gasoline since a vehicle powered by this technology gives off no emission harmful to the environment. The only thing that a vehicle with fuel-cell gives off is water vapor. The process involves the fusion of oxygen and hydrogen, both of which are abundant in the atmosphere. The fusion of the said elements will produce a chemical reaction from which electricity can be extracted. This is then stored in the lithium-ion battery of the car where it is called upon to power the electric motor that drives the vehicle. These parts are all made to be reliable and not prone to breakdown just like . During the fusion of hydrogen and oxygen, the only by-product is water.
The use of fuel cell technology has indeed been explored and further developments are also being made. With more advances in this field of alternative fuel, the cost of production will surely be lowered. This means that more and more of these clean cars will be available to the public. Nissan is already embarking on a crusade to help in the effort of the global community to reduce harmful CO?2 emission. This effort involves further development in the fuel-cell technology field. They are developing fuel cells which are not fragile and can take on the bumps on the road. The cost of fuel cell is also an issue they are addressing; they are developing ways on how to make inexpensive fuel cells. Once they found a way to overcome the production cost issue, they may be able to mass produce fuel cell vehicles.
Aside from the Nissan X-Trail fuel cell vehicle made available for a hired-car fleet, Nissan also allows consumers to have a fuel cell vehicle driving experience to test its performance and advantages. They allow consumers to test-drive fuel cell vehicles at their Nissan Gallery in Ginza, Tokyo.
