Nissan working on new fuel cell technology Friday, 17 June 2016

Car manufacturer NIssan has announced that it is researching and developing a Solid Oxide Fuel-Cell (SOFC)-powered system that runs on bio-ethanol electric power.

The company says the new system will be a world first for automotive use. It features an e-Bio fuel cell which will generate electricity through the SOFC power generator using bio-ethanol stored in the vehicle.

The SOFC uses the reaction of multiple fuels, including ethanol and natural gas, with oxygen to produce electricity with high efficiency.

The e-Bio cell uses hydrogen transformed from fuel via a reformer and atmospheric oxygen, with the subsequent electrochemical reaction producing electricity to power the vehicle.

The system provides greater power efficiency to give the vehicle cruising ranges similar to petrol-powered cars (more than 600 km). From a driving point of view, the car will have all the distinctive electric-drive features such as silent drive, linear start-up and brisk acceleration.

Conventional fuel cell systems use fuels sourced from sugarcane and corn that react with oxygen. Nissan says, when power is generated in a fuel-cell system, CO2 is usually emitted, but with the bio-ethanol system, CO2 emissions can be neutralised from the growing process of sugarcane making up the bio-fuel, allowing it to have a carbon neutral cycle with nearly no net CO2 increase.

The company believes that in the future, the e-Bio Fuel-Cell will become even more user-friendly. Ethanol-blended water is easier and safer to handle than most other fuels. This will remove limits on creating a totally new infrastructure, offering potential for market growth.

They also claim running costs will be low, on par with existing electric vehicles, but with the advantage of shorter refueling times.

[The Solid Oxide Fuel-Cell test bench. Photo: Nissan]

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