The world’s first vehicle driven by solid oxide fuel cell has been unveiled by Nissan. The automaker is also the official sponsor of the Rio Olympics and has now revealed the world’s first solid oxide fuel cell.
Unlike the hydrogen-powered fuel cells, Nissan’s e-Bio fuel cell uses ethanol or ethanol-water blend. The Nissan vehicle powered by the prototype e-Bio Fuel-Cell is actually based on the e-NV200. The e-Bio Fuel-Cell uses ethanol or ethanol-water blend to charge the 24kWh rated battery installed in the vehicle.
The e-Bio cell offers this modified Nissan van with a range of 373 miles. The bio-ethanol fuels will play a significant role in the future market. These fuels are usually sourced from corn or sugarcane and allow the cruisers to forgo the hassle of finding a charging station.
Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan considers the development of e-Bio Fuel-Cells as the game changer in the automotive industry:
“The e-Bio Fuel-Cell offers eco-friendly transportation and creates opportunities for regional energy production…all the while supporting the existing infrastructure. 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. Without the need to create new infrastructure, it has great potential to drive market growth.”
Meanwhile, Nissan will continue to test cars driven by the prototype cell in Brazil. Watch the test drive conducted by Nissan in this video:
