Nissan has been leading the way in alternative-fuel powered cars, particularly with the Nissan Leaf EV (electric vehicle). Now, Nissan has announced that, possibly as early as 2020 the introduction of a fuel-cell powered powertrain, using ethanol as a means to generate hydrogen by way of a special reformer. The fuel cell is referred to as a solid oxide fuel cell, or SOFC.
This effectively by-passes the problem of hydrogen fueling stations. Because, let's face it, if the US hasn't been able to make CNG (compressed natural gas) readily available, then having hydrogen fueling stations in enough abundance to make hydrogen fuel-cell cars practical may well be a pipe dream. With ethanol already accessible, being able to convert ethanol to hydrogen on-board solves any number of practicality issues.
Further reducing costs, Nissan is estimating that an ethanol to fuel ratio of 55:45 could be used. Other attractive features of the system are than the car could use a more traditional fuel tank, and use an existing fuel-delivery system to supply the ethanol.
There are still plenty of issues to be worked out, including the heat produced by the reformer, but Nissan seems confident that by 2020, they will have a market-ready product.
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