Nissan has revealed its next generation of fuel cell stack, which offers 2.5 times greater power density than its previous 2005 model.
The Japanese car maker, which as of yet only has small demonstration fleets of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, is in the process of developing production viable models. Such work rests on developments such as this, where the efficiency of the technology is improved.
In the new fuel cell stack, improvements to the MEA (membrane Electrode assembly) and the separator flow path helped pave the way for improved desnity up to 2.5kW per litre.
What’s more, Nissan has also succeeded in reducing the stack overall size by more than half, by moulding the supporting frame of the MEA integrally to create a single row lamination of the stack. Additionally, compared with the 2005 model, both the usage of platinum and parts variation has been reduced to one quarter, thereby reducing cost of the Next Generation Fuel Cell Stack to one-sixth of the 2005 model.
Nissan has prototype fuel cell versions of its SUV X-Trail model running in demonstration fleets in Japan and the US. The car maker has no firm date for launching a commercially available fuel cell vehicle, but it is know that the company continues to explore the idea of launching a hydrogen-powered model.
