Fuel Cell Cars Are Here

I am often asked to take a look at and test drive cars – not to check their handling or their acceleration, but normally as part of assessing the feel of a new technology – be it an electric car or a hybrid. Sometimes the drive might be the last stage of judging an ordinary petrol car with exceptional environmental credentials. Today I drove my first fuel cell car – the Nissan X-Trail FCV.

This car will not be on the market anytime soon – seven years away at least – but it demonstrates that a comfortable, drivable car powered by hydrogen gas through a fuel cell is a practical proposition.

The first thing I noticed as I pulled into Exhibition Road, Kensington was that pedestrians did not look up to see my approach – the vehicle is near silent at urban speeds. This made me even more attentive to ensure I did not run down someone who was relying on their hearing to check for traffic. I was also very concerned that I was in control of a demonstration vehicle priced at around £1•5m. It was also ironic that I was driving what many would consider a ‘Chelsea tractor’ a stone’s throw from Chelsea itself.

Unlike the BMW hydrogen car , which has near-zero emissions, this Nissan has no emissions apart from water. It is as climate friendly as the fuel it uses. If the hydrogen it needs comes from renewable resources it is as green as we can get at present.

The advantages fuel cell cars have over battery-powered cars is that they can travel for far longer distances without refuelling. Indeed, almost as far as petrol-engined car. This makes them more acceptable to the average driver.

It is too early to say that fuel cells rather than batteries will replace petrol engines in cars. The most likely outcome is that each will find different niches in the market.

What is clear is that the car manufacturers will be ready to provide low-climate-impact vehicles as soon as governments take climate change seriously.

Related article:
Latest fuel cell 4×4 emits only water