Nissan joins the fuel cell set
New fuel cell stack boosts power density by 150 per cent, cuts costs by 85 per centNissan has unveiled the latest chapter in its fuel cell research project: a new, compact stack with 2.5 times the power density of the one it unveiled in 2006, and costing just one sixth as much to make.
Gizmag reports the 34-litre unit is good for 85kW, putting it at the industry’s pointy end for energy density.
Most of the world’s big automotive names are putting plenty of R&D resources into fuel cells. After all, what’s not to like about a technology that overcomes EV range issues and emits nothing but steam? To date, however, fuel cells have had a few barriers to overcome. Nissan’s announcement indicates some great leaps forward.
Ever higher power density is the holy grail of the fuel cell industry. Other issues to overcome include durability and ease of manufacture without flaws. A fuel cell stack comprises multiple layers of super-thin polymer electrolyte membrane. Each has anode and cathode layers on both sides, with separator layers providing passage for hydrogen, air and cooling water. With each cell generating just one volt, hundreds of them are needed to run a vehicle – hence the way makers stack them. For the stack to function, there’s very little room for performance variation from cell to cell, meaning there’s similarly little room for variation in materials or build quality.
Nissan’s new plastic-framed moulding method integrates components to keep the stack from falling apart while simultaneously insulating them from short circuiting. It also allows the company to cut the unit’s size by more than half over previous units for the same or higher power density.
Most importantly, they’ve also managed to reduce the platinum component in each unit by around 75 per cent. As one official summed it up to media through a statement: “The membrane electrode assembly (MEA) comprises 80 per cent of the stack's cost, and platinum is half the cost of the MEA, so this was a huge step forward.”
The company says it’s near ready for market, too. The primary barrier now lies with the usual suspects: availability of hydrogen and the lack of infrastructure to dispense it.
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