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Record Lp for Fel Cll Vhicle at the Nürburgring

Frank Eickholt, member of the Nissan 24 Hours Nürburgring race team and Nordschleife aficionado, skilfully steered the 1.3 million euro prototype through ‘The Green Hell’ – as the course is often referred to – on standard street tyres. And although the 20.8 kilometre-long course was consistently wet – making it difficult to drive aggressively – Eickholt was thoroughly impressed with the X-Trail FCV which clocked in at 11:58 minutes.

“I was very surprised at just how comfortable it is to drive a fuel cell car. You get in, turn the key and off you go, just like with a normal car,” said Eickholt.

The five-seater X-Trail FCV is a zero-emission electric vehicle that runs in near silence. It is powered by electricity produced on board the vehicle, in a hydrogen fuel cell stack. Electricity is generated following an electro-chemical reaction between hydrogen – which is stored at 700 bar in a purpose-designed high-pressure tank – and oxygen. The only by-product is water vapour.

This electric current is channelled through an inverter to drive a powerful motor in the front of the car. The X-Trail FCV, which has been undergoing real-world trials in Japan and California since 2006, has an official top speed of 150 km/h and a range of 500 km. Maximum power is 90kW (120PS) while maximum torque is 280Nm.

It also features the latest in battery technology: a Nissan-designed compact lithium-ion battery with thin laminated cells. The Li-Ion battery is used to start the vehicle and to boost power under acceleration. Kinetic energy created under deceleration is captured and stored in the battery for future use.

AboutZro-Eissions Vhicle
A zero-emissions vehicle, or ZEV is a vehicle itself that produces no emissions or pollution from the vehicle when stationary or operating. Emissions of concern include particulates (soot), hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and various oxides of nitrogen. Although not considered an emission by the CARB definition, carbon dioxide is one of the most important greenhouse gas implicated in global warming scenarios.

"Zero emissions" does not mean that the complete power cycle is non-polluting, except in special cases, since in most cases the energy is provided, at least partially, from fossil fuel plants. This may still be an advantage for urban areas when compared to conventional vehicles (see NIMBY). Special cases producing zero pollution in the operating energy cycle would always include Human-powered vehicles, and sometimes compressed air vehicles, electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, .. can also be completely zero-polluting in their operating energy cycle. In all cases however, it would be nice if the electricity required to generate the power to recharge or refuel the batteries/compressed air tanks came from zero emission sources. Sources where the offsetting amount of zero emissions power is provided can include solar electric or wind generated power from PV solar cells and windturbines, or indeed conventional automobiles with a carbon offset program. Also, "Zero emissions" does not include emissions associated with manufacturing such vehicles or components, nor outgassing from synthetic materials used in vehicle construction, nor soot-like dust from tire wear, nor potential pollution associated with end-of-life vehicle or vehicle component dismantling, recycling and reuse. As such it might strike some as a misleading term.

Ordinary bicycles, recumbent bicycles, and other derivatives as velomobiles, cabin cycles and freight bicycles are probably the most well known zero-emissions transport surface vehicles.

Besides these human-powered vehicles, animal powered vehicles and battery electric vehicles (which besides cars also feature aircraft, electric boats, ...) also do not emit any of the above pollutants, nor any CO2 gases during use. Of course, this is a particularly important quality in densely populated areas, where the health of residents can be severely affected. However, the production of the fuels that power ZEVs, such as the production of electricity or hydrogen from a coal-fired power plant, may produce more or less emissions per mile than the emissions produced from a conventional gasoline powered vehicle, depending on the energy source. A well-to-wheel life cycle assessment is necessary to understand the emissions implications associated with operating a ZEV.