According to All Electric Cars (AEC), an EV advocacy website, Nissan has decided to swear off hydrogen cars in favor of all electric vehicles. According to this EV advocacy group, the Renault-Nissan alliance has decided that battery electric vehicles are the future even with their limited range and long recharging times.
According to AEC, “French automaker Renault-Nissan has just confirmed that the company will be shifting all R&D funds from hybrid and hydrogen cars to electric car development according to COO Patrick Pelata.”
The Nissan X-Trail FCV and the Renault Scenic ZEV H2 are two hydrogen fuel cell prototype vehicles that may be affected by this decision if it is indeed true. According to Journal Live, however, this may not be entirely true.
Journal Live has a different take on what is happening, “A Nissan spokesman said it was committed to becoming the global leader of zero emission vehicles, including technologies such as hydrogen and plug-in hybrids, with its immediate priority being zero emission electric vehicles (EVs).”
So, according to this source, Nissan will be pushing electric vehicles more aggressively, but they won’t be totally throwing hydrogen cars under the bus, so to speak. This is somewhat understandable since Renault-Nissan is pushing to get their EVs ready for the 2012 Olympics in London.
With London Mayor Boris Johnson cancelling 60 hydrogen cars last summer, there may be a bit of politics in this decision in filling the clean car gap for the Olympics with EVs.
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