Symbio targets European taxi market with fuel cell range extender in Nissan e-NV200; 500 km range
02 March 2017
Symbio has integrated a 15 kW (net) fuel cell range extender in a Nissan e-NV200 electric van, with plans to introduce the vehicle to the European taxi market. The new plug-in hybrid hydrogen fuel cell vehicle will deliver at least 500 km of range. Symbio unveiled the van at the FC Expo 2017 in Tokyo.
The customized e-NV200 offers taxi drivers a similar total cost of ownership to a hybrid taxi, but with the range of an internal combustion engine. Thus, this vehicle could be used for intensive urban taxi operations or for online passenger transportation network services. It can be recharged from a low-cost power supply, and refueled with hydrogen in three minutes (3.8 kg hydrogen at 700 bar).
The fuel cell van will have battery packs ranging in capacity from 24 kWh to 36 kWh.
This customized e-NV200 will be available for serial production from September 2018. Interested parties will be able to place pre-orders, by sending a request to Symbio.
To respect the company’s commitment towards a more sustainable environment and a better air quality in urban areas, we have explored a new market segment—duty vehicles. With this integration to Nissan 5-7 seat EVs, taxis can contribute to the improvement of air quality without any change to their daily activities.
—Fabio Ferrari, CEO of Symbio
Symbio currently has several hundred converted Renault Kangoo ZE Maxi light electric commercial vehicles equipped with a 22 kWh battery pack and 5 kW hydrogen fuel range extender with 2.08 kg H2 at 700 bar in service in Europe.
I think this is job done for light delivery vehicles and taxis.
That would remove a huge burden of pollution from cities.
Posted by: Davemart | 02 March 2017 at 01:17 AM
Job done is a self-driving BEV taxi. Tesla will have about 500,000 such vehicles on the road globally by the end of 2018. This hydrogen retrofit will not even have 100 vehicles by that time and they will be loosing money each of them because of high fuel and maintenance costs.
The fact is that FCVs use four times as much energy to drive one mile than a BEV when the loss of electrolysis and compression is also included as it should. And BEVs last much longer and are less costly to maintain.
FCV is a scam by die-hard gassers to pretend that they care about making sustainable vehicles for the future. FCV are not realistic they will never happen.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 02 March 2017 at 01:45 AM
It remains to be seen how people will deal with cars driving themselves. Just because we CAN, does not mean we SHOULD on a wide spread basis.
Posted by: SJC | 02 March 2017 at 09:50 AM
Change:
If you ignore all losses to produce electricity and problems with storage you can come up with any figures you like.
Some of us however can add up.
Posted by: Davemart | 02 March 2017 at 11:36 AM
Using very low cost excess/surplus REs to produce, compress and store clean H2, with up-to-date variable output electrolyzers, will soon be competitve with battery storage units.
Where nuclear and/or Hydro is widely used/available, surpluses during off peak demand hours (about 19 hours/day Monday to Friday + 24 hours/day on weekends and holidays) can be contracted at very low cost per kWh.
Note: In our area, with 100% Hydro/Wind, demand during off-peak hours is often less than 1/3 that of peak demand hours. A lot of clean/green e-energy is not used and many hydro plants and wind turbines run with 1/3 loads.
Posted by: HarveyD | 03 March 2017 at 01:24 PM
Trucks and buses using LNG until hybrid with FC range extenders running LH2 is one path.
Posted by: SJC | 03 March 2017 at 01:46 PM
You are quite right Davemart there are further inefficiencies to be accounted for with regard to hydrogen production as the needed electricity for the electrolyzer and compressor may come from a grid where say 45% of the fossil energy to make electricity is lost. The same can be said about BEV charging so no need to speculate about what might be lost in the grid that both FCV and BEVs need for their fuel. However, it is apparently enough to confuse you.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 04 March 2017 at 03:04 AM
Production from CPPs, NPPs, Hydro, Wind and Solar plants, for well known reasons, rarely match demands.
Storing the huge off peak demand surpluses in batteries is a possibility but XXXXX Tons of batteries is very costly.
Storing the same surpluses via the H2 route with up to date electrolyzers could be a lot cheaper when/where you have a market for H2.
Posted by: HarveyD | 05 March 2017 at 08:00 AM
Set up SOFCs/SOECs to take renewable methane with solar and wind electricity.
Make electricity and heat from the SOFCs then synthesis gas from the SOFC CO2 and water with renewable electricity from wind and solar in the SOECs.
Sell the oxygen for medical and industrial use then dispense the hydrogen as LH2 for transportation of buses and trucks using fuel cell range extenders.
Posted by: SJC | 05 March 2017 at 10:44 AM