Symbio, a hydrogen mobility solutions company, has revealed its fuel cell integration plan for five- to seven-seat Nissan electric vehicles (EVs) to beat air pollution in urban areas with zero emissions.
At the unveiling of Symbio’s fuel cell integration to Nissan electric van, at the FC Expo 2017 in Tokyo, the company announced the new plug-in hybrid hydrogen fuel cell vehicle will deliver at least 500 kilometers of range – a promising breakthrough for fleet managers and the automotive community looking for sustainable growth.
Symbio is confident that the FC-equipped vehicle will provide a key solution for emission-free mobility in urban areas. Air pollution is a universal problem, and some cities are setting new mandatory regulations to have 20%-50% of their fleets be clean vehicles. In addition, urban taxis have been identified as a major source of air pollution, more emission-related regulations are expected to be applied.
Fabio Ferrari, CEO of Symbio, says, “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 five- to seven-seat EVs, taxis can contribute to the improvement of air quality without any change to their daily activities.”
As reported, the FC vehicle is a 100% clean solution for taxis, aimed at the EU market. 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.
Michelin and ENGIE were present alongside Symbio at the FC Expo to give their support in this new venture and to the hydrogen mobility community overall.
“For two years, Michelin has had a 33 percent stake in Symbio,” says Valérie Bouillon-Delporte, Michelin’s strategic hydrogen initiative leader. “We brought our expertise to the table, as well robust production processes. Michelin is actively involved in the development of fuel-cell technologies, and we will continue to invest in this area and in sustainable mobility in general.”
This customized e-NV200 will be available for serial production from September 2018. Interested parties will be able to place pre-orders.
“We welcome all interested fleet managers to meet and speak with us on any projects they may have so we can help assist them to move forward,” says Ferrari.
