Although Daimler, Ford and Nissan have been working together since 2013 to develop a fuel cell system, Symbio FCell has had its own collaboration project with Nissan to design an H2 range extender. At the FC Expo in Tokyo this March (see Japan Leads the Way), Symbio – by its own account, the “European leader of hydrogen mobility solutions”– exhibited a system of this type for the e-NV200, a van with a powertrain based on Nissan’s Leaf engine.
Fabio Ferrari, CEO of Symbio, explained: “The integration of our system into Nissan’s five to seven seat EVs will have taxicabs contribute to improved air quality without any impact on day-to-day business.” He expects the vehicle – whose 3.8 kilograms of hydrogen boost the range to 500 kilometers (311 miles) – to make it to the European market in September next year. Symbio is supported by Michelin, which owns one-third of the company, Engie and Borit, the supplier of the metallic bipolar plates used for the stacks. It previously collaborated with Renault to equip the HYKangoo with a 300-kilometer (186-mile) range extender and has sold around 500 of these cars to date.