Nissan Promises Big Car EVs For The Wide Open Roads

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

America, land of wide open roads and big cars, listen up: On the sidelines of Nissan showing its new day care center at its Yokohama headquarters to reporters, Nissan’s COO Toshiyuki Shiga made a comment that should resonate well with American customers:

“Fuel-cell technology is suited for use in large vehicles and long-distance driving,” Shiga said, in answer to a reporter who asked whether Nissan’s new collaboration with Ford and Daimler on fuel cell technology would eat into Leaf sales. EVs are small vehicles for short range driving, and the laws of physics will try their level worst to keep it that way.

Hydrogen-powered vehicles, which are, for all practical purposes, EVs with a battery that is charged with hydrogen, already can last longer on a single tank than most gasoline-powered cars. They also can be filled-up just as fast as a gasoline-powered car. Limited range and charge times of many hours will keep BEVs in the small niche they are.

I went to Yokohama to take pictures of Shiga with cute Japanese babies on both arms. There were none, the kindergarten won’t open for business until April. It shall be ignored by TTAC until Nissan offers me a photo op for cute baby pictures.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • Econobiker Econobiker on Jan 30, 2013

    Strip a Nissan Leaf down for weight savings then tow a small gas powered electric generator trailer behind it for those in between fast charger wide open spaces... Problem solved.

    • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Jan 30, 2013

      If your 'small gas powered electric generator' was about 15 HP flat-out (maybe 10 kW), then you might be on to something. Because that's about the average energy consumption of a Leaf.

  • Ydnas7 Ydnas7 on Jan 31, 2013

    Range from US fueleconomy.gov Range Tesla Model S-85 range 265 miles Honda FCX Clarity range 240 miles Tesla Model S-60 range 208 miles Mercedes-Benz F-Cell range 190 miles Today’s Tesla battery electric cars are faster, larger and generally longer range than their fuel cell counterparts. Even ignoring the profound power advantage of batteries vs fuel cell, until hydrogen tanks can store miles as cheaply as Li ion batteries can store miles, the fuel cells will remain uncompetitive. That may not be automotive orthodoxy, but its market reality. H2 pressure vessels also tend to have a legislated life of about 5 years.

  • Dartdude The bottom line is that in the new America coming the elites don't want you and me to own cars. They are going to make building cars so expensive that the will only be for the very rich and connected. You will eat bugs and ride the bus and live in a 500sq-ft. apartment and like it. HUD wants to quit giving federal for any development for single family homes and don't be surprised that FHA aren't going to give loans for single family homes in the very near future.
  • Ravenuer The rear view of the Eldo coupe makes it look fat!
  • FreedMike This is before Cadillac styling went full scale nutty...and not particularly attractive, in my opinion.
  • JTiberius1701 Middle of April here in NE Ohio. And that can still be shaky. Also on my Fiesta ST, I use Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires for the winter and Bridgestone Potenza for my summer tires. No issues at all.
  • TCowner We've had a 64.5 Mustang in the family for the past 40 years. It is all original, Rangoon Red coupe with 289 (one of the first instead of the 260), Rally Pac, 4-speed, factory air, every option. Always gets smiles and thumbs ups.
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