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Nissan plans fuel cell tie-up
TOKYO, Japan -- Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor will jointly develop a fuel cell with the U.S. group United Technologies Corp., according to a report Tuesday. Nissan had already announced in December a fuel cell power plant developed by UTC Fuel Cells, a unit of United Technologies, would be used in its X-Trail FCV test vehicle this year. Nissan said then it had won approval from the Japanese government to test the hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle on public roads in Japan in 2003. Nissan is already testing other fuel cell vehicles on U.S. roads, using technology from Canada's Ballard Power Systems. Other Japanese makers Toyota and Honda are also pushing ahead with fuel cell vehicles, which run on electricity produced from a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Nissan's decision to partner with UTC's fuel cell unit is likely to speed up commercialization of fuel cell vehicles, the Nihon Keizai business daily reported on Tuesday. Nissan said in December it would start limited marketing of its X-Trail FCV this year, two years ahead of its original program. Program with RenaultIn 2001 Nissan said it would jointly invest 85 billion yen ($720 million) in research and development costs with major shareholder Renault over five years to commercialize fuel cell vehicles. But Nissan is also keen to use technology developed with UTC Fuel Cells. According to the Nikkei report, the Japanese government aims to get 50,000 of the environmentally friendly fuel cell vehicles on the road by 2010. Shares in Nissan closed 1.88 percent lower Tuesday at 885 yen, on a day the broader market, measured by the Topix, put on 0.3 percent.
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