Tenn. Nissan plant to use methanol to cut costs

[rickaren]

Tenn. Nissan plant to use methanol to cut costs

Posted Wednesday, Aug 26, 2009, 11:29 am in Employee News

In another cost-cutting move that also makes its car and truck production a little greener, Nissan North America said Tuesday it will use methanol fuel cells on some vehicles used to haul parts to assembly lines, starting at its plant in central Tennessee, the Associated Press reported.

Executives at the plant near Nashville and the CEO of methanol fuel cell provider, Oorja Protonics of Fremont, Calif., said Nissan was the first automaker to make a commercial switch to the power cells that convert chemical energy in methanol into electrical energy without any combustion, the story said. Nissan is cutting its electric bill and carbon dioxide emissions by making the switch to methanol fuel cells mounted on “tugs,” which pull trains of dollies loaded with parts, the AP said.

Nissan material handling manager Mark Sorgi said the new OorjaPac system will power 60 of the 4,400-pound “tugs,” eliminating more than 70 electric battery chargers that use almost 540,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, the story said. The net savings: $225,000 a year, the news service said.

The switch by Oct. 1 to an alternative fuel derived from sources such as wood, grass, landfills, natural gas and coal also ends the process of switching out the 2,000-pound batteries for recharging and frees up about a half-dozen employees for other jobs, the story said. (Associated Press/Detroit News)