6 August 2002: Nissan plans to sell its first fuel cell car next year, against earlier plans for a launch in 2005. Nissan is working with partner Renault in fuel cell development.

This follows announcements by both Toyota and Honda that they plan to market fuel cell vehicles by the end of the 2003, on a lease basis in limited pilot trials.

Customers are likely to be government bodies, research institutions and energy companies.

Fuel cells use an electrochemical process to create electricity by mixing hydrogen with oxygen, but the development of storage and distribution systems will mean full commercialisation of fuel cell vehicles is not likely before 2010 at the earliest.