Liquid Hydrogen Powered KB210 Nissan Sunny

Was the Tama Truck‘s source of energy not alternative enough for ya? Check out this little number. With a name like Sunny you might expect an enviro-friendly power source — and you’d be right, but it ain’t solar. This 1974 Datsun B210 is powered by liquid hydrogen! Only recently have cars like the Honda FCX and Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE been put on the streets in limited testing, but Nissan was experimenting with it decades before either one.

The B210’s already prominent hatchback made even more so with a large fuel cell/aero attachment from a company called Musashi I.T. Engine Research Lab. We weren’t able to find anything about the company on google.

The only thing we know for sure is that the car ran in something called the Seed Rally on September 20, 1974.

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9 Responses to Liquid Hydrogen Powered KB210 Nissan Sunny

  1. Bochorongo says:

    It’s crazy how car companies were doing eco friendly cars 40+ years ago and then abodoned the ideas… Kinda weird… Maybe because the consumer didn’t care much for it ?
    Anyways B210 FTW !!!

  2. Kevin Lee says:

    thats like an uber large flux capacitor!

  3. Nigel says:

    There is a “purge” button on the dash, and when it is pushed the Datsun sign on the back is lowered and the rocket is fired.

  4. goki says:

    so that’s how 240Z tail lights look on a B210!

    not bad….not bad….
    Sticks out a bit and need to be set in more.

  5. goki says:

    I found this little excerpt online:

    “Due to stricter emission control standards and the higher cost of fossil fuels, hydrogen is considered to be of great promise as a future automotive fuel. However, the problem of on-board storage has yet to be solved. At present, storage of the hydrogen as a liquid is the only method in practice. In order to participate in the SEED Rally held in the U.S.A. in 1975, a Datsun B-210 passenger car with a 1.4 liter engine was converted to a hydrogen fueled car using the liquid storage method. This was accomplished within the short space of 4 months. Since the car had to travel at least 650 km (400 miles) between fuelings, it was equipped with a tank which could contain 230 l (61 gal) of liquid hydrogen at 5 atm. gage (71 psig). Because cooler hydrogen gas induces better engine performance, the fuel line from the rear tank to the front engine was a vacuum insulated pipe. Fuel was injected intermittently into the intake port by a mechanical valve. This car successfully completed the Rally, 2800 km (1730 miles), and proved that the liquid hydrogen car has a bright future with regard to energy economy, performance, emissions, and safety.”

  6. Tyler says:

    Interesting that this car uses hydrogen for combustion instead of electricity. I’ll bet it’s still sitting in a University storage building somewhere, rotting away. Let’s find it!

  7. Tyler says:

    Maybe Musashi isn’t a “company” at all. It appears there is a Musashi Institute of Technology (I.T.) located in Tokyo, and given the Japanese flag next to the inscription I would guess the car was developed by students attending that school. Does anyone know enough Japanese to send them an email inquiring about the car?

    http://www.university-directory.eu/Japan/Musashi-Institute-of-Technology.html

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