Punch Group will manufacture a hydrogen pick-up at the Nissan plant in Barcelona

The Nissan plant in the Zona Franca of Barcelona appears to have been saved. This is thanks to the arrival of Punch Group, a Belgian company that will use the Japanese brand’s facilities to manufacture a model based on the Nissan Navara. The popular Japanese pick-up will be transformed into a hydrogen-powered van. This move will preserve current jobs and even the local suppliers who had been working for the plant until now.

The new version of the Nissan Navara will use H2-ICE technology, a technology that uses hydrogen as fuel, but in a different way from the fuel cell, the best-known technology applying this element. It is also known as Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine or “hot hydrogen“.

A modified diesel engine

The engine powering this new pick-up is the 2.3-litre diesel engine already used by the model, but modified so that it can run on hydrogen. This means it remains a combustion engine, not an electrified vehicle. The engine has undergone changes to the injection system, the management software and the adaptation of the engine control module, among other things.

All these modifications do not compromise range, payload or towing capacity. Payload is rated at 1,000 kg and towing capacity at 3,500 kg. Four-wheel drive allows good behaviour on any terrain and it is equipped with an automatic gearbox.

One of the major problems with this type of vehicle is storing hydrogen at the right pressure, which the company has solved. With the solution presented, Punch guarantees the safety and functionality of the vehicle. Production of the vehicle will begin within a few months, and it will reach the international market with several leasing and rental options.

Multimillion-euro investment in Barcelona

The Punch Group plans to invest 650 million euros in the Barcelona plants to begin production of this hydrogen-powered vehicle. It was presented at the PUNCH R&D centre in Turin, so it is assumed to be finished and able to enter production shortly. It will not be the only vehicle built in the Zona Franca, as the manufacture of other battery-electric vehicles is also planned.