SACRAMENTO, CA- Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc. is the first company in North America to lease the Nissan X-TRAIL Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV), the automaker announced Nov. 24.

The Sacramento Coca-Cola lease is for one year, with an option for two additional years.

Nissan, which began development of fuel cell vehicle technology in 1996, has previously used FCVs in demonstration fleets in Japan and in California through the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP), but this is Nissan's first commercial FCV lease in North America.

"Sacramento already has the beginning of a hydrogen infrastructure in place, and Sacramento Coca-Cola has a track record of utilizing low emissions cars, so the two companies share a green philosophy as well as a common love of things 'zero'," said Eric Noziere, vice president, corporate planning, Nissan North America.

The zero emissions X-TRAIL FCV will be used by the bottler for sales calls and public events in the Sacramento area in promotion of its Coca-Cola Zero soft drink. "This is a big step in furthering our commitment to environmental sustainability," said Bob Brown, executive vice president of Sacramento Coca-Cola, an independent bottler and distributor of products of The Coca-Cola Company, serving the Sacramento and Modesto areas.

Nissan's fuel cell research and development program is part of a range of eco-friendly technologies - including FCVs, electric vehicles, hybrid and improved internal combustion engines - being pursued under the Nissan Green Program 2010, a plan focused on developing new technologies, products and services leading to real-world reductions in CO2 emissions, cleaner emissions and expanded recycling of resources.

The Nissan X-TRAIL FCV is based on the X-TRAIL SUV, which is available in Mexico, Japan, and Europe. It is fitted with a Nissan-developed compact fuel cell stack, a compact Lithium-ion battery and a high-pressure hydrogen storage cylinder. Performance is close to that of a similarly sized internal combustion engine-based vehicle. Versions of this generation X-TRAIL FCV are capable of speeds in excess of 95 miles per hour, with a cruising range of up to 300 miles.

Sacramento-based Nissan X-TRAIL FCVs have already logged nearly 300,000 miles in ongoing internal tests, with one vehicle very close to the 100,000-mile mark. "The future of sustainable mobility will depend on the simultaneous development of many technologies. Test programs like Sacramento Coca-Cola X-TRAIL FCV lease help us keep our momentum going in this arena, even as we're getting ready to roll out the new Nissan LEAF electric vehicle in the next year," said Noziere.