Whether or not anyone embraces the idea is another matter. Nissan believes that its bio-ethanol fuel cell would cost as little as an electric car to run, but that fuel still has to come from somewhere. Bio-ethanol requires a lot of farmland, and it's a stretch to claim that the plants would completely offset the carbon emissions involved in making this a reality.

There's also the question of whether or not this is little more than a stopgap measure on the way to an all-electric future. Electric car ranges should improve by 2020 -- there may not be much point to this fuel cell if you can get an EV that drives just as far. Nissan's main advantage may simply be the lower cost of the car itself, since early high-mileage EVs will likely be expensive.