TOKYO — Nissan on Friday said it has developed the world's first inverter using silicon carbide diodes for use in alternative-fuel vehicles, including fuel-cell vehicles, electric and hybrid electric vehicles.'At Nissan, the inverter is regarded as one of the key technologies in electric-powered vehicle development along with the motor and the battery,' the automaker said in a statement.Nissan said it has kicked off tests using an X-Trail fuel-cell vehicle with the new technology, which it calls the SiC inverter.Simply put, the SiC inverter helps to strip weight out of the vehicle and gives engineers more freedom in creating a vehicle layout. The inverter controls the electricity coming from the power source in electric-powered vehicles, which also dramatically improves reliability, Nissan says.What this means to you: It may seem like a small step forward, but this technology is designed to help get an alt-fuel vehicle in your driveway in the not-too-distant future. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent