"First they laugh at you,
then they ignore you, then they fight with you, then you win." -- Ghandi
"Mankind's future depends
on America's energy choices. Let's clean house and abandon the
phony solutions that result in war, environmental ruin,
poverty, hunger, hatred and disease.
We must lead. We must set the example and Build A World That
Works!"TM - Richard D.
Masters
Hydrogen Vehicles
The Future of Transportation Part12
3
45
THE EMISSION-FREE FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION
COULD USE LIMITLESS RENEWABLE ENERGY TO FUEL OUR VEHICLES
Kia SUV Runs Cleanly and Quietly Graeme Fletcher
National Post (Canada)
November 30, 2007
Kia builds about 30 Sportage Fuel
Cells a year, some of which have been participating in real-world tests in
California and Michigan since 2004. ...The fuel cell is the way of
the future, as it produces absolutely no pollution -- no noxious nitrogen
oxides, no greenhouse gases and no noise pollution.
Honda still won't say with any
clarity how many Claritys it plans to offer at $600-a-month leases in
Southern California next summer, which lends ammunition to those who
accuse the carmaker of grandstanding for PR purposes. But Honda did say it
plans to build this car in Tochigi, the location of the small-volume plant
that gave us the Insight, S2000 and NSX. And the "production" FCX Clarity
we drove recently in Southern California meets all FMVSS regulations for
crash testing and other government standards and will be manufactured on
an assembly line just like anything else Honda makes. So it's a finished
product.
I was expecting to have to make all
sorts of allowances for it being the first pre-production version of the
FCX Clarity, albeit in steel rather than the FCX Concept's carbon-fibre
body. In the end, however, I didn't have to make any allowances, I just
got in and drove it away. It was so convincing that I went home and tried
to put my name on the list to get one. But I couldn't. In the five days
since the car made its debut at the LA Auto Show, so many people had
visited the FCX Clarity site to sign up for one of the 100 or so cars that
will be available next summer, it had crashed under the load. That, I
think, tells us all we need to know about its future popularity.
HONDA: FCX Clarity
Honda
A limited number of FCX Clarity vehicles will be
available for lease only in the Torrance, Santa Monica and Irvine areas
in mid-2008. The lease amount will be around $600 per month for three
years and it includes maintenance and collision insurance. As
hydrogen-supply infrastructure expands, Honda will make more of these
remarkable cars available to the public.
A recent 2,300-mile trek in a Toyota
Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle from Fairbanks to Vancouver along the Alaska
Highway confirmed substantial progress in reliability and durability,
cold-weather operation and extended range capability of Toyota's hybrid
fuel cell system. “It was a grueling trip, but it proved to be just what
we wanted,” said Craig Scott, manager of advanced technologies for Toyota
Motor Co. in Los Angeles. Scott says there were no issues at all on the
trip.
more
The Michelin Hy-light 2 uses a SolviCore Membrane Electrode Assembly
"We are convinced of the urgency to
propose solutions for a future clean mobility and the fuel cell will
contribute for sure to this effort. The work engaged with SolviCore in the
domain of MEA aims to achieve high performing, reliable solutions for use
in the fuel cells. We plan to do significant progress in combining the
know-how of both our companies," Michelin’s Pierre Varenne said.
The first phase of the project began
in 2002, and three fuel cell buses manufactured by Daimler Chrysler
started running in Beijing last June. Shen Yiyang, the UNDP official in
charge of the project, told Interfax that the UNDP will invest $5.6
million in the second phase of the project. According to Shen, around $4
million will be invested in purchasing three to six buses for Shanghai.
...As Shanghai
currently has just one fueling station, the three new buses will all run
in Anting International Motown for the time being. A second hydrogen
fueling station, to be built in the Shanghai World Expo Park, is being
planned. To ensure a green World Expo, which will take place in 2010, no
traditional vehicles will be allowed to enter the World Expo Park, which
places fuel cell vehicles in a good position. Shanghai plans to have 10
fuel cell cars, 40 mid-sized fuel cell buses and over 10 full-sized fuel
cell buses on the road by the time of the Expo.
more
The Mayor of London,
Ken Livingstone, today announced that ten new hydrogen powered buses will
join London's bus fleet by 2010. When operational on London's streets, the
hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles will produce no pollution or carbon
dioxide, a major contributor to global warming, and will help improve the
capital's air quality.
Transport for London has signed a contract with ISE - an
American company with a record of delivering hydrogen buses - for five
hydrogen fuel cell buses and five hydrogen internal combustion engine
buses. This is one of the world's first commercial contracts for hydrogen
buses. The vehicles will be operated by First on behalf of Transport for
London.
In February 2006, the Mayor announced the London Hydrogen
Transport programme, which aims to introduce 70 new hydrogen vehicles into
London - ten of these vehicles will be buses. Transport is responsible for
22 per cent of London's emissions, and the Mayor's Climate Change Action
plan sets a target for annual reductions. Hydrogen vehicles are clean and
efficient, and it is expected that the ten hydrogen hybrid buses will
produce substantially fewer emissions of CO2 and other harmful air
pollutants than a conventional diesel bus.
Ken Livingstone, said: "Hydrogen is a fuel of the future as
it improves air quality and does not produce the harmful emissions which
are causing catastrophic climate change. These ten new hydrogen vehicles
will be clean and efficient, providing a smoother, quieter ride for
passengers.
"London is now the first city in Europe to commit to a
hydrogen bus fleet of this size, which will match traditional diesel buses
in terms of performance. This represents a huge step forward from the
previous hydrogen trials in the capital and is an important step towards
my target of having five per cent of all public sector fleet vehicles
powered by hydrogen by 2015."
The contract signed with ISE is for £9.65 million. This
covers not only the initial cost of the vehicles themselves but also the
specialist maintenance and replacement parts over a five year period after
delivery. The Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform has
provided a grant of £2.6 million towards Transport for London's hydrogen
bus programme.
Malcolm Wicks, Minister of State for Energy: "This is a very
exciting development and a serious step towards the long-term aim of
reducing emissions from road transport. The Government has backed the
Mayor’s scheme with £2.6m as part of a wider package of support for UK
hydrogen and fuel cell projects. This again underlines our commitment to
do what we can to tackle climate change."
Mike Weston, Operations Director for London Buses, said: "The
Mayor and Transport for London are committed to tackling climate change
through cutting London's contribution to CO2 and other emissions. Hydrogen
technology is still being developed and we are paying a premium for these
early models. However, we firmly believe this is a worthwhile investment
in developing clean, green technology, and we expect costs to reduce over
time."
More than 100 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel
Cell electric vehicles will be deployed by General Motors in the streets
of Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, DC, in the largest market
test of fuel cell vehicles of its kind. The deployment plan dubbed
‘Project Driveway’ will give a variety of drivers — from regular families
to celebrities — free use of an Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle and the
hydrogen fuel it needs to make electricity onboard. The average family
will get one of the vehicles for three months and be required to report
their experience to Chevrolet.
more
AUTO REVIEW: 2008 Chevrolet Equinox Ron Amadon
Marketwatch November 10, 2007 It is both quick and quiet since it is an
electric vehicle with a lot fewer moving parts than the traditional
internal combustion-powered truck. Many times driving round the city all
you heard was the ventilation fan running, and we did not have it
cranked up that much. ...Out on the highway, acceleration was better
than we expected, despite the extra 500 pounds the Equinox carried
around from the hydrogen equipment. The folks who know say it will go
from zero to 60 in about 12 seconds.
GM Shares Up on Hydrogen Vehicle Outlook Houston Chronicle (TX) June 15, 2007
Shares of General Motors Corp. rose for a
third day after the automaker said it could have hydrogen-powered cars on the
road in the next five or six years. ...The hydrogen vehicle prediction came
along with GM's announcement that it moved 500 fuel cell engineers and
scientists from the laboratory side of the company into the chain of command
that actually produces cars.
Daimler has long believed
hydrogen will be the fuel of the future, and today it joined Ford in
making a $228 million bet that it will be right. The two automakers have
launched a new company, Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation, by buying a
majority stake in Ballard Power Systems' automotive fuel cell division.
The Honourable John Baird, Minister of
the Environment, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of
Natural Resources, and Pierre Gauthier, Air Liquide Director, Hydrogen
Energy, North America, presided over the official opening of the first
permanent hydrogen fuelling station in Ottawa as part of the
"Hydrogen on the Hill" project launched last year.
The new station's first customers will be three
hydrogen-powered buses operated by the Senate of Canada.
"These buses have racked up more than 6,000 trouble-free
kilometres over the past year. They're proving that hydrogen is not just a
clean alternative - it's also a realistic alternative," said Minister
Baird. "Our government is leading by example with initiatives such as
Hydrogen on the Hill. This is another demonstration of our government's
commitment to achieving tangible results for the reduction of greenhouse
gases and air pollution that we set out in our Turning the Corner Plan."
The new station, at the Natural Resources Canada Booth Street
campus in Ottawa, is the fifth permanent hydrogen fuelling station in
Ontario and the tenth currently operating in Canada. Natural Resources
Canada, through the Canadian Transportation Fuel Cell Alliance, and Air
Liquide Canada each contributed $800,000 toward the $1.6-million station.
"As we work toward the transition to a renewable hydrogen
economy, Air Liquide Canada is delighted to see the next step in this
project become a reality," said Luc Doyon, President and COO of Air
Liquide Canada. "Our partnership with government and industry to educate
the public about hydrogen as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels
is an example of our joint commitment to sustainable development."
Hydrogen on the Hill is part of a nation-wide project led by
Industry Canada and Ford of Canada. The project is managed by Advanced
Technologies and Fuels Canada (ATFCAN) and is assessing the environmental
benefits and commercial feasibility of using hydrogen as a transportation
fuel. Ford has deployed a total of ten shuttle buses across Canada powered
by hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2ICE). The H2ICEs produce 75
percent less nitrogen oxide - the major ingredient in smog - no CO2
emissions and almost no other air pollutants. In addition to Ottawa, the
hydrogen-powered buses will be running in Vancouver, Prince Edward Island
and Toronto.
While still in its
preliminary stages, McGuinty said the hydrogen train is exactly the type
of initiative envisioned when the government created the $650-million Next
Generation Jobs Fund which the Liberals have pledged to expand by another
$500 million after the Oct. 10 provincial election.
Ford Motor Company made history
today by reaching 207.279 mph with the Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999, the
world’s first production-based hydrogen fuel cell race car. The Ford
Fusion Hydrogen 999 is Ford’s latest environmental innovation, another
step on the road toward commercially viable hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
The car was designed and built by Ford engineers in collaboration with
Ohio State University, Ballard Power Systems and Roush.
WENDOVER, Utah, August 16 – Ford Motor Company
[NYSE: F] today became the world’s first automaker to set a land speed
record for a production-based fuel cell powered car. The Ford Fusion
Hydrogren 999 fuel cell car raced to 207.297 mph at the Bonneville Salt
Flats in Wendover, Utah to set the record.
The Ford "999" is the world’s first and only production
vehicle-based fuel cell race car. It was built in collaboration with
Ballard Power Systems, Roush and Ohio State University and is one of two
vehicles demonstrating the potential of fuel cell technology. Ford
researchers also are supporting student engineers from Ohio State
University on its Buckeye Bullet 2, a streamliner-type fuel cell-powered
racer attempting 300+ mph.
“What we’ve accomplished is nothing short of an industry
first,” said Gerhard Schmidt, vice president, Research & Advanced
Engineering for Ford Motor Company. “No other automaker in the world has
come close. We are excited to have accomplished something never before
done. We established this project to advance fuel-cell-powered vehicles
and to do what has never been done before; and we did it.”
Schmidt said Ford’s historic run at Bonneville will further
expand the company's technological horizons with fuel cell-powered
vehicles, because the use of hydrogen as a fuel could someday play a key
role in meeting the energy needs of the transportation sector. The Ford
Fusion Hydrogen 999 is Ford’s latest environmental innovation and is
another step on the road toward commercially viable hydrogen fuel cell
vehicles.
The speed was reached during a run at the Bonneville
Nationals, which are being held from Aug. 10-17.
The Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 land speed record vehicle was
designed by Ford engineers and built by Roush in Allen Park, Mich. Ford
engineers leveraged the 2004 Buckeye Bullet’s electric motor, while
Ballard Power Systems supplied the 400 kW hydrogen fuel cells. Ford
retiree Rick Byrnes, a veteran Bonneville racer, piloted the Ford Fusion
Hydrogen 999 on its record breaking run.
Ohio State students have designed their streamliner, dubbed
Buckeye Bullet 2, from the ground up. Ballard donated the hydrogen fuel
cells for Ohio State’s car, Roush its engineering services and Ford has
provided overall project coordination and expertise in fuel cell
drivetrains.
In 2004, Ohio State students set the unlimited land speed
record for an electric vehicle by running 314 mph in the first Buckeye
Bullet, dubbed BB1.
Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 Part of a Broader Effort The Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 shows one of the ways Ford
is advancing environmental innovation with the goal of offering vehicles
with zero impact on the environment. Multiple technologies, including
hydrogen fuel cells, hybrids, E85 ethanol, clean diesels, bio-diesels,
advanced engine and transmission technologies allow a flexible approach
that balances customer needs, environmental impact and shareholder
interests.
Ford Motor Company currently has a fleet of 30
hydrogen-powered Focus fuel cell vehicles on the road as part of a
worldwide, seven-city program to conduct real world testing of fuel cell
technology. The 30-car fleet has accumulated nearly 580,000 miles since
its inception in 2005.
more
GM Shares Up on Hydrogen Vehicle Outlook Houston Chronicle (TX)
June 15, 2007
Shares of General Motors Corp. rose for a
third day after the automaker said it could have hydrogen-powered cars on the
road in the next five or six years. ...The hydrogen vehicle prediction came
along with GM's announcement that it moved 500 fuel cell engineers and
scientists from the laboratory side of the company into the chain of command
that actually produces cars.
Let the World Come to Iowa to Buy Ammonia Engines Richard Doak
Des Moines Register (IA)
June 10, 2007
Ammonia actually
contains more hydrogen than hydrogen does. Ammonia (NH3) has three hydrogen
atoms while hydrogen (H2) has only two. ...If ammonia is to reach its potential
as a nonpolluting, non-greenhouse fuel, new ways of producing it must be
developed. Among the possibilities is to use wind power in the process, which
holds yet more promise for Iowa as an energy state. ...At the Algona engine
demonstration, HEC's Hollinger declared in a statement, "We have been awaiting
the day when we could add ammonia to the world's list of potential fuels, and
today is the day."
Hydrogen Engine Center Demonstrates
Carbon-Free Hydrogen Ammonia (anhydrous) Engine
Hydrogen Engine Center
June 5, 2007
Although the engine is capable of running
exclusively on hydrogen, the test was conducted using 95% ammonia and 5%
hydrogen used as a combustion catalyst. The increased density of hydrogen
associated with the ammonia fuel provides the engine with significantly more
power than hydrogen alone. Because ammonia contains no carbon, emissions
byproducts include only slightly increased amounts of water vapor and trace
amounts of NOX.
Hydro-Genius
Quentin Wilson Sunday Mirror (UK)
June 10, 2007
I've seen the future
and it's powered by hydrogen. This week I was privileged to lead a convoy of the
greenest vehicles in the world from Brighton to London, driving both a
hydrogen-powered Ford Explorer and Focus. ...BMW fielded two hydrogen-powered
7-Series, Saab a 9-5 Biopower, Honda a Civic Hybrid and Vauxhall a
hydrogen-powered Zafira, sponsored by Ikea. ...So it's time to forget the urban
myth that the car industry doesn't want to change. It does and it's leading the
charge. The public are far more enthusiastic about owning green cars than we
ever dared believe. The only problem is the Government. They talk the talk, but
are yet to walk the walk.
Ford
Engineer Says Plug-in Hybrid
Fuel-cell Cars May Reach Market First
Steve Mertl Canadian
Press June 2,
2007
Ford and its partner Ballard fall in line
with its other competitors in forecasting fuel-cell cars will begin hitting
dealers in the latter half of the next decade. Large demonstration fleets in the
hands of government and corporate users will be on the road before then.
Hydrogen-Fueled Buses Arrive in Orlando
Houston Chronicle/AP
May 23, 2007
Ford delivered five of the buses to Canada
in 2006. The company plans to deliver 30 of the buses throughout North America
by the end of the year.
China’s Automakers Show Alternative-Fuel Cars Keith Bradsher The New York Times
April 21, 2007
G.M. showed a fuel-cell vehicle here that
in some ways is more advanced than a model shown at the Detroit auto show three
months ago. The prototype here relies more on hydrogen and, unlike the Detroit
show prototype, does not include a small gasoline engine as a backup. China “may
very well be the first country to develop a broad-based fuel cell
infrastructure,” Mr. Wagoner said.
Latest Chevy Volt Will be Fueled by Hydrogen Sharon Terlep Detroit
News April 20, 2007
"There's a tremendous will in the company
to do this," GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told reporters at the Geneva car show
last month when asked about the Volt. Lutz has said he believes there is a 90
percent chance GM will succeed in making the vehicle a reality.
LARGEST ROLL-OUT YET OF
NATURAL GAS FUEL CELLS
A Leap For Fuel Cells Connecticut Is Backing Showcase
Plants To Feed Electricity Grid Mark Peters Hartford
Courant (CT) April 15, 2007
New England's First Fuel Cell-powered Hybrid Bus Begins Service UTC Power
April 10, 2007
In addition to UTC Power and CT TRANSIT,
the special project partnership includes AC Transit of Oakland, California,
which now has three UTC Power fuel cell-powered buses in operation; Van Hool of
Belgium, one of the world’s largest bus and coach manufacturers; and ISE
Corporation of Poway, California, a leading integrator of hybrid-electric and
integrated fuel cell drive systems for buses.
University of Delaware Unveils Hydrogen-powered Bus University of Delaware
April 9, 2007
A consortium consisting of EBus, Ballard
Power Systems, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Air Liquide Advanced
Technologies U.S., and the Delaware Transit Corp. has been assembled for this
project. ...EBus has adapted its existing 22-foot, 22-passenger chassis and
electric drive system to use a 19-kilowatt Mark9 SSL fuel cell stack from
Ballard, a major producer of fuel cells located in Vancouver, British Columbia.
...The project also includes development of a safe and efficient hydrogen
refueling station to be used by the bus and, eventually, by other
hydrogen-powered vehicles.
The fueling dispenser will be
publicly accessible by arrangement, with credit card access. Hydrogen
produced by the station will meet purity requirements for prototype
vehicles powered by hydrogen combustion engines and/or fuel cells. The
station is capable of processing natural gas, water (through
electrolysis), or ethanol to produce hydrogen. There is future potential
to also produce hydrogen from the gasification of coal or biomass.
Quantum Ships Eleven Extended-Range Hydrogen
Hybrid Vehicles to Norway’s Hydrogen Highway Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies
Worldwide March 29,
2007
The Norwegian government, industry
participants, and the organizations participating in a joint effort called HyNor
plan on creating a “Hydrogen Highway” between the capital, Oslo, and western
Norway's port of Stavanger. The Norwegian HyNor plan calls for five refueling
stations along the main highway from Oslo to Stavanger, the center of the
national petroleum industry that makes Norway the world's third largest oil
exporter, after Saudi Arabia and Russia. By 2009, HyNor plans to have enough
fueling stations along the 580-kilometer (360 mile) route to allow
hydrogen-powered vehicles to routinely make the trip. The ultimate goal is to
extend the hydrogen infrastructure network through much of Scandinavia under the
Scandinavian Hydrogen Highway Partnership, a joint organization formed by HyNor,
Sweden's HyFuture, and Denmark's Hydrogen Link.
The Hydrogen Hybrid package for the Prius includes Quantum’s
electronic multi-point hydrogen injection system, turbocharger and intercooler,
Quantum’s compressed hydrogen fuel storage module and hydrogen fuel delivery
system, and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) crashworthy design
and validation. The eleven vehicles in this shipment were equipped with an
extended range package, which was engineered by Quantum to provide additional
hydrogen storage capacity and a resulting 30 percent increase in vehicle driving
range between refueling. In addition to performing in specified starting
conditions and meeting certain drivability specifications, these vehicles were
designed to meet European safety standards, including the successful completion
of crash testing to verify the safety of the converted vehicles.
Daimler Chrysler:
On Emission to Save the World Neil Dowling
CARSguide/Daily Telegraph
March 24, 2007
Enforcing hydrogen production would
stimulate manufacturers
to make greener cars.
European researchers working
with partners from the US have developed a new type of hydrogen technology
that will lead to new more efficient hydrogen-fed engines for clean cars.
The EU-funded Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (HyICE) project tested
ways to build hydrogen-fuelled engines that are as efficient as current
diesel engines, without the same pollution, and with as little as possible
trade-off in terms of engine size and power.
"The shift to a hydrogen
economy is not an incremental change to society, but rather a dramatic and
fundamental shift in the way that individuals will operate their vehicles in the
future."
Scott Samuelsen, director
UCI National Fuel Cell Research Center
Air Products Newest Fueling Station at University of California, Irvine Features
Industry Advancements and Capabilities to Meet Evolving Hydrogen Vehicle Fueling Air Products
February 27, 2007
The station has the capacity to fill
approximately five to 10 vehicles per day, depending on vehicle fuel capacity.
Computerized vehicle communications help optimize the refueling process, and
vehicle fill times are approximately three to six minutes.
"I am trying to find a
way of talking sense to power," he said, demanding that GM come clean about what
he claims was its role in squashing electric car production, killing mass
transportation, dividing cities along highway routes and exploiting its own
wealth and influence to keep gas guzzlers on the road.
"They are shameless, they can not be shamed. If they had
shame, they would not be foisting Hummers on women," Black said of what he deems
the American auto industry's efforts to create customer dependence on gas-run
vehicles.
"Nobody woke up and said 'I want a Hummer.' Nobody woke up
and said, 'We have to have Escalades.' What about corporate leadership? How
about the right thing?"
...Still,
Black isn't about to let up. He blames GM, Ford and Chrysler for the
anti-American attitudes in the Middle East that led to the World Trade Center
attacks and, ultimately, the U.S. war in Iraq.
"We got an oil shock in 1973. They've had almost two
generations, a generation and a half to get it right and what did they reward us
with? Escalade, Navigator," he said.
Hyundai Motors will deploy the
bus for commuters between its Seoul headquarters and one of its research
centers in Gyeonggi Province and increase the number of buses in service
to 34 by 2008.
VIDEO:
The Vancouver Hydrogen Bus Project -
powered by renewable energy!
(from Hydrogen Hawaii)
Click on image to view movie. Quicktime required.
Ford and BP Open
First Hydrogen Station in Taylor, MI Ford Motor Company
October 17, 2006
BP is working with DOE and its automotive partners
to develop hydrogen fuel stations in Michigan, Florida and California. BP also
is involved in refueling infrastructure to support fuel cell buses and cars in a
number of cities across the world.
Proton to Install Green Hydrogen Fueling System
in New York City Metro Area Proton Energy Systems
October 16, 2006
As the prime contractor to Shell for this
installation, Proton will be responsible for project design, equipment
procurement, site preparation, and installation and commissioning. Air Products
will be a major subcontractor on the project and supply the compression, storage
and dispensing equipment.
Under the forward-opening hood rests a sleeping giant — a tri-fuel-capable
V10 displacing 6.8 liters. What's "tri-fuel"? Check this out: Like some
1.6 million ethanol-gasoline-powered Fords already on the road, this V10
eagerly gulps down gasoline or E85 ethanol.
However, the supercharger that tops the Super Chief's 30-valve aluminum
heads and intake spools up only when the fuel supply switches to
clean-burning hydrogen. A multiple-storage-tank setup under the truck's
bed provides a claimed range of nearly 500 miles running on hydrogen.
Running on E85 and gasoline, the V10 produces 310 horsepower, with torque
coming in at 425 pound-feet. Power drops when running on hydrogen, but the
supercharger keeps the torque rating at 400.
"Everything can be done
with the sun
and the wind." Mikel Oglesby, General Manager of
Sunline Transit Authority
Clean Bus Fuel Funds Announced Benjamin Spillman
The Desert Sun (California)
October 13, 2006
The heart of the facility is a filling station, which
supplies a test fleet of hydrogen fuelled cars and buses with both liquid
hydrogen (LH2) and compressed gaseous hydrogen (CGH2).
We expect to be
filling on average of around 10 hydrogen vehicles a day - making the Linde
Hydrogen Center one of the busiest hydrogen filling stations in the world.
Avtovaz'
former chief designer, Georgy Mirzoyev, is looking far ahead. “I have
already spent six years, designing a hydrogen-fuelled automobile,” he
said. “This is a car of the future, which will help save huge amounts of
petroleum and safeguard the ecology,” he added. “At present, we have
built an experimental model in such a car, and we are planning to launch
it into quantity production by 2020,” Mirzoyev divulged. “This ANTEL
(automobile on fuel elements) automobile is expected to cost about twenty
five thousand U.S. dollars,” he added. “All the global automobile
giants are now working on such projects,” Mirzoyev noted. “After all,
transition from petroleum economy to hydrogen is a latent project for the
time being, but it will eventually pave the way to the development of the
automobile industry in the future,” he stressed.
INTERVIEW Bob
Lutz, General Motors Corporation Carlist
October 1, 2006 Bob Lutz of GM talks to Lou Ann Hammond, CEO and editor-in-chief of carlist.com, about the history of Hybrid, and Hydrogen technology at
General Motors
THE GLOBAL H2 AUTOMOTIVE JUGGERNAUT
RACES TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Hydrogen Next Step for AutomakersDon Hammonds Pittsburgh Post Gazette/Nashua
Telegraph (NH)
October 1, 2006
Many wonder whether
powerful oil companies and their advocates would stand by and allow
development of a competing hydrogen infrastructure...
Chevy's Sequel is a Prelude to the Future Gerry Malloy
Toronto Star (CANADA)
September 30. 2006
If the Sequel is a valid indicator, production fuel-cell
vehicles may arrive far sooner than predicted by many industry watchers,
including myself.
New Honda Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Car to Launch in 2008 ABS-CBN Interactive/AFP
September 25, 2006
Honda Motor plans to launch a new hydrogen powered fuel-cell
vehicle in Japan and the United States in 2008 as the battle for the
"green" car market intensifies, a report said Monday.
GM Developing Home Hydrogen Refueling Device Chris Woodyard USA
Today September
25, 2006
Home refueling makes the possibility of fuel-cell cars "much
more real," especially since building hydrogen fueling stations would be a
"massive undertaking," says Ron Cogan, publisher of the Green Car Journal.
Hydrogen Rotary Engine Spins for Mazda James Stanford
CarsGuide (AUSTRALIA)
September 25, 2006 Regardless of what
happens to petrol rotaries, Mazda is determined to keep the rotary engine
spinning well into the future. It is pushing on with plans to introduce an
environmentally friendly rotary engine that runs on hydrogen instead of
petrol. The engine could be linked to an electric motor, which can
recharge on the run.
Vehicles Just a Small Part of Hydrogen Wave Michelle Martin
Victoria News (BC)
August 9, 2006
Future Of Energy May Be Blowing In The Wind WGAL (PA)
August 8, 2006
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that wind power alone could generate
three times the amount of electricity being used in the U.S. today. That's
something that's not going unnoticed.
Fuel Cells to Help Clean Up Shipping Wojciech Moskwa
Scientific American
August 3, 2007
When powered by liquefied natural gas
(LNG), as the first full-scale test model will be, carbon dioxide emissions are
cut in half compared to diesel engines running on marine bunker fuel and sulphur
and nitrogen oxide exhausts are nearly eliminated.
The radical thing about Chevy's hydrogen
concept car
is how normal it feels to drive. The Sequel weighs 2170 kg (4774 lb), at the
high end of the range for a 4-to-5-seat SUV. It will do the 0-to-60-mph
sprint in less than 10 seconds, with a top speed of 145 km/h (90 mph).
Most important is its range of 300 miles (480 km) -- like a normal car
--meaning that the Sequel travels roughly twice as far on the same energy
content as a conventionally powered SUV.
more
Calling the effort a "moon shot," [GM Vice Chairman
Bob] Lutz said it is vital the world's largest automaker commits to the
new technology, so it can win back its reputation as an innovator and
design leader. "This is to re-establish our technological credentials with
the American public and the American media," Lutz said...
more
THE LONDON HYDROGEN BUS
PROJECT
The Lighter Route to Cleaner Air Sean Dodson The
Guardian (UK)
July 20, 2006
Soon, up to a dozen buses will be added as London
spends tens of millions on its experimental fleet of "hydro-vehicles". If the
test proves successful, London's bus fleet could switch to hydrogen sometime in
the next decade. By 2010, the hydro-fleet will have swollen to 70: we could also
expect hydrogen-powered emergency vehicles, police cars and road sweepers.
At Santa Monica,
Air Products' Series 200TM
system, a totally integrated vehicle fueling system, is providing the
storage and dispensing of hydrogen to hydrogen-powered vehicles with
internal combustion engines modified to use gaseous hydrogen. This model
station provides customers flexibility in using hydrogen generated at the
site, or delivered hydrogen, integrated with storage and dispensing
capabilities. On-site hydrogen at Santa Monica is provided to the fueling
system from a production model
HOGEN 6M Electrolyzer manufactured by Proton Energy Systems.
Proton, a subsidiary of Distributed Energy Systems Corp., is a key
supplier to Air Products, and the companies have a supplier arrangement
for electrolyzer based fueling stations. For the AQMD five-city program,
Air Products' Series 200 systems are in operation at Santa Monica,
Riverside and Burbank.
The formal delivery will take place during a ceremony to be held today at
Santa Monica's City Yards, the location of the newest hydrogen station in
the AQMD's hydrogen infrastructure demonstration program.
Under contract to the AQMD, Quantum engineered a
state-of-the-art OEM-caliber hydrogen fuel system, optimized the
performance of the vehicle system, completed accelerated long-term
durability testing, and performed crash testing, to verify the design of
the vehicles. Quantum designed and produced the advanced hydrogen storage
system, fuel injection system, and electronic controls. Quantum subjected
the final design to extensive system optimization and vehicle verification
testing to ensure super ultra low emission vehicle (SULEV) emissions
performance, drivability, durability, and crash survivability of the
hydrogen Priuses.
This event continues the formal rollout of the AQMD's
hydrogen hybrid vehicle fleet and infrastructure demonstration program.
The AQMD initiated this effort to establish a network of hydrogen fueling
stations and deploy a fleet of hydrogen hybrid vehicles. A key benefit of
this program will be the opportunity to educate the public on the use and
safety of hydrogen as a fuel through its demonstration in vehicles with
which the public is already familiar.
Santa Monica is one of five cities partnering with the AQMD
to demonstrate five hydrogen-fueling stations and a total of 30 hybrid
Priuses, with internal combustion engines that have been modified by
Quantum to burn gaseous hydrogen. In addition to Santa Monica, the host
sites for the vehicles include the cities of Burbank, Ontario, Riverside,
and Santa Ana, as well as the AQMD headquarters in Diamond Bar.
more
"California is investing millions
of dollars to line our freeways with hydrogen fueling stations so that low
emission cars can travel up and down our wonderful state. With more and
more businesses proving that hydrogen power is practical, clean and here
to stay, we are well on our way to a hydrogen future. California is
committed to clean air and the health and economic benefits that go along
with it." Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of
California
Governor Schwarzenegger Champions Clean Energy
for California at National Hydrogen Conference Bill Curtis Bakersfield Californian
March 13, 2006
The HyRoad program is considered the most comprehensive hydrogen fuel cell
demonstration in North America because it includes three very quiet,
zero-emission fuel cell hybrid electric buses, powered by UTC Power
PureMotion(TM) 120 fuel cell systems and ISE hybrid-electric drive
systems; a fleet of up to ten zero-emission Hyundai and Kia fuel cell
cars, also powered by UTC Power fuel cells; an on-site Chevron Hydrogen
energy station that integrates state-of-the art technologies to reform
natural gas into hydrogen: and the use of hydrogen fuel cell hand tools by
AC Transit mechanics.
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?
Professor Daniel Sperling provides some relevance to a documentary
otherwise laced with puzzling conclusions.
PBS: Do you think the government is doing enough to find
alternative energy solutions for gasoline cars?
Daniel Sperling: No. The government needs to send signals that it is serious about reducing
oil use. The best way to do that is to do one or more of the following:
place higher taxes on petroleum fuels, charge higher fees or taxes on gas
guzzlers, require or strongly encourage car companies to improve the fuel
economy of vehicles, and provide incentives to car and energy companies to
develop and market alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles.
"Who Killed the Electric Car?"PBS
June 9, 2006
"We think that globally we could be somewhere around 25,000 (engines) per
year in a few years," said Joe Lewis III, vice president of engine sales.
"World demand is currently about 25,000 a year." The engines will be used
in a range of agricultural, industrial and power-generation applications
such as engines for trucks, forklifts and power generators. more
Hydrogen Engine Center Receives Order for 250 kW Hydrogen Power
Generator for Wind/Hydrogen Demonstration
Hydrogen Engine Center
May 16, 2006
Natural Resources Canada , an agency promoting the sustainable
development and responsible use of Canada 's mineral, energy, and
forestry resources, will integrate this genset into a wind/hydrogen
project on Ramea Island off the southern coast of Newfoundland , Canada
. Electric power and hydrogen will be generated from wind energy and
under slack wind conditions, hydrogen will be used to create electric
power.
more
Today I saw cars and buses that run on hydrogen instead of gasoline, and
that emit pure water instead of exhaust fumes. This nation does not have
to choose between a strong economy and a clean environment; we can have
both at the same time. And investing in new technologies like hydrogen
will enable this economy to be strong, people to be able to afford fuel,
this country's national security not dependent on parts of the world that
are unstable. And technology will once again make this country the leader
in the world, and that's what we're here to celebrate.
...I strongly believe hydrogen is the fuel of the
future. That's what we're talking about. Hydrogen is used in a fuel cell
that can power a car that uses no gasoline, produces no pollution or
greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen vehicles can be twice as efficient as
gasoline vehicles. Hydrogen can be produced from domestic energy sources,
which means it has the potential -- a vast potential -- to dramatically
cut our dependence on foreign oil.
Hydrogen is clean; hydrogen is domestically
produced; and hydrogen is the wave of the future. And the people here at
the California Fuel Cell Partnership understand that.
What's interesting is that they're -- because of
this collaborative effort, there are now 100 hydrogen-powered vehicles on
California roads. That may not seem a lot to some of you, but what you're
witnessing here is the beginning of a major change in the driving habits
of the American people. That's what you're seeing. We're in a facility
that is just at the beginning stage of some of the most exciting
technological changes this country will ever see. Hydrogen cars are being
used by companies like UPS, the governments of San Francisco and Los
Angeles, UC-Davis and Irvine.
...One of the reasons I have come here is because I
want the American people to understand that their tax dollars are yielding
important results, that we are making progress, that the idea of having a
hydrogen-powered automobile is not a foolish dream. It's a reality that is
going to come to be. The funding is getting results. Since 2003,
researchers have used federal funding to double the lifetime of the
hydrogen fuel cell stacks that power cars. In order for this to work there
has to be longevity -- you just can't be changing your fuel cell stacks
all the time. There has to be durability in order for this to be a product
that people will want to buy.
We've cut the cost of manufacturing hydrogen fuel
cells in half. That's pretty rapid progress when you think the funding
started in 2003, and the cost of the fuel cells have been reduced in half.
And that is important. In order for this to become a part of life, these
fuel cells have to be affordable. People have got to be able to buy them
in order for them to be able to function properly. And we're making
progress. We're heading for a hydrocarbon economy -- from a hydrocarbon
economy to a hydrogen economy. And that's a very positive development.
"An Apollo project is needed to
hasten the arrival of fuel cell vehicles, but the administration's
proposed budget isn't enough to get to the launching pad." Jason Mark
Union of Concerned Scientists
"[President Bush] should plunge
ahead in the development of hydrogen-fueled cars and the conversion of gas
stations to provide hydrogen. He should call for major new facilities to
produce hydrogen and the rapid production of vehicles that can run on it."
Dick Morris
Gas Prices Fuel Bush ReboundFrontpage
April 27, 2006
If there is one conclusion all Americans can
embrace, it is that only by converting from oil dependency can we hope to
tame Middle East terrorism. We must stop paying terrorists at the pump
even as we pay to repress them with our taxes. If the logic of global
climate change leaves this president unmoved, then at least the dire
economics of gas-price inflation and the global realities of petro-politics
should push him in the right direction.
Bush will never win on Iraq. That is not to say he will never
win in Iraq. There is probably a pretty good chance that U.S. casualties
will drop and that we will be able to withdraw substantial forces. There
is even some chance that in the coming years violence will abate in that
torn nation. Possibly even democracy can take hold. But Bush’s presidency
will not live to see that outcome, and Iraq will still look like a mess on
television even if Americans are less and less directly threatened.
But to stop his administration from dissolving into
irrelevance and to hold majorities in the ’06 election he must act to
create a second-term cause. He’s tried Social Security and immigration and
run into a wall on each. But the field is pretty clear, should he decide
to launch a bold energy initiative.
If it is truly bold and all encompassing, he may yet salvage
his second term. Right now he looks like a one-term president in his
second four-year stint.
The Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE vehicle has a hydrogen rotary engine with both
high-pressure hydrogen and gasoline tanks. The hydrogen and rotary
combination offers excellent environmental performance--zero emission of
carbon dioxide (CO2) gas and near zero nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions--yet
retains an internal combustion engine's natural driving feel. It uses
engine parts and production facilities that already exist in Mazda's
inventory, so this innovative and environmentally friendly engine can be
built reliably at a relatively low cost. Mazda acquired approval from
Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) for public
road test drives in October 2004, and is developing the vehicle to assess
the practicality of this unique powertrain for everyday use.
"We cannot overstate
the significance of the problem or our need to break away from gasoline-fueled
cars. Cars are America's biggest reason for oil dependence and they represent
the single biggest piece of our global warming problem." Congressman Bernie Sanders -
Independent (VT)
Hydrogen-Powered Car Coming to Burlington John Briggs
Burlington Free Press December 22, 2005
Ford F-250 Super Chief Concept: A Bold American Flex Fuel Pickup that
Delivers Tomorrow's Fuel Today
Ford
Running on hydrogen, the supercharged V-10 engine provides up
to 12 percent fuel economy improvement on an energy equivalent basis
versus a non-supercharged gasoline V-10 – and nearly 500 miles per
fill-up. In addition, when operating on hydrogen, the Tri-Flex V-10
generates 99 percent less CO2 emissions than
when running on gasoline. ...The transition from hydrogen fuel power
to either E85 or gasoline is handled seamlessly through a
dashboard-mounted switch and can occur while the vehicle is in
operation. Transition from either E85 or gasoline to hydrogen requires
that the vehicle be at idle to allow for proper engagement of the
supercharger, which only operates when the vehicle is powered by
hydrogen.
TURNKEY HYDROGEN INTERNAL
COMBUSTION ENGINES
"We believe Hydrogen Engine Center is uniquely positioned to take advantage of
the declining world oil supply and provide a commercially available
alternative fuel engine today." Ted Hollinger, President and
Chief Technology Officer
Hydrogen Engine Center Acquires Additional Manufacturing Facility
Hydrogen Engine CenterDecember 21, 2005
The way Burns sees it, the big energy companies
have little incentive to invest in new capacity production that
carries the risk of being in excess of demand for fuel. "As such, the
oil companies have the favorable perfect storm," Burns argues, "in
that they have capacity short of demand and they have constraints in
their supply chain that explain away why they have to raise prices."
The result is an "outrageous" transfer of wealth to the oil
industry, as evidenced by the fact that ExxonMobil's profits are
greater than GM's market capitalization. What galls Burns is that the
auto industry has been driven to the point where it is giving its cars
away and the oil industry is making the money on supplying fuel.
"We've thought long and hard about this and to get hydrogen refuelling stations
to within two miles of every US citizen and maybe every 25 miles on the freeway would take
$12 billion - that's half the cost of the Alaskan oil pipeline. Just think - the oil
industry believes it will cost $200 billion of capital simply to secure the petrol
infrastructure in the coming years." Larry Burns, General Motors
General Motors has cut fuel cell costs by more than half in the last 12
months, says Larry Burns, GM's vice president for R&D and strategic
planning.
..."As soon as we make the transition to mass production --
that should be just a few years after it is introduced into the market --
the fuel cell ought to be no more expensive than a comparable diesel
engine. "
"Hydrogen is looking more like the
preferred fuel of the future. Should the knowledge that hydrogen will
someday work mean that we should stop all other work and investment on
nearer-term alternatives is the billion dollar question." Craig Childers
California Air Resources Board
California is Host to Renewable Fuels Revolution Marvin Baker Minot Daily News (ND)
November 13, 2005
Hydrogen Means Business in California
Hydrogen Expo US November 17,
2005
The new legislation provides US$ 6.5 million in funding
for state-sponsored hydrogen (H2) demonstration projects. The money will
help with the building of three new H2 fueling stations, and will be
used to purchase or lease moren than 12 fuel cell vehicles, including
two busses. According to the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP),
there are currently 16 hydrogen stations in operation in the State of
California, and 18 more are in the planning phase, including sites in
Oakland, Emeryville, Burbank, Camp Pendleton, Ontario, San Carlos, Santa
Ana, Santa Monica, and others. More than 100 fuel cell vehicles have
operated in California through the CaFCP programs, with more to come.
...According to the California Air Resources Board, 27 stationary fuel
cells are now installed in 17 different Californian locations.
UTC Power Fuel Cell System Drives Latest Emission Free
Bus In California UTC Power November
17, 2005 The PureMotion(TM)120 kW fuel cell power system represents more than
four years of research and development in partnership with the U.S.
Department of Defense through the U.S. Army Tank-automotive and
Armaments Command (TACOM) and the U.S. Department of Transportation
through the Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium. The 40-foot Van Hool
Hydrogen A330 bus can reach 65 mph and travel 250-300 miles before
refueling. Van Hool, based in Lier, Belgium, manufactures urban
transport buses, luxury over-the-road coaches, and heavy-duty truck
trailers. Four fuel-cell-powered A330s will be in service in the North
American market within a year.
"Right now the Big Three
[American automakers] and Big Oil are in lockstep synergy with each other. We
need to drive a wedge between Big Oil and Big Auto, and turn Big Auto into smart
transportation." John Sellers
Executive Director of the Ruckus Society
Activists Deride Ford over Fuel Inefficiency, 'Greenwashing' Kari Lydersen New
Standard
October 28, 2005
Hydrogen Highway
City/ County Association of Governments of San Mateo County
presented to California Hydrogen Highway Network SB 76 Workshop
Cal EPA - Sacramento, California
October 28, 2005
"We
believe the US needs to begin aggressive energy policy moves away from petroleum toward
hydrogen. We should diversify our energy stocks away from foreign sources." Chris Preuss, General Motors Big Auto Makers Want Bush to Act on Energy Wall Street Journal
September
27, 2005
This paper evaluates the potential for
“piggy-backing” early hydrogen production, dispensing, and consumption
onto the already successfully deployed natural gas vehicle projects
pioneered by the ICTC. In addition, the authors have made recommendations
for five specific demonstration projects (four primary and one alternate)
that use existing ICTC fleets and infrastructure for hydrogen technology
development. If successful, these demonstration projects could help smooth
the way for the integration of hydrogen into the transportation sector by
helping to reduce its cost, establish initial consumers, and provide early
demand for hydrogen production. In addition, this project could provide
the benefit of stimulating the development of technologies that could aid
in accelerating the introduction of hydrogen-capable heavy-duty vehicles,
and will help fill gaps in projected future hydrogen fueling
infrastructure.
The PAC 11 car came in first at the Shell Eco-Marathon in Ladoux, France,
completing a 25-kilometre circuit using only one gram of hydrogen. This converts to about
5,385 kilometres per litre of petrol, a new world record in economical fuel consumption,
and means that PAC-Car would only use eight litres to drive around the globe.
"Hydrogen will work best
in direct-injection engines with supercharging. The thermal efficiency of a hydrogen
internal combustion engine will be more than 50 percent. Gasoline engines currently
operate below 40 percent and diesels just above 40 percent. The hydrogen engine will have
more power and more torque. And no pollution." Interview: BMW Technology Guru
Raymond Freymann Gavin Green
Edmonds.com
"We
have a special obligation to make this hydrogen power economy happen.
A lot of people are very concerned about the environment.
A lot of people are very concerned about the Middle East.
What would we do if we couldn't buy gas?"
Hydrogen Engine Center Canada Inc., HEC's Canadian
subsidiary is one of the project's consortia members along with Atlantic Hydrogen Inc. of
New Brunswick, the University of New Brunswick, Energy Reaction Inc. of Montreal, and
PrecisionH2 Power Inc. of Montreal. HEC will deliver generator sets from 5-150 KW,
controls, and technical assistance in support of the project's objectives.
Motor Triathlon Race Car The Toyota Motor Thriatlon Race Car was developed to compete in three
different racing environments: a smooth and high-grip racetrack, a narrow city street
circuit and an off-road course. This radical fuel cell performance car was designed and
built at Toyota’s European design studio ED2 and has now its world première at
Geneva Motor Show.
Toyota
Demonstration Fuelled by Air Products’ Hydrogen Energie Portal 24 (Germany)
This was the fourth such fueller from Air Products be used in Europe.
Audi have a Series 100 fuelling station at their research centre, and BP have purchased
two to fuel the hydrogen car from Ford and Daimler Chrysler. A further ten Series 100
fuellers are operated by Air Products elsewhere around the world. Air Products is also
co-operating with Toyota in California and installed a Series 100 hydrogen Fuelling
Station at the University of California-Davis for the purpose of filling Toyota fuel cell
powered vehicles.
Federal
Transportation Bill Includes Funding for Major Hydrogen Bus R&D ProgramCalStart-WestStart
August 2, 2005
Congress approved $49-million in funding for the National Fuel Cell Bus
Technology Development Program as a component of the just-passed $287-billion
Transportation Equity Act of 2005. The program will speed work to make hydrogen and fuel
cell buses commercially viable, focusing on critical areas of technology development.
...In contrast to the European program, the U.S. program will focus more on the key
technical challenges preventing fuel cell buses from becoming commercially viable. It will
be a competitive, national program that will identify and support the nation's best
hydrogen and fuel cell teams and technologies for transit. The $49-million program runs
from 2006-2009 to develop and validate systems that can lead to commercialization.
The SubZero IV at Texas World Speedway. Click image to view movie.
North Dakota Steps Up to the Plate Richard D. Masters, ICHBC July 18, 2005
The University of North Dakota's Society for Energy
Alternatives has entered its fuel cell powered SubZero IV in the North
American Solar Challenge as a demonstration vehicle. After five years of refining the
impressive SubZero series of pure solar powered vehicles, and despite the emotional
investment in the Solar Challenge competition, the
decision was made to move on to hydrogen powered
vehicles. This decision has great implications for the state of North Dakota.
North Dakota is often referred to as the Saudi Arabia of wind. Although
the resources are huge, even if the state embarked on a massive build-up of wind farms
there is no grid in place
to deliver the power. North Dakota is "stranded." This leaves
production of hydrogen fuel via electrolysis as the only viable alternative for utilizing
North Dakota's vast wind resources.
The state is on the verge of recognizing it could develop a vibrant and
prosperous economy based on wind. Governor John Hoeven and the state legislature have
passed some of the most pro-active
legislation in all the United States encouraging the expansion of wind energy.
Now the small university system must inspire and train enough engineering students to
eventually make a renewable North Dakota a reality. The switch from solar to fuel cell
propulsion by UND's Society for Energy Alternatives demonstrates this vision is in place
at UND.
UND's Team Subzero, Society for Energy
Alternatives
The UND Society for Energy Alternatives is a non-profit organization. You may mail your
contributions to: Society for Energy Alternatives
Care of the UND Alumni Foundation
Box 8157
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202
or call 701-777-2611 for credit card billing over the phone.
Los Angeles International
Airport Lauded for First Large Airport Hydrogen Fueling Station Greenbiz.com
July 15, 2005
The hydrogen-fueling station at LAX is a
joint project among BP, Praxair, LAWA, South Coast Air Quality Management District,
California Energy Commission, and the U.S. Department of Energy -- all of which helped
fund the nearly $2-million construction cost.
....Hydrogen is produced on-site by using electrolysis....
A Test Drive of Honda's New Fuel-Cell-Powered Car Shows that
Hybrid Vehicles Aren't the Only Option Richard J. Newman U.S. News
& World Report July 25, 2005 The futuristic FCX is a long way from showrooms--there
are only about 20 on U.S. roads--but it's a glimpse at the holy grail of the auto
industry. Fuel cells generate power when hydrogen mixes with oxygen from the air, and they
could represent a much deeper leap into the future than hybrids like the Toyota Prius,
which still require a gas-powered engine.
Honda sets advanced-technology and environmental standards by offering first
fuel cell powered car to individual customer in Los Angeles
Zero-emissions FCX is the only fuel cell vehicle certified by the U.S. EPA and
CARB for regular commercial use
Los Angeles-area family are first private citizens to utilize California's
Hydrogen Highway refueling stations
Marking a historic achievement in the evolution of the automobile
and the advancement of future transportation technology, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.,
today announced the lease of its revolutionary FCX, an advanced hydrogen-powered fuel cell
vehicle, to the world's first individual customers, Jon and Sandy Spallino of Redondo
Beach, California. The Spallinos become the world's first fuel cell family, having signed
an agreement to lease a 2005 Honda FCX for a period of two years. Honda is the only
automotive manufacturer to certify its fuel cell vehicle for regular daily use and the
first to offer its technology to an individual customer. The Spallinos will use the FCX in
everyday normal use, including commuting to work to Orange County, trips to school for
their children, shopping and household errands.
"American Honda Motor Co. is thrilled to introduce the world's
first full cell family," said John Mendel, senior vice president, automotive
operations, for American Honda. "We're pleased to be taking this historic step
forward in the further advancement of our fuel cell program. Our advanced fuel cell
technology has been proven and tested through a successful fleet sales partnership over
the last three years. With this announcement, Honda furthers its commitment to the
continued advancement of this technology for the benefit of society, with the ultimate
goal of achieving large-scale commercialization of fuel cell vehicles."
California Hydrogen Highway
The Spallino family, living in the Los Angeles area, will be among the
first individuals to begin utilizing the first of California's Hydrogen Highway refueling
stations, a statewide infrastructure build out underway to offer hydrogen refueling
station access to private individuals. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the
state's commitment to a Hydrogen Highway in April of this year, creating a public and
private partnership to build California's Hydrogen Highway by 2010.
"We applaud the Governor and his administration for their
environmental vision and their commitment to keeping California on the cutting edge of new
technology development," said Mendel. "Without this initiative, we could not be
taking the steps we are today."
Honda FCX on the Road
As the next natural step in deployment of Honda fuel cell technology,
the lease of the FCX to the Spallino family will be the first of several FCX vehicles to
be leased to individual customers over the next year. Honda's leadership in hydrogen
vehicle technology also extends to a fleet of 13 FCX fuel cell vehicles in regular daily
use with six public municipal customers in California, New York and Nevada.
"With its outstanding environmental benefits, advanced technology,
and safety-tested performance, the FCX is proving every day its viability as the
transportation technology of the future," said Mendel. "The Spallino's
experience with the FCX will provide Honda engineers with real-world driving experience
and feedback by an individual family, which will be invaluable as we design future
models."
"I'm looking forward to commuting to work and running the kids
around in the FCX," said Jon Spallino, the first retail customer to lease the FCX.
"We're really excited about the opportunity to lease this car. The FCX drives just
like any other vehicle on the road -- without the emissions."
The Honda FCX is the first and only hydrogen vehicle to ever be
certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California's Air Resources
Board (CARB). The EPA certified the 2005 FCX as a Tier-2 Bin 1, and CARB certified the FCX
as a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV).
The 2005 FCX model is powered by Honda's originally developed fuel cell
stack (Honda FC Stack) with the breakthrough capability to start and operate at
sub-freezing temperatures as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit, along with increased
performance, range and fuel efficiency compared with earlier models. The FCX was the first
fuel cell vehicle to be listed in the EPA's fuel economy guide in 2003. The 2005 FCX
carries an EPA city/highway rating of 62/51 miles per gallon and a range of 190 miles.
Commitment to Environmentally Friendly Vehicles
Honda's extensive history of environmental leadership includes
recognition as the "Greenest Automaker" by the Union of Concerned Scientists
(UCS) in its 2001, 2003 and 2004 rankings of corporate environmental performance with the
lowest average emission levels and highest average fuel economy of any automobile
manufacturer.
Honda also leads the automotive industry with the most gas-electric
hybrid models: the Insight, America's first hybrid vehicle; the Civic Hybrid, the first
truly mainstream hybrid model; and the Accord Hybrid, the world's first V6-powered hybrid
vehicle.
In April 2005, Honda announced it had begun limited retail sales of its
natural gas-powered Civic GX Sedan paired with a revolutionary new home-refueling
appliance called Phill. The Civic GX is the cleanest internal combustion vehicle ever
certified by the U.S. EPA and, with the introduction of home refueling, has the lowest
fuel cost per mile of any new vehicle. The Phill appliance, manufactured and marketed by
FuelMaker Corporation, is an affordable home refueling appliance that allows drivers the
convenience of refueling their vehicles at home using their existing natural gas supply.
Phill is available for lease through 17 authorized Honda Civic GX California dealers.
Honda (NYSE: HMC) is one of today's leading manufacturers of
automobiles and power products and the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world.
With more than 120 manufacturing facilities in 30 countries worldwide, Honda now attracts
nearly 20 million customers annually. More than 75 percent of the automobiles and light
trucks that Honda sells in the U.S. are built in North America using domestic and globally
sourced parts. Increasingly, many of these products are developed in America as well,
including the Honda Ridgeline, Civic Coupe, Element and Pilot, and the Acura TL and MDX.
For more information or downloadable high-resolution images of the FCX and other
Honda vehicles, please visit www.hondanews.com. Consumer information is available at www.hondacars.com. Additional
resources for items mentioned in this release include www.epa.gov
and http://www.arb.ca.gov/homepage.htm.
65 percent
of Americans believe that the U.S. government should make a major funding commitment to
transform the auto industry from a gasoline-based system to a hydrogen-based system.
"PAC-Car"
Sets New World Fuel Efficiency Record
12,076 MPG on Hydrogen!!!! (idw) Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich June
26, 2005
ETH Zurich has set a new world record for fuel efficiency. This now
stands at 5134 kilometres per litre of petrol. The world-record holding PAC-Car operates
on a hydrogen powered fuel cell. ETH Zurich set itself a goal to construct a vehicle that
used as little fuel as possible and provided the highest possible fuel efficiency. So they
gave the so-called PAC-Car a fuel cell that produces electrical energy from hydrogen and
drives two electric motors. The only "emission" from PAC-Car is pure water. The
car is lightweight, weighing in at only about 30 kilograms. And, PAC-Car has now achieved
its goal: it finished the course at the Shell Eco-Marathon taking place on the Michelin
test track at Ladoux, France, using only 1.07 grams of hydrogen. This converts to about
5134 kilometres per litre of petrol, a new world record in economical fuel consumption.
This means that PAC-Car would only use eight litres to drive around the globe.
UNITED KINGDOM
"We hope to be able to
demonstrate that the perceived barriers to the adoption of hydrogen-fuelled motoring, the
high costs of fuel cells and hydrogen storage are, if not bogus, much less of a problem
than is conventionally thought." Hugo Spowers, OSCar Automotive British LIFECar Project
Plans to Demonstrate
High Performance Fuel Cell Sports Car
Auto Industry (UK)
June 22, 2005
Reva to Co-Develop
Fuel Cell Hydrogen Cars with Indian Oil Business Standard (INDIA) June
6, 2005 Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) and Indian Oil Corporation
(IOC) have signed a statement of intent to develop two fuel cell hydrogen vehicles.
...RECC will use its electric vehicle technology to develop fuel cell hydrogen cars with
fuel cell stacks to be supplied by Hydrogenics Corporation of Canada.
SOUTH CAROLINA
BMW CLEMSON
UNIVERSITY
MICHELIN
Hydrogen Can be Element of Automotive Revolution Bob Inglis The Greenville News June
5, 2005
At a recent panel discussion, a GM executive was asked about the wisdom
of his company's investment of over $1 billion in hydrogen. Like BMW, GM intends to lead
the transformation to a hydrogen economy. "How can you be so sure," the
questioner asked, "that 30 years from now there will be a supply of hydrogen to run
this new car of yours?" The GM executive paused for a moment and then responded,
"How can you be so sure that 30 years from now there will be a supply of gasoline to
run your car?"
According to [Larry Burns, GM vice president Research & Development and Planning],
fuel cells and hydrogen represent today's technology "moon shot," and the auto
and energy industries must collaborate with government to make the hydrogen future real.
"If we all work together to quickly realize the many benefits that hydrogen
offers," Burns said, "we can create a sustainable future that builds on the
freedom, pride, and excitement that our cars and trucks provide."
In the summer 2005, our handmade vehicle will run around Iceland, powered
by fuel cells, solar cells and new-fangled windmills. The electricity we use during the
tour for cooking, mobile phones and etc will also be provided through sunlight and wind.
The mixture of natural energy and fuel-cell energy will be ideal for local individual
power supply.
Some critics of fuel cell technology say that because the production of hydrogen is a
byproduct of the gasoline refining process, the green benefits of nonpolluting fuel cell
cars are canceled out. But Toyota environmental spokeswoman Cindy Knight said efforts are
already being made to produce hydrogen without fouling the air. For example, she said, the
"dream" method is to produce hydrogen by splitting oxygen and hydrogen from
water through a solar-powered hydrolysis process. "In talking about the way we get
hydrogen, we have to make it sustainable," Knight said, "making sure we don't
create more pollution than we're trying to (eliminate)." more
Plan Would Add 2,000 Hydrogen-Powered Cars to California
Roads Michael Gardner San Diego Union Tribune
May 26, 2005
In a rare agreement on such a sweeping and costly initiative,
automakers and clean-air advocates on Thursday rolled out an ambitious plan to add 2,000
experimental vehicles to the modest fleet and open dozens of refueling stations from
Sacramento to San Diego by the end of the decade.
California Natural Gas
Vehicle Coalition Supports Hydrogen Highway Initiative, Says Natural Gas Is Clear Bridge The Auto Channel May
26, 2005 Andrew Littlefair, President and CEO of Clean Energy, the
largest provider of vehicular natural gas in North America, and Chairman of the Natural
Gas Vehicle Coaltion, applauded the Governor's initiative saying, "Governor
Schwarzenegger has shown good leadership on clean air issues and he is right that
eventually California will go hydrogen. I also think the Governor understands that natural
gas provides a great bridge to hydrogen."
The regenerative power
system, an integrated configuration of Hydrogenics' proprietary proton exchange membrane
(PEM) fuel cell and electrolyzer technologies, is designed specifically to extend the
silent watch capabilities of the Stryker LAV. ...The electrolyzer component of the
on-board regenerative system produces hydrogen which is then stored and subsequently used,
on-demand, by the fuel cell component. more
The Danish region of western Jutland is hoping to be the first in
Europe to use hydrogen-powered trains. This, and other ambitious projects, both national
and pan-European, sums up the Dane’s attitude to research and development (R&D)
… forward looking.
...A train powered by hydrogen energy would be a defining project for
western Jutland’s new Hydrogen Innovation and Research Centre (HIRC), which was set
up expressly to put Denmark on the fast track to developing hydrogen applications.
Jens-Christian Møller, managing director of the HIRC, says, “Our
goal is to get Europe's first commercially viable
hydrogen train in Europe.” Today, many international
projects using hydrogen in cars and buses exist, but there a very few for hydrogen trains.
Those in progress are mostly centred in the United States and Japan, he adds.
“That’s why we have a chance to make something of international value in western
Jutland.'
Three towns in the region – Vemb, Lemvig and Thyborøn – have
committed funding for a hydrogen train running along the 59km line connecting them. The
European Union and the town of Ringkøbing have also expressed interest in contributing to
the project, reports the Danish Research and Innovation Information Service (DRIIS).
The HIRC now hopes to attract the attention of train manufacturers
interested in participating in the project. With this project and other technology
transfer activities, “we will help secure the long-term energy supplies and create a
cleaner environment”, he is quoted as saying.
"This country is going to have to use technology to diversify
away from hydrocarbons. We're too dependent on foreign sources of energy today, and one
way to diversify away from hydrocarbons is to use hydrogen, the byproduct of which will be
water and not exhausts which pollute the air. So I'm excited to be part of a technological
revolution that's going to change the country. It won't happen overnight. It's going to
take a fair amount of research and development to make sure hydrogen is attractive and
reasonable -- is able to be manufactured at reasonable price, distributed in a wide way
for consumer satisfaction. But it's coming." George W. Bush, President United States of America President
Tours Hydrogen Fueling Station, Discusses Research
The White House May 25, 2005
Ford Motor Company applauded President Bush's
announcement today of $64 million in federal funds for 70 new projects at universities and
national laboratories that have been selected to conduct basic research in support of the
hydrogen economy. Ford May 26, 2005
With a commitment to creating a better world through innovation,
technical excellence and alternative-fuel vehicle development, Mary Ann Wright, Ford
director of sustainable mobility technologies and hybrid programs, joined the President
for the advanced vehicle technologies event at a hydrogen fueling station in northeast
Washington DC.
"As our chairman Bill Ford has said, 'when innovative technology
is supported by forward-thinking leaders in government and private industry, great things
begin to emerge'," said Wright, chief engineer of the Ford Escape Hybrid. "At
Ford, we are not only delivering leading-edge technology, we're also bringing to market
smart technology that the customer values and the environment appreciates. Like the
President, we believe hydrogen fuel is a critical part of our future."
Ford Motor Company displayed a Ford Focus Fuel Cell vehicle and a
hydrogen powered E-450 shuttle bus at the presidential news event.
Ford is the only automaker actively developing four alternative-fuel
technologies: gasoline-electric hybrids, clean diesels, hydrogen internal combustion
engines and hydrogen fuel cells. The Ford Escape Hybrid, the industry's first hybrid SUV,
went on sale in 2004 and has received numerous awards, including being named the 2005
North American Truck of the Year.
Ford Motor Company is producing eight V-10, E-450 shuttle buses powered
by hydrogen internal combustion engines ( H2ICE ) for the state of Florida for use in the
Orlando-area. Earlier in May, Ford announced a multi-year partnership that will place at
least five hydrogen-powered Ford shuttles in operation next year in California's Coachella
Valley.
Ford Motor Company is advancing hydrogen fuel technologies as a way of
reducing emissions and decreasing our nation's energy dependence on fossil fuels. In
addition to the H2ICE shuttle program, Ford is partnering with BP to place a fleet of Ford
Focus Fuel Cell Vehicles on California, Michigan, and Florida roads as part of a U.S.
Department of Energy demonstration project. Operating these demonstration vehicles in real
world situations creates the opportunity to collect data and advance the development of
hydrogen-based technologies.
Developed by Ford Research and Advanced Engineering, the V-10, E-450
hydrogen shuttle is powered by a hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2ICE ), which is a
traditional internal combustion engine that is modified to run on hydrogen, rather that
gasoline. Compared with today's gasoline engines, the H2ICE delivers up to a 99.7 percent
reduction in CO2 emissions and includes many of the benefits of a hydrogen fuel cell, but
at a fraction of the cost. Ford plans to produce up to100 hydrogen V-10, E-450 hydrogen
buses for delivery to fleet customers in 2006.
President
George W. Bush Demonstrates Alternative Fuel Progress with DaimlerChrysler Fuel Cell
VehiclesChrysler Group May 25, 2005
The F-Cell on display with the President today is only one of the 30
fuel cell vehicles that DaimlerChrysler has committed to the United States under the DOE
program. DaimlerChrysler has the largest fleet of fuel cell vehicles in the world
including transportation buses, medium duty vans and passenger cars. Through the DOE
Controlled Hydrogen Fleet and Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project,
DaimlerChrysler will place more fuel cell vehicles in the hands of customers who will
provide valuable feedback about performance in different conditions. DaimlerChrysler is
testing over 100 fuel cell vehicles under varying weather, traffic conditions and driving
styles in different locations worldwide. This experience will benefit the development of
the fuel cell automobile and how it will be refueled. BP is the energy partner of
DaimlerChrysler in the project. BP recently opened the first public hydrogen refueling
station in Southfield, MI., with DTE Energy Company. Another station was opened in a
cooperative effort between BP and Praxair at the Los Angeles International Airport.
"The main reasons to develop
hydrogen technologies are to reduce dependence on imported fuels, improve the environment,
and drive economic growth. I am pleased to see the President recognizing the investment
and progress made by industry. Hydrogen fuel has become more affordable and the
costs of hydrogen technologies, like fuel
cells, are falling." Jeff Serfass, President
National Hydrogen Association
NHA Lauds President's Recognition of Hydrogen
Development
NHA Press Release
May 25, 2005
As part of the hydrogen demonstration project,
two Standard Tug M-1 tow tractors, powered by 4.2-liter, V-6 Ford engines and modified to
run on hydrogen, will be used to transport Delta passenger luggage at the Orlando airport.
As a gateway to the Sunshine State, Orlando International accommodates more than 31
million travelers annually. A first of its kind in the nation, the high visibility project
will provide real world operating experience in hydrogen power for advancing and improving
the newest hi-tech approach to cleaner, sustainable sources of energy.
The public-private partnership between Florida, Delta, Ford, TUG
Technologies and GOAA is part of a portfolio of hydrogen technology projects underway to
establish the state’s hydrogen economy. Already a national leader in the development
of hydrogen energy, Florida currently has 28 mobile and stationary hydrogen demonstration
projects underway, in development or in the planning stage. The State is also purchasing
eight of the world’s first commercially available hydrogen shuttle busses for visitor
transit in the Orlando area and, in February, Governor Jeb Bush broke ground on
Florida’s first hydrogen energy station. more
“It’s important for us to understand what
mobility will be in ten to 15 years’ time since it will affect our core
business,” said Pierre Varenne of Michelin. “So rather than sit and wait, we
decided to develop our prototype.” The tyre maker believes that hydrogen-based
fuel-cell technology is the best possible replacement for fossil fuels.
"Fuel
cells hold out the best hope, however remote, of putting GM back in the position of world
automotive leader that it once commanded."
Jonathon Fahey Hydrogen Gas Forbes April 25, 2005
"In 2010, we will have in place
a fuel-cell system that's production validated and ready to go head-to-head with internal
combustion engines. It will have to produce power for $50 per kilowatt, the same as a
gasoline engine. It will have a 300-mile cruising range and a 6,000-hour or 150,000-mile
life." Larry Burns, GM Research & Development The Race is on to Improve Storage
of H2andGM's Burns
Plans Fuel Cell Sales in 2010 Mark Phelan Detroit Free
Press (MI) March 10, 2005
At GM's Vehicle
Assessment Center in Warren, Mich., three long shelves represent today, tomorrow, and, the
company hopes, the next automotive century. One shelf is filled with the components of a
conventional propulsion system, taken from a Chevy Malibu. Next to that sits an even
bigger pile of metal -- the battery -- and gasoline-powered innards of a Toyota Prius
hybrid. The third shelf, by comparison, looks practically empty. It holds the propulsion
system of a prototype fuel-cell vehicle, powered by hydrogen -- which requires 90 percent
fewer moving parts than the hybrid. more
US DOE
Budget Proposal Includes a Hydrogen Twist Hanne Bakke Bellona Foundation (NORWAY)
April 19, 2005 "Bush’s budget proposal is interesting. There are plenty of
reasons that hydrogen has found such a prominent roll,” said Bellona’s hydrogen
Project Director Isak Oksvold. “Hydrogen will not only reduce American oil imports,
but hydrogen cars will visibly surpass the conventional automobile. This gives enormous
advantages to the auto producers that master the technology best. The budget proposal
implies that Bush has taken the American auto industry seriously.”
In an interview broadcast on CNBC
yesterday, Bush said that GM is "going to have to learn to compete. In other words,
if the consumer starts saying, 'We want a different kind of automobile,' they're going to
compete once again with, say, the Japanese automobile manufacturers to ... keep their
lion's share of market demand," Bush said. General Motors Comes Up Short in First Quarter Jeff Green Bloomberg
News/Seattle Times (WA) April
20, 2005
JAPAN HONDA
April 19, 2005
Honda Changes the Odds with Fuel-Cell Car Doron Levin Bloomberg/International
Herald Tribune
GM and other automakers badly
underestimated the appeal of models like the Honda Accord and Civic hybrids and the Toyota
Prius. They might, however, be correct about the greater potential for hydrogen fuel
cells, a propulsion system benefiting from rapid and dramatic technological improvements.
. Perhaps the best evidence of how close hydrogen might be coming to reality is the Honda
FCX, a little four-seat fuel-cell-powered car I have been driving for the past two days.
more
NORWAY UNITED KINGDOM TIDAL SAILS UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE
TIDAL SAILS: A Hydrogen
Harmonica? Alex Lewis This is
Hertfordshire (UK) April 14,
2005
Not only could the system produce electricity without any of the emmissions associated
with traditional power staions which cause global warming, but it could be used to produce
hydrogen.
New Tidal Power
Station to Surpass the Rest University of Hertfordshire
April 7, 2005
Huge sails affixed to long cables under water, in a manner resembling a ski lift, will be
pulled by the tidal stream and feed a generator, which in turn produces electricity.
Reva
Electric Car Company and Hydrogenics Corp, a Canadian firm will develop hydrogen fuel cell
cars. ..."The cars are part of a pilot project that will be launched by IOC to
promote eco-tourism in India," said Sudarshan Maini, chairman of RECC. "The cars
will be used for the hydrogen clean technology project in New Delhi and at Taj Mahal in
Agra."
Major Air
Products Hydrogen Demonstrations Delayed Kurt Blumenau Morning Call (Allentown
PA) April
15, 2005
The sticking point, officials say, is what data Air Products and its partners will provide
the government. Air Products was chosen to design a prototype fueling system and build up
to two dozen hydrogen stations in California. Its partners include automakers Toyota,
Honda, Nissan and BMW, oil company ConocoPhillips, researchers at two University of
California campuses and a California state agency.
ITALY FIAT
Fiat
Seicento Hydrogen At 1st Montecarlo Rally For Fuel Cell And Hybrid Cars Auto Spectator April 12, 2005 The Fiat Seicento HYDROGEN prototype participated in the first reliability
race for hydrogen-powered vehicles, coming 2nd among vehicles in its category (fuel cell)
and taking 1st place among compressed hydrogen-powered vehicles.
CANADA WESTPORT INNOVATIONS
SACRE-DAVEY
April 4, 2005
Westport Announces
New Funding for Hydrogen Bus Demonstration Westport Innovations
Westport Innovations Inc. today announced that it and a
consortium of partners led by Sacre-Davey Innovations Inc., have been awarded
approximately $6 million by the Government of Canada to develop and demonstrate hydrogen
technology in energy and transportation applications. This new funding award relates to a
previously announced Vancouver-based demonstration of public transit buses fueled with
compressed natural gas (CNG) and hydrogen-enriched natural gas known as HCNG.
NEW YORK
GENERAL MOTORS U.S. DEPT OF DEFENSE
QUANTUUM
GM Delivers First Fuel Cell
Truck to U.S. Army General Motors April 1, 2005
The modified Chevrolet Silverado is equipped with two 94 kW fuel cell
stacks, capable of generating 188 kW and 317 foot-pounds of torque, or roughly the motor
torque generated by GM's 5.3 liter V-8 engine. ...Despite weighing 7,500 pounds, the
GMT800 accelerates in a similar fashion to a V-8 powered production truck, but produces no
tailpipe emissions. ...Three 10,000 psi compressed hydrogen storage tanks, provided by
Quantum Technologies, will provide a range of 125 miles, even though the vehicle was not
optimized for range.
GM Delivering Fuel-Cell Truck Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (NY) April 1, 2005 Today's event represents the second major deal this week for GM's fuel
cell operations. On Wednesday, the automaker and the U.S. Department of Energy announced
an $88 million agreement to build a fleet of 40 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
BC Hydro, B.C. Transit, Ballard Power Systems, the City of Vancouver, Fuel Cells Canada,
the National Research Council (NRC), Natural Resources Canada and the Government of
British Columbia will use the state-of-the-art Ford Focus Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs) in
real daily driving conditions as part of a three-year hydrogen fuel technology
demonstration program.
Hydrogen-Powered Bike Is
Too Quiet!
Kerala (India) March 27, 2005
The world's first hydrogen-powered motorbike has been launched in
Britain. It can reach 50mph in 12 seconds, produces no emissions and is as quiet as a
laptop computer - but that could be a problem.
"In the none-too-distant
future", commented Intelligent Energy CEO Harry Bradbury, "people will be able
to use a bike like ENV to leave work in an urban environment, drive to the countryside,
detach the CORE and attach it to another vehicle, such as a motorboat, before going on to
power a log cabin with the very same fuel cell, which could then be re-charged from a mini
hydrogen creator, the size of a shoebox."
Europe's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell industry
sets out its blueprint "The potential for hydrogen fuel is very exciting. We
already have prototype vehicles and it is estimated that
commercialisation and mass roll-out could start by 2020." Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for
Science and Research Shaking Off the
Oil HabitEuropean
Commission March 17, 2005
Imagine driving the car of your dreams. Now realize the engine in this vehicle cleaning
the air as you drive. Visualize the fuel for your automobile costing less than what you
pay today for gasoline. Picture your motor lasting longer than any you have ever had
before. Now think about filling your tank with a fuel that does not require hostility,
greed or fear.
This is not a dream. Right now this is reality and this author is
enjoying all the benefits of cleaner fuels. I am going to share some of my knowledge to
help you choose the best fuel for you today and tomorrow.
I want you to be able to use a locally produced fuel that decreases
your transportation cost and reduces airborne emissions. Why pay more for dirtier, life
threatening oil from foreign sources?
I know of seven "alternative" fuels that people use today
that can all be obtained at less cost than gasoline or diesel. All of these options
contribute to the good health of our economy, and of Earth's inhabitants. more
Fuel Cell
Partnership Study: Garages for Hydrogen Cars Are Safe Modeling scenarios concluded that in all case
studies -- involving above-ground garages, below-ground garages, service stations, two-car
garages, etc. -- leaking hydrogen did not extend beyond two feet immediately surrounding
the vehicle. Typical airflow, from natural or mechanical ventilation, resulted in dilution
of leaking hydrogen to lower than the lowest flammable concentration levels.
GERMANY LINDE
E4TECH IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
Linde Study Shows Cost Is Not
a Big Obstacle to H2Car
Infrastructure
Linde February 24, 2005 Investments of EUR 3.5 billion needed throughout Europe by 2020 - To
supply 1.9 million cars in Germany will require EUR 870 million -- Tax exemption for
hydrogen would be constructive step
With a
total value of about EUR 3.5 billion, the cost of developing a hydrogen infrastructure in
Europe by the year 2020 is significantly lower than previously believed. That is the
conclusion of a study of the economic feasibility of a hydrogen infrastructure presented
today in Berlin by the Linde technology group as part of “International Hydrogen
Day.” “The results of this study are a clear signal to us,”
declared Dr. Wolfgang Reitzle, President and CEO of Linde AG. “A transition to the
hydrogen economy is feasible.“
The study, ordered by Linde and conducted by corporate consulting firm
e4tech, which specializes in energy questions, and the Imperial College, London, describes
a total of 12 different scenarios for the production and distribution of hydrogen for
automobiles. Author David Hart based the calculation of the infrastructure costs on an
initial phase of approximately 6.1 million hydrogen cars throughout Europe by 2020, which
would necessitate a network of about 2,800 filling stations. Based on Germany, the
infrastructure to supply 1.9 million cars with the eco-friendly fuel hydrogen would cost
EUR 870 million.
These costs are manageable compared to other investments in the overall
infrastructure systems. The cost of the Trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T) in
the EU by 2020, for example, is estimated at EUR 220 billion.
The current Linde study provides for the infrastructure to be developed
first in high-population areas of Europe in order to ensure the greatest possible market
access. The necessary hydrogen production capacities and filling stations would be built
up in stages so that step by step all of the major population centers of Europe would be
included. The plan also provides for filling stations along the main connecting highways
so that long-distance driving would also be supported. This would enable hydrogen access
for approximately one third of the entire EU population or 120 million people.
According to the study, centralized hydrogen production would be more
economical than decentralized generation directly at the filling stations since in the
latter case the investment costs would rise more sharply as the number of hydrogen
vehicles increased.
The study – the first publicly accessible analysis of its kind
– also runs through a cash flow calculation for hydrogen producers and distributors
in different EU countries in order to examine the economic feasibility of various models.
The result: For potential investors, investments for the production and distribution of
hydrogen can be calculated – with regional differences – within 10 to 15 years
– a time period that is not unusual for projects of this magnitude.
Questions remain as far as the commitment of the European governments
to building a hydrogen infrastructure. Linde CEO Reitzle: “A positive sign from the
politicians would be important to give investors and consumers a sense of security. For
example, a tax exemption for hydrogen until the year 2020 would be very beneficial to the
success of the hydrogen infrastructure.”
'I have a simple message,' began Aldo Belloni, CEO of Linde Gas and Engineering.
'Infrastructure is no longer a barrier to the hydrogen economy. [...] There are
infrastructure challenges, but they are more about commitment and cooperation than
technical or economic.'
...According to Mr Belloni, Europe needs to re-establish its global
leadership in hydrogen infrastructure. Linde is already planning to create the 'German
hydrogen ring road' - a network of 40 public filling stations on motorways that encompass
the sites of all the main car manufacturers in Germany -allowing the practical testing of
new hydrogen vehicles and technologies.
'The ring road could be extended internationally to 20 further European
cities, including in the new Member States, and stretch for 10,000 kilometres,' said Mr
Belloni. 'This vision can become a reality in Europe - we're calling on ministers and
companies let us make a start together on building this infrastructure.'
GENERAL MOTORS General Motors'
Hy-wire Takes a Bow
Prototype Vehicle Explores Fuel Cell Possibilities Todd Grady
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle March
2, 2005
HIROSHIMA,
Japan, – Mazda Motor Corporation recently put a hydrogen filling station into service
that will store and supply fuel for the company’s ongoing hydrogen vehicle research
and development. The new hydrogen station
began
operating in early February and is located near Mazda’s global headquarters in
Hiroshima. This unique filling station is the first in the Chugoku region of western
Japan, and is another tangible step forward in Mazda’s support for the development of
a hydrogen-fueled society.
The facility supplies fuel to both the hydrogen engine test facility
and Mazda’s hydrogen rotary-engined vehicles currently on the road for under
development and testing purposes. High-pressure hydrogen gas is stored at about 2,900 psi
in compressed hydrogen gas tanks and then further pressurized to over 5,000 psi for
delivery to the vehicles. The inventory stored at Mazda’s hydrogen fueling station
enables up to 10 vehicles per day to be fueled with hydrogen gas.
Propelled by an internal combustion engine that
is supercharged and inter-cooled for maximum efficiency, the 12-passenger E-450 shuttle
bus is designed to run on hydrogen fuel instead of gasoline. The vehicle is equipped with
a 26-gallon equivalent, 5,000 pounds-per-square-inch hydrogen fuel tank with an expected
range of about 150 miles. With near-zero emissions, including carbon dioxide, the E-450
shuttle bus will meet the most stringent applicable emissions standards. more
Ford Power Products (FPP), a division of
Ford Powertrain Operations, is introducing hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines
(H2ICEs) to the industrial marketplace.
This move parallels Ford Motor Company's introduction of its first
commercial hydrogen-powered shuttle bus. The E-450 shuttle bus is equipped with a
26-gallon equivalent, 5,000 pounds-per-square-inch hydrogen fuel tank with an expected
range of about 150 miles. A modified 6.8-liter Triton™ V-10 internal combustion
engine, that is supercharged and intercooled for maximum efficiency, propels the
12-passenger vehicle. With near-zero emissions, the E-450 shuttle bus will meet the most
stringent applicable emissions standards. An initial pilot lease program has been
established to place pre-production E-450 shuttle buses in target markets.
Ford believes its advanced hydrogen engine technologies will make
hydrogen power more practical and support the development of a supporting infrastructure.
The company is devoting resources to develop and demonstrate hydrogen vehicle
technologies, including hydrogen internal combustion engines.
"These products are coming to market. They are one of the
solutions to cleaner air and environment. We have the capability to delve into the
marketplace," states Jack Damron, executive director of Ford Power Products. Ford is
the only automaker actively involved in all four alternative fuel technologies –
gasoline-electric hybrids, clean diesels, hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines and
fuel cells.
Ford Power Products is responsible for the sales and marketing of
Ford's hydrogen engines. Target industrial applications for prototype hydrogen engines
include airline ground support equipment (GSE) and power generation (gen-sets). Production
timing and volumes will be dictated by market demand. Original equipment manufacturers or
another third party will be responsible for emission certification of the hydrogen
engines.
Ford Power Products currently has two different hydrogen engines
prototyped in the industrial marketplace. The 4.2-liter V-6 hydrogen engine is prototyped
in airline ground support equipment. Hydrogen internal combustion engines deliver up to a
99.7 percent reduction in CO2, making them an ideal power solution within the airport
environment where emission levels are strictly regulated. The turbocharged Ford 6.8-liter
V-10 hydrogen engine is a natural fit in power generation applications, due to its minimal
vibration and wear on engine and gen-set components.
Calibration testing is currently in progress on both hydrogen engines.
Preliminary specifications are listed below: 4.2L V-6 H2ICE Fuel: Compressed Gaseous Hydrogen (CH2)
Rated Power: 80 HP (60 kW) @ 3600 RPM
Minimum Fuel Pressure @ Engine: 125 psi 6.8L V-10 H2ICE – Turbocharged Fuel: Compressed Gaseous Hydrogen (CH2)
Rated Power: 188 HP (140 kW) @ 2600–3600 RPM
Minimum Fuel Pressure @ Engine: 125 psi
ARVINMERITOR
Motor Trend
ArvinMeritor Optimizes Plasma Fuel Reformer for Gasoline Frank Markus Motor
Trend February 2005
Hydrogen to the rescue. This fuel of the future burns so quickly
and easily, even in low concentrations, that converting 20 to 30 percent of the gasoline
into hydrogen allows the engine to burn all its fuel under ultralean conditions. The
carbon monoxide also reacts in the combustion chamber to form carbon dioxide, releasing
energy in the process. And here's a bonus: In the concentrations we're talking about here,
hydrogen gas and CO inhibit knock quite effectively. Together, they manage to boost the
effective octane rating of the fuel by 20 points (making regular unleaded behave like
107-octane racing fuel). This enables the engine to be heavily turbocharged and/or its
compression ratio to be raised by three to four points.
Clearing the Air Joann Muller Forbes
June 3, 2004
Because hydrogen can clean the exhaust right from a cold engine
start, the plasma reformer method is 20% to 50% more efficient at reducing NOx than other
clean-diesel technologies, allowing less unburned fuel to pass through in the process.
ArvinMeritor says the plasmatron creates less sulphur buildup, too. The plasmatron doesn't
deal with soot emissions, but ArvinMeritor engineers are hoping to develop by the end of
the decade future variants that would.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today
announced that is has designed and developed its first in-house fuel cell stack, as well
as a new high-pressure hydrogen storage system. The new technologies significantly improve
the performance required of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), including acceleration and driving
range.
Nissan will begin in-vehicle testing of the new fuel cell stack to
further improve its overall performance and reliability.
Fuel cell stack A fuel cell stack is the power unit of an FCV. Fuel
cells generate electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.
Because they only emit water as a by-product, FCVs are considered to be the most
environmentally friendly vehicles.
Compact design with high power output Nissan's fuel cell stack adopts a
newly developed thin separator*1 that narrows the cell pitch*2 by 40% compared with
Nissan’s previous stack which was provided by an outside supplier. At the same time,
the plumbing components inside the stack case have been integrated, and the peripheral
control devices have been built into the case to achieve a substantial reduction of size
and improvement of performance. As a result, Nissan has succeeded in increasing power
output while achieving a more compact design than the previous stack. Nissan's new stack
can be reduced in volume to approximately 60% of the previous stack while providing the
same level of power.
Long service life Improvements made to the electrode materials more
than double the service life of the new stack compared with Nissan's previous stack.
Expanded operating condition The operating condition such as
temperature range of the stack for producing electricity has been expanded by improving
the electrolyte membrane*3 and other principal components, as well as by optimizing the
flow of hydrogen and air that contains oxygen inside the stack, among other improvements.
*1This component separates the hydrogen and oxygen gases supplied to
the individual cells and transfers the electricity produced to the next cell. *2Pitch
refers to the spacing between adjacent cells that are connected in series. A stack for
vehicle application normally uses several hundred cells connected in series to obtain the
necessary electrical voltage. *3This ion-exchange membrane made of a polymer material
allows hydrogen ions (protons) produced in the cells to pass through the membrane to the
other side.
70 MPa high-pressure
hydrogen storage system
This newly developed 70 MPa high-pressure hydrogen storage cylinder
increases an FCV’s hydrogen storage capacity by approximately 30% compared with the
previous 35 MPa high-pressure hydrogen storage cylinder without any change to the
cylinder’s dimensions. This increased storage capacity can dramatically extend the
driving range of FCVs.
The storage system has been certified by the High Pressure Gas Safety
Institute of Japan (KHK) as a 70 MPa high-pressure hydrogen storage cylinder.
The new high-pressure hydrogen storage cylinder is made of an inner
aluminum liner and an outer shell of several wound layers of a high-strength,
high-elasticity carbon fiber. The winding pattern of the sting-like carbon fiber has been
optimally designed to achieve high strength for withstanding 70 MPa of pressure.
Nissan is engaged in wide-ranging research and development activities
aimed at popularizing the use of FCVs and has been conducting public-road driving tests in
Japan since 2002 using prototype FCVs approved by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and
Transport. Nissan began leasing its X-TRAIL FCV to a limited number of customers, starting
with oil refiner Cosmo Oil Co. in March 2004.
DETROIT GM
FORD HONDA
January 9, 2005
Hydrogen
Starting to Roll
GM, Ford and Honda part of 'frenzy' to put element-powered vehicles
on the road.
Greg Schneider The Washington Post
"It's a frenzy" to get out front with new technology, said
Mary Ann Wright, director of such efforts at Ford. "What you're seeing is a
groundswell, not really of industry pushing as much as everybody demanding that we really
get serious about these solutions. . . . The public is aware that we can't continue to
consume oil like we do."
GM Launches Latest Stage of
its Hydrogen 'Moonshot' John McCormick Detroit News
Dubbed Sequel, the vehicle is so named because it is the "sequel
to the first 100 years of the automobile," said Rick Wagoner, GM chairman and CEO.
Sequel builds on the success of the 2002 Autonomy and Hy-wire concepts, using an 11-inch
thick 'skateboard' chassis that integrates the fuel stack, lithium ion battery, hydrogen
tanks, electronics, wheel motors and suspension components. ...Sequel's 300-mile range is
made possible by advances in high-pressure storage that enable the vehicle to carry 8
kilograms of hydrogen, more than double that of HydroGen3. Developed in conjunction with
Quantum Technologies of Irvine, Calif., three lightweight, carbon composite tanks store
hydrogen at 10,000 psi , compared to 5,000 psi in Hy-wire, Sequel's predecessor.
Genral Motors
Unveils Latest Fuel Cell
Prototype Jeff Plungis Detroit
News
With the Sequel, GM's latest fuel-cell prototype, and Ford's plan to introduce
hydrogen-powered buses, automakers hope to demonstrate new advances toward developing
other alternative fuel sources. ...Ford will announce today that the state of
Florida will be the first customer to use eight hydrogen-powered Ford E-450 buses that
will be introduced in 2006. And in February, Ford will begin testing a fleet of 30 fuel
cell-powered Focus models in Taylor, Mich., Orlando, Fla., Sacramento, Calif., and
Vancouver, British Columbia. The latest models suggest automakers are becoming more
sophisticated about selling hybrids and advancing fuel-cell research, analysts say.
DETROIT
FORD TOYOTA
HYUNDAI NISSAN
January 13, 2005
Tech,
Intellect Will Drive Michigan's Auto Future Jeff Plungis
Detroit News Speakers from Ford, Toyota and Hyundai
Motor Co. laid out the steps that are needed to bring the auto industry into a
hydrogen-based economy. Vance Zanardelli, manager of strategic powertrain technologies at
Ford, said despite uncertainty about how fast the economy would transition to hydrogen,
the move toward the cleaner-burning, higher-energy fuel source was inevitable. The need to
maintain air quality, concern about global warming, national security questions about
importing foreign oil and corporations' desire for a sustainable business model were all
driving companies to look at hydrogen as a future fuel source, Zanardelli said.
FLORIDA
FORD
Florida Energy Office/Fuel Cell Works
January 9, 2005
Florida Purchases World's
First Commercial Hydrogen-Powered Shuttle Buses
Scheduled to hit the road in 2006,
the eight buses will be based in Central Florida at the heart of Florida’s
“hydrogen highway.” Propelled by an internal combustion engine that is
supercharged and inter-cooled for maximum efficiency, the 12-passenger bus is designed to
run on hydrogen fuel instead of gasoline. The vehicle is equipped with a 26-gallon
equivalent, 5,000 pounds-per-square-inch hydrogen fuel tank with an expected range of
about 150 miles. With near-zero emissions, including carbon dioxide, the engine is up to
25 percent more fuel-efficient than a typical gasoline engine.
Iceland's
Hydrogen Buses Zip to Oil-free Economy
Hydrogen bus projects have also been
launched in cities including Barcelona, Chicago, Hamburg, London, Madrid, Stockholm,
Beijing and Perth, Australia. ...Iceland's buses, made by DaimlerChrysler, cost about 1.25
million euros ($1.67 million) each, or three to four times more than a diesel-powered bus,
Skulason said. It takes about 6-10 minutes to refill a hydrogen bus, giving a range of 400
km. In Reykjavik, hydrogen is produced using technology developed by Norwegian energy and
aluminium group Norsk Hydro. Competitors include Canada's Stuart Energy and the German
industrial group mg technologies.
PERFORMANCE CARS OF THE FUTURE
"We believe that in the output range above 140 horsepower, there is still
no other clean, practical alternative to hydrogen." Tom Purves, chairman and CEO of BMW Group (U.S.) BMW Stresses Hydrogen as
Performance Fuel John McCormick Autos Insider
January 5, 2005
Hyundai
Unveils First Hydrogen-Powered Tucson
SUV at Greater Los Angeles Auto Show
Hyundai January
5, 2005
Testing has proven that the vehicle is capable of starting after being subjected to -20
degrees Celsius temperatures for five days. ...As in the Santa Fe FCEV,
Hyundai has once again partnered with UTC Fuel Cells of South Windsor, Connecticut, which
will supply the hydrogen-powered fuel cell. Enova Systems, of Torrance, Calif., has been
tapped to provide the next generation hybrid-electric drive train, motor and control unit.
CALIFORNIA
GENERAL MOTORS
Dan Lienert
Forbes January 4, 2005
Arnold's Hydrogen
Hummer The majority of California's 12
to 15 hydrogen refueling stations are in the southern part of the state, although
Schwarzenegger could--for example--refuel the H2H at the University of California, Davis'
station if he didn't to stray too far from Sacramento. Hydrogen currently costs $4 to $10
per kilogram, the unit in which it is measured, and the H2H's fuel tank holds five to six
kg of hydrogen. GM believes that if hydrogen is to be commercially viable it must cost $2
to $2.25 per kg--that is, it must be competitive with gasoline prices.
HYDROGEN ENERGY IN 2004
FINANCIAL MAGAZINE ADVERTISING
"Who's Driving the Hydrogen Economy?"
GENERAL MOTORS Forbes, Fortune Nov 15 2004
"Chicken... Meet the Egg"
CHEVRONTEXACO Fortune Nov
15 2004
"The Great Green Driving Machine" FORD Forbes Nov
15 2004
Bill Ford Hydrogen
Man Joann Muller and Jonathan Fahey
Forbes December 27, 2004
By 2030 Ford
wants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 40%. To turn the equation around: It
wants to move vehicles 80% farther per pound of carbon thrown into the atmosphere. That
goal will be next to unachievable without help from hydrogen engines. Wary of generating
more scorn from environmentalists, however, Ford executives are keeping mum about the
objectives until they're sure they can achieve them. (Officials won't even confirm
management's deliberations on the topic.) ...At the moment a fuel cell and set of motors
cost ten times as much as an internal combustion engine. Until an inventor comes up with a
cheap fuel cell, a hydrogen combustion engine might make a good interim step. "It's a
fraction of the cost, it's a fraction of the complexity, and yet it gets you 99% of the
environmental benefit of a fuel cell," says Bill Ford. The basic design--with pistons
that are moved up and down by explosions of fuel and air--is the same as that of gasoline
engines. So a gasoline engine factory could crank out hydrogen-fueled V-8s without a lot
of retooling. Hydrogen-powered piston cars can go up to 25% farther on any given amount of
fuel (measured in Btu) than gasoline-powered piston cars. Vance Zanardelli, manager of
Strategic Powertrain Technology at Ford, says a hydrogen engine can run at a higher
compression ratio than gas engines, meaning it can direct additional energy toward
powering the car rather than heating the engine. And because hydrogen ignites so
efficiently, less energy is lost during combustion. One downside: Storage issues mean more
frequent fill-ups. Cheap hydrogen-powered vehicles are supposed to inspire oil companies
to build hydrogen production plants and fueling stations. Bill Ford, then, could usher in
the hydrogen economy. "He wants us to own hydrogen--period," says one company
official.
"They're pushing the output that they're getting for the [hydrogen]
internal combustion engine higher and higher and higher." Don Hillebrand
vehicle system section manager at Argonne National Laboratories
V-10 Super Duty 4x4 pickup is based on its existing
gasoline engine designs Eric Mayne
Detroit News September 7, 2004
Ford’s latest experiment helps demonstrate that
hydrogen-powered vehicles — which can be fuel efficient and clean — don’t
have to be sluggish, four-cylinder econoboxes. Ford hopes test data it derives from the
truck’s demonstration will help accelerate commercial demand for hydrogen, which must
happen before an infrastructure to deliver the new fuel can be established. ..."You
service it the same, change the oil every 5,000 miles," said Bob Natkin, technical
leader of Ford's V-10 hydrogen engine program. The truck's hydrogen fuel tanks are
reinforced with carbon and can withstand a rifle round or a five-story fall, Natkin said.
more
ZAP's fuel cell
technology partner, Anuvu Incorporated,
converted the Nissan Frontier 4-door pick-up truck on display at CES. An innovative hybrid
fuel cell system powers the vehicle on hydrogen and electricity. With seating for four, a
44-cubic feet cargo bed, power windows, power door locks, and air conditioning, the truck
also works like a generator providing a standard 120-volt AC source for powering external
machinery and appliances, from power tools to a whole campsite.
BMW's H-Bomb
With the H2R, BMW is opting for conventional engines, not
fuel cells, despite the fact that many car companies still see fuel cells as the future
for hydrogen cars. Dan Lienert
Forbes September 27, 2004
thousands of postie bikes would have major
benefits for the environment. "It has a close to zero emission and it has got one of
the highest advanced fuel injection systems on it with what we call an intelligent car
technology," he said. "That's integrated with this advanced fuel injection
system and it's using fuel from water and it's for the future."
Schwarzenegger
Aide Outlines California Clean-fuel StrategyTim
Molloy Mercury News Tamminen said unless California reduces its reliance on
petroleum, it will likely face a shortage of petroleum in the next few years that will
threaten the state's economy. ...Tamminen predicted that the state would rely much more on
hydrogen fuel in the next decade.
"By 2010 we will have a network of hydrogen fueling stations in
the state, thousands of hydrogen vehicles to select from, initially from fleets and buses
and mass transit but then expanding to consumer vehicles, and beyond that we can look for
ways of moving toward hydrogen," he said.
CALIFORNIA
ISE CORPORATION SUNLINE TRANSIT
ISE
December
2004
ISE Delivers First Hybrid Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine
Bus to SunLine Transit
SAN DIEGO, CA — ISE Corporation (ISE) achieved another historical first this
month by delivering the world’s first transit bus using a Hybrid Hydrogen Internal
Combustion Engine (HHICE) drive system. The HHICE system uses a variant of ISE’s
proven ThunderVolt® hybrid-electric drive system that generates power with a Ford
hydrogen-burning internal combustion engine. A New Flyer 40-foot bus using this unique
drive system was unveiled by SunLine Transit on 16 December 2004 in Palm Desert,
California, where the bus will be used in regular operational service in SunLine’s
all-alternative fuel vehicle fleet. ISE's HHICE drive system is the first
commercially-available transit bus drive system that uses hydrogen fuel. The
vehicle’s 6.8 liter Ford engine, modified by Ford to burn hydrogen, is used to run a
Siemens generator, which supplies up to 150 kW of electric power. The Ford engine-Siemens
generator performs an onboard electrical power generation function similar to that of a
fuel cell. The HHICE drive system also provides many of the benefits of a fuel cell-based
drive system. By using hydrogen as a fuel, greenhouse gases (carbon monoxide and carbon
dioxide) are almost completely eliminated. Future improvements may also reduce oxides of
nitrogen (NOx) – a key constituent of smog – to near-zero levels. The HHICE
system also eliminates particulate matter – another dangerous byproduct of both
diesel and natural gas engines. HHICE will provide 99% of the emission reduction benefits
of a fuel cell system at a fraction of the cost, making it the first commercially viable
Near Zero Emission Vehicle (NZEV) technology for large transit buses. Use of hydrogen also
opens up the possibility of creating fuel from renewable sources, which can reduce world
dependence on imported oil and other fossil fuels. Hydrogen can be derived from water
through electrolysis, a process that can be achieved with clean electricity generated from
solar, wind, or hydroelectric power. In fact, ISE recently completed development of a
hydrogen generation plant powered by a wind turbine. Hydrogen from this facility will be
used to fuel the HHICE bus, making this the first transit system to use a completely
renewable fuel with virtually no pollution created at any stage of the production or
utilization process. The HHICE bus is also fuel efficient, capitalizing on the high energy
content of hydrogen and the energy efficiency of the ThunderVolt® hybrid-electric drive
system, which uses ultracapacitor energy storage modules to recapture braking energy and
improve the functionality of the engine-generator set. In initial tests, the bus has
averaged 5-6 miles per equivalent gallon of gasoline, nearly twice the fuel efficiency of
a conventional bus using compressed natural gas. “With increased global warming, oil
approaching $50 a barrel, and international tensions mounting over distribution of our
fossil fuels, the HHICE drive system gives America and the rest of the world an
outstanding opportunity for a cleaner, brighter future,” stated Michael Simon, ISE
Chairman of the Board. Simon noted that earlier this year, California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger signed an executive order creating a statewide “Hydrogen
Highway,” aimed at stimulating development and use of hydrogen-fueled vehicles such
as the HHICE bus. The HHICE drive system and its installation into the New Flyer bus was
made possible through an international project that received funding and support from
SunLine, the U.S. Federal Transit Administration, California Energy Commission, South
Coast Air Quality Management District, Ford Motor Co., Natural Resources of Canada,
Province of Manitoba, Chula Vista Transit, Manitoba Transit, WestStart/CALSTART, and New
Flyer. The HHICE drive system is commercially available today. For information on
ISE’s environmentally-friendly, high-performance drive systems and other products,
please contact: Director of Marketing ,ISE Corporation, 7345 Mission Gorge Road, Suite K
San Diego, CA 92120 Phone: (619) 287-8785 Fax: (619) 287-8795 marketing@isecorp.com
ITALY CITY OF TURIN
PIEDMONT REGION SAPIO ANSALDO RICERCHE CVA GTT-TURINESE TRANSPORTGROUP
IRISBUS ENEA November 19, 2004
Turin's Hydrogen Bus to Enter Service ICHBC
As the City of Turin, Italy's "Detroit," prepares to host the Winter Olympics in
2006, Italy's own 60kW fuel cell and battery hybrid bus finally enters service on
Saturday, November 20, according to AGI S.p.a. The Irisbus/Altra is not
part of the Clean Urban
Transit for Europe (CUTE) demonstration project, but an independent project funded by
the government of Italy, local agencies and industry. During a 5-year evaluation,
the bus accumulated the 5000 kilometers required by the overly-cautious Italian
authorities before it could enter revenue service - a bitter point of contention
repeatedly raised by the partners, who pointed to the safety records of other fuel cell
bus programs worldwide.
"It could well be that the first country to
seriously address the issues of creating a market for renewables would
become the central location for a major new international business
sector - with all the positive consequences that carries in terms of
economic activity and employment." ------------- Rodney Chase
CEO BP
--------------
"We all share the responsibility for carrying out this project, for the
assumption of responsibility is part of the dignity of human beings."
------------
Juergen Shrempp
Chairman
DaimlerChrysler
-----------
"Energy sources like coal and oil once overcame an economy based on
horsepower. So, I suspect, our carbon-based economy may itself pass from
the scene to be replaced, perhaps, by hydrogen."
-------------
Spencer Abraham
Secretary,
US Dept of Energy
-------------
"General Motors absolutely sees the long-term future of the world being
based on a hydrogen economy.” ------------
Larry Burns
Director of R&D
General Motors
-------------
However, 
decision was made to move on to hydrogen powered
vehicles. This decision has great implications for the state of North Dakota.
"This country is going to have to use technology to diversify
away from hydrocarbons. We're too dependent on foreign sources of energy today, and one
way to diversify away from hydrocarbons is to use hydrogen, the byproduct of which will be
water and not exhausts which pollute the air. So I'm excited to be part of a technological
revolution that's going to change the country. It won't happen overnight. It's going to
take a fair amount of research and development to make sure hydrogen is attractive and
reasonable -- is able to be manufactured at reasonable price, distributed in a wide way
for consumer satisfaction. But it's coming."
Bill Ford
"We believe this to be the
first time a fuel cell vehicle has been offered for sale to the public."
