|
"The hydrogen ICE can
act as a stepping stone to hydrogen-fueled mass transportation that eventually will
incorporate fuel cells."
Gerhard Schmidt
vice president of Ford research and advanced engineering |
|
A "Model T" for 2003: Ford's "Model U"`
100 YEARS OF REFINING THE "ICE" ENGINE
TAKES A QUANTUM LEAP |
SUPERCHARGED H2 HYBRID POWERPLANT
|
"We can
start developing the hydrogen infrastructure as we perfect the fuel-cell car; and the
internal combustion engine can run rather well on hydrogen, and the ICE hydrogen car is
not the enemy of the fuel cell.
"Indeed, if we were starting to deploy hydrogen-
powered ICE cars tomorrow, it would hasten theday when fuel cells were viable because it
would help bring the hydrogen infrastructure into place sooner rather than later."
David Freeman
Chairman, California Power Authority |
Ford
Unveils
First U.S. Hydrogen
Internal Combustion
Vehicle Capable of
Mass Production!
Ford Model
U Concept
Waitnews January 8, 2003 |
|
Model U is powered by an internal combustion engine (ICE) that is optimised to run on
hydrogen. The engine is supercharged and intercooled for maximum efficiency, power and
range. |
Its emission of all pollutants, including carbon dioxide, is nearly zero, and the engine
is up to 25 percent more fuel-efficient than gasoline engines.
The hydrogen ICE is based on Ford's global 2.3-litre 4-cylinder engine
used in the Ford Ranger, the European Ford Mondeo and a number of Mazda vehicles. The
engine is optimised to burn hydrogen with 12.2:1 high-compression pistons, fuel injectors
designed to handle hydrogen gas, a coil-on-plug ignition system, an electronic throttle
and new engine management software.
The hydrogen ICE is joined with an advanced hybrid electric
transmission technology called the Ford Modular Hybrid Transmission System (MHTS). The
torque converter from a conventional transmission is replaced with a high-voltage electric
motor and two hydraulic clutches that permit the motor to operate independently of, or in
concert with, the engine. The electric motor simultaneously fills the role of flywheel,
starter, alternator and hybrid traction motor. |
| Legendary
energy advisor to U.S. presidents David Freeman, now Chairman of the California Consumer Power and
Conservation Financing Authority, urged fuel cell developers not to discount the
internal combustion hydrogen engine as the key element in accelerating the creation of a
national hydrogen fuel infrastructure. |
Stuart Energy: Bridging the Gap
to Fuel Cells with H2-ICE and Electrolysis |
"I believe that
hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines will bridge the gap until fuel cells are
commercially viable. Ford has emerged as the leader in hydrogen internal combustion
engines with its concept Model U vehicle.
"The Model U is an electric-drive vehicle with a modular hydrogen engine
that can eventually be replaced by a fuel cell. Ford's new design is evolutionary, not
revolutionary. It satisfies a strong market demand for cleaner cars, while developing the
acceptance and infrastructure for hydrogen- powered vehicles. And it's interesting that
hydrogen technology is being used in SUVs, not only by Ford, but by Toyota and others.
"There might be a small market for sub-compact hydrogen cars, but the
widely preferred SUVs can be clean and fuel-efficient by using hydrogen fuel. As Ford
penetrates this new market, we expect that others will follow their lead and quickly move
to offer a wide range of hydrogen internal combustion engine-powered vehicles to their
customers."
-- Jon Slangerup, President of Stuart Energy
Stuart
Energy: Jon Slangerup Lauds Electrolysis Route to Hydrogen
Robert Gough Octane Week January
27, 2003
|
|
IS HYDROGEN
SAFER THAN GASOLINE?
HYDROGEN LEAK
GASOLINE LEAK
The paint didn't even blister.
Total immolation.
WHICH CAR WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE YOUR FAMILY IN? |
Fuel
Leak Study
Reveals Stark Contrast In Hydrogen vs.
Gasoline Safety
Fuel
Leak Simulation Dr.
Michael R. Swain University of Miami |
| Hydrogen leakage: the
hydrogen-fueled vehicle was designed consistent with existing manufacturer specifications.
They include sensors for hydrogen that activate shut-off solenoids in the hydrogen tank,
and computer programming to shut off fuel supply if fuel flow exceeds that used by the
fuel cell, or fuel flow delivered drops by a predetermined amount. In light of the
additional safety precautions designed into hydrogen-fueled vehicles the most severe
single failure mode accident scenario is that of hydrogen leakage at the tank pressure
release device (PRD) causing a standing flame, which in turn causes the PRD to allow all
the hydrogen in the tank to escape in 100 seconds. During the video, the hydrogen vehicle
leaks 3.4 pounds of hydrogen (approximately 175,000 BTU). |
Gasoline leakage: the fuel line of a
gasoline fueled vehicle was punctured with 1/16 inch diameter hole and gasoline leaks out
of the fuel line under the middle of the car. During the 3.5 minutes of videotaping, the
vehicle leaks five pints of gasoline (approximately 70,000 BTU). Several events of
interest occur including a deflagration of gases inside the vehicle interior and trunk,
ruptures of the vehicle's tires, and an unrestrained release of coolant from the air
conditioner.... |
-- Statistical analysis of vehicle fire-related injuries and deaths --
Motor Vehicle Fires in Traffic
Crashes and the Effects of the Fuel System Integrity Standard by Glenn G.
Parsons - National Highway Transportation Safety Administration Report
#DOT HS
807 675 November 1990 |
First commercial fuel cell vehicles are leased in California
Drivers Plugging
In to a New Way to Commute
by Dan Weikel Los Angeles Times (California)
January 14, 2003 |
 Fuel Cells: Japan's Carmakers
Are Flooring It
By sprinting past competitors, Toyota and Honda are clinching
deals with the few buyers willing to consider these cars. That could give them a leg up as
they expand production and drive down costs. Already, they've upstaged DaimlerChrysler,
which hoped to be first to market with commercial fuel-cell cars next year. - Business Week |
"You'd think the Big Three would learn from history.
But they don't. They're stuck in their gas- guzzling ways."
Kate Simmons
spokeswoman for the Sierra Club
Japan's
Automakers Zip Ahead on Fuel-cell Cars
David Lazarus San Francisco
Chronicle (California) December
8, 2002 |
|
 |
| Stuart
Energy to Partner with Toyota on Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure in
Support of California Fuel-Cell Vehicle Community TORONTO, Ontario, December 2, 2002 - Stuart
Energy Systems Corporation (TSX: HHO) announced today that it has been chosen by Toyota
Motor Sales U.S.A. (TMS) to
provide on-site hydrogen fueling infrastructure to support
Toyota’s new fuel-cell vehicle roll-out. Toyota has purchased a Stuart Energy
Community Fueler Station 450 (CF-450), which has been installed at Toyota’s U.S.
Headquarters in Torrance, California. This is Toyota’s first on-site electrolysis
hydrogen fueling station in California.
“We are excited to be partnering with an automotive manufacturer
that has taken a leadership position in rolling out hydrogen-powered vehicles, and are
pleased to provide Toyota with its initial on-site hydrogen fueling needs. We are making
in-roads to providing a hydrogen infrastructure which is accessible and convenient for its
users,” said Jon Slangerup, President and CEO of Stuart Energy. “Stuart Energy
now has three intelligent hydrogen fueling stations operating in California, and another
coming next year.”
The sale of the CF-450 station was announced today at an event at the
University of California Irvine. Toyota also announced the lease of six Toyota FCHV fuel
cell vehicles to the University of California Irvine and the University of California
Davis.
The CF-450 station at Torrance generates 24kg of clean hydrogen fuel
per day, enough to meet the fueling needs of a small fleet of fuel cell vehicles. The
station uses Stuart Energy’s patented intelligent hydrogen fueling station
technology. The patent gives Stuart Energy exclusive rights to develop and market on-site
electrolysis-based hydrogen fueling stations, including PEM and alkaline, where
information is exchanged between system components and the user.
Also at today’s event, Stuart Energy conducted a fueling
demonstration using a portable version of the hydrogen fueling station installed at
Torrance. The portable hydrogen fueling station is mounted on a flatbed trailer enabling a
customer to generate, store and dispense hydrogen wherever their fueling needs may be. The
portable hydrogen fueling station demonstrates the flexibility and ease of installation of
a Stuart Energy infrastructure product.
Stuart Energy hydrogen fueling stations offer a pathway to a clean,
zero-emission energy cycle. In the future, hydrogen fuel produced from renewable sources
of electricity would create a completely zero emission fuel, eliminating the harmful
effects of conventional fuel production. California in particular is in a strong position
to offer green energy. more
 STUART ENERGY MOBILE H2 FUELING STATION
SHAZZAM, IT'S THERE -- ANYWHERE YOU WANT IT!
Web Video by VIMS 5 MINUTES WINDOWS
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REALVIDEO 9.2MB
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STUART ENERGY H2 FUELING STATION FOR THE
BC TRANSIT/BALLARD BUS DEMONSTRATION IN VANCOUVER - SPRING 2000 ( from HYDROGEN HAWAII )
Web Video by VIMS 4
MINUTES WINDOWS MEDIA
5.9MB
REALVIDEO
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|
Cellular Connection
Jonathan Rauch Reason (USA) December 6, 2003
Air Products
Introduces Mobile Hydrogen Fueling Unit
December 10, 2002
Hiss Turns to
Roar for Quiet Cars
Joshua Dowling - Sydney Herald (Australia)
GM Banking on Fuel-cell
Technology to Power Cars
Donald Hammonds Post Gazzette (Pittsburgh
PA) January 3, 2003
GM Rethinks Hydrogen Fuel Cells
David Kiley USA Today
December 29, 2002
Long-awaited H2 Trial by FedEx Heading for
Tokyo - UPS in the Wings
General
Motors Attacks the Japanese Market of Hydrogen Cars
Neftegaz (Russia) December 17, 2002
UPS is
"reviewing plans for fuel cell technology projects."
"As we ramp up into full
mass production,the fuel cell heralds really massive changes, changes that amount to a new
industrial revolution that will impact the big oil companies and half the companies in the
Fortune 100."
Rick Wagoner, CEO, General Motors
Clearing the Air
Jay Palmer
Barron's December 16, 2002
G.M. to
Offer Hybrid Power in 5 Models by 2007
by Danny Hakim
New York Times December 23, 2002
|
L
O
S
A
N
G
E
L
E
S
C
A
L
I
F
O
R
N
I
A |
 |
| Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn Receives FC Vehicle from Honda President
Hiroyuki Yoshino. |
HONDA DELIVERS THE FIRST HIGHWAY CERTIFIED FUEL CELL VEHICLE TO
THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES
Web Video by VIMS
WINDOWS MEDIA
15 MINUTES 10MB
REALVIDEO 12.9MB
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Web Audio by VIMS WINDOWS AUDIO
3.6MB
|
"There
could be a sudden breakthrough, and who knows, fuel cell vehicles could even overtake
hybrid cars in number
in the next 10 years."
Honda President Hiroyuki Yoshino
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (C) receives mock
keys from Toyota Motor Chairman Hiroshi Okuda (L) and Honda Motor President Hiroyuki
Yoshino at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo December 2, 2002.
REUTERS/Yoshikazu Tsuno/Pool
The Future is Here: Japan
Launches Fuel Cell Cars
December 2, 2002
Toyota Motor and Honda Motor
are leasing a handful of the cars to the Japanese government and several public
establishments in the United States in an experimental programme that marks the biggest
step yet towards the mass marketing of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs).
...Although the country pulled out of an international treaty to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, its biggest auto market, California, has been aggressively
leading the nation's drive for stricter standards for emissions and fuel efficiency.
California, which has the unique right to set its own emissions
regulations, is calling for all cars sold in the state to have near-zero emissions by
2009, which could set a precedent for federal legislation. The state is leading by
example. The FCVs launched today will be leased to two California universities by Toyota
and the city of Los Angeles by Honda.
The United States is also keen to reduce its dependence on oil from the
Middle East, and fuel cell technology is one answer. |
California Fuel
Cell Partnership Announces 2003 Goals
December 11, 2002
GENERAL MOTORS: Hy-wire Act Full Steam Ahead to
the Future
by Kevin Eason London Times (UK)
December 6, 2002
Natural
Resources Canada Selects Hydrogenics to Lead Development Of Next-Generation Hybrid Fuel
Cell-Powered Bus December 6, 2002
Power Lunch Marylin Berlin
Snell Sierra/Utne Reader
The first fuel-cell-powered mine locomotive has just
been unveiled at a seminar in Palm Springs, Florida, by Vehicle Projects, a company based
in Denver, Colorado.
The mechanisation of
mines has increased their size and productivity, but has done little to alter the lot of
miners who toil deep underground. The diesel-burning machines that are now commonplace
certainly do not make the air in mines any cleaner. ...But all this is changing. A
technological revolution is coming to the business of mining. One important change will be
the introduction of fuel cells. These devices, which generate electricity by combining
hydrogen and oxygen and so produce only water as an exhaust, have long been trumpeted as
the next generation power pack for vehicles on the surface. ...According to Arnold Miller,
the boss of Vehicle Projects, this prototype cost around $2m to build. It was tested
successfully in September at an experimental mine in Quebec.
Caves of Steel The Economist (UK) November 21, 2002
|
to Pursue
Sodium-Borohydrode Fuel Cell Development
The company will bring a fleet of clean, efficient, hydrogen-fueled
fuel cell cars to the United States beginning in 2003 as part of a worldwide test program,
said Bernard I. Robertson, Senior Vice President for Engineering Technologies and
Regulatory Affairs. The company will also develop a second generation fuel cell vehicle
running on sodium borohydride, a clean, nonflammable and recyclable fuel derived from
borax, Robertson said.
DaimlerChrysler to
Focus on Alternative Fuels for its Future At the North American Innovation Symposium
PRNewswire November
25, 2002
|
Sodium-Borohydride as a Hydrogen Storage
Medium
CHBC Summer 2001 Meeting Bechtel
Headquarters, San Francisco
The Millennium Cell Programs
RealAudio by
VIMS
Chip Harpster, Jr., Millennium Cell
Powerpoint
Tip: Run the audio alongside the Powerpoint presentation |
An
Electrovan, Not an Edsel
by Danny Hakim New York Times November
17, 2002
Three decades ago, Dr. Craig Marks consigned his greatest
feat of engineering to the scrap heap.
Dr. Marks, who oversaw General Motors' futuristic engineering projects
in the 1960's, had created a prototype that took more than two years and a staff of 250 to
construct. It was called the Electrovan, the automotive industry's first attempt at making
an automobile powered by a hydrogen fuel cell — a technology now embraced as the
power train of the future.
The prototype resembled the mostly forgettable 1966 GMC Handivan, which
it was, on the outside. Inside, there was hardly room for the front seats. Five hundred
fifty feet of piping were jammed alongside two tanks, one for oxygen and one for hydrogen.
Both were chilled to hundreds of degrees below zero, and highly flammable. When
journalists got a glimpse on a sunny October day in 1966, they weren't allowed behind the
wheel. The Electrovan was "a nightmare of complexity," Dr. Marks said then. It
contained enough platinum to buy a fleet of regular vans.
...Today the amount is far less than the Electrovan required but still
considerable.
...Nevertheless, the industry is motivated to make fuel-cell technology
work this time. Environmental concerns are increasingly influential, particularly in
California, which has very tough clean air standards.
Today, there seems to be light in Dr. Marks's blind alley. Two years
ago, G.M. informed him that the Electrovan had been found in a warehouse, its metallic
blue skin and bug-eyes reminiscent of Scooby Doo's Mystery Machine. The discovery
illustrated one advantage of huge bureaucracies: some orders are ignored. G.M. is even
using the vehicle to publicize its prowess as a fuel-cell pioneer.
"I just wished more of the people who worked on it realized it
still existed and it was a precedent-setting vehicle," Dr. Marks said. "We just
sort of stumbled through."
|
SEE
IT ON WEB VIDEO!
GM's First Fuel Cell Vehicle!
THE 1966 GM ELECTROVAN
Quicktime get Quicktime video by VIMS |
 |
The Las Vegas Hydrogen Energy
Station is capable of fueling pure hydrogen fuel vehicles (right dispenser) or blended
CNG/H2 (compressed natural gas/hydrogen) fueled vehicles (left dispenser), and both
vehicle applications have individual fueling dispensers. |
Energy Station
to Promote Hydrogen Fuel
by Michael Squires
Las Vegas Review Journal (NV) November 16, 2002
Billed as the first facility of its kind in the world, the Las Vegas station will produce
hydrogen fuel for specially equipped city vehicles and a fuel cell that will generate
enough electricity for 30 homes. The facility's primary purpose, however, is to house a
five-year hydrogen fuel demonstration project to encourage the creation of hydrogen fuel
infrastructure in the region. ...As part of the agreement
between the city and the federal government, the city will be involved in the development
of future hydrogen fueling sites in Southern Nevada.
See photo
archive from Air Products
New RAND Report Suggests Alternative
Strategy to
California Air Resources Board Zero Emission Vehicle Program
ENTIRE REPORT
Japan
and European Union Seen as More Aggressive On Backing Automotive Fuel Cell Deployment, US
Needs to Renew Leadership Role, Says Allied Business Intelligence
|
Japan Auto
Manufacturers Introduce
Fuel Cell Vehicles in U.S. and Japan
Japan Automobile Manufacturers Assoc./PRNewswire
September 30, 2002
Japanese auto
manufacturers are becoming the first in the world to offer commercial fuel cell vehicles,
according to Japan Auto Trends, the newsletter of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers
Association (JAMA) released today.
For example, Toyota and Honda will sell or lease fuel cell vehicles in
the U.S. and Japan. Toyota plans to lease a sport utility vehicle from around the end of
the year. In July 2002, the Honda FCX became the first fuel cell vehicle in the world to
receive government certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Honda will start marketing the FCX in both
Japan and the U.S. at the end of 2002. The Honda FCX will be equipped with hydrogen tanks
large enough to power it for 220 miles on a single fill. The FCX top speed is 90 miles per
hour. Toyota's U.S. model will be based on the Highlander SUV and have a top speed of 90
miles per hour.
Nissan will enter the commercial vehicle fuel cell market in fiscal
year 2003. In addition, GM Japan will road test its HydroGen3 Opel Zafira fuel cell
electric vehicle in Japan. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is
kicking off a 3- year "Japan Hydrogen Fuel Cell Demonstration Project," showing
that hydrogen is safe, effective and environmentally friendly. A second objective is
demonstrating how to operate the infrastructure needed to distribute the fuel. |
|
UTC Fuel Cells,
Northeast Advanced Vehicle Consortium
to Team on Heavy Duty Fuel Cell Bus Design Project
November 11, 2002
Interview: Hydrogenics Drives For China's
Olympic Buses
by Phelim Kyne Dow Jones
September 27, 2002
Hydrogenics Corp., a Canadian hydrogen
fuel cell engine developer, is negotiating to produce a new generation of the engines as
well as vehicles for use during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, a company executive
said.
The Mississauga-based company is in discussion with the Ministry of
Science and Technology and the Beijing Olympic Games Committee to assist in developing a
trial fleet of fuel cell-powered, nonpolluting vehicles for the Olympics, Hydrogenics'
vice president of sales and marketing, Boyd Taylor, told Dow Jones Newswires in a recent
interview.
"This technology could have huge implications for China...because
if this is the way the world is going to go (in engine technology), they will have a huge
advantage and the Olympics is a chance to showcase new, clean technology," Boyd said.
The project will be at least partially funded by China's National High
Technology Project No. 63, which has budgeted $37 million for the development of between
10-100 fuel cell-powered buses for use during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Boyd
said.
Hydrogenics fuel cells are powered by hydrogen, which can be derived
from sources such as gas, hydroelectricity or methanol and produce no toxic emissions.
New Clean, Quiet Cars Guzzle
Hydrogen - Experimental Autos Offer Clean Alternative to Gasoline - CNN October 10, 2002
DaimlerChrysler
to Launch First U.S. Fleet of Fuel Cell Vehicles in 2003
October 8, 2002
City of Los
Angeles Becomes Nation's First Customer
for Fuel Cell Car October 7, 2002
Ballard Fuel
Cell Engines to Power Sixty Mercedes-Benz Vehicles
in Global Fleet Demonstrations
October 7, 2002
|
 OCTOBER 2002 Vehicle of Change
by Lawrence D. Burns, J. Byron McCormick
and Christopher E. Borroni-Bird
It's not just about transportation: the transition
to fuel-cell cars could transform energy infrastructures
and developing economies while helping the environment. |
 "...We
are aggressively pursuing
a strategy to move us towards
a hydrogen economy." |
 MicroGeneration
to Power Parks
2002 Visions for the Energy Future: Industry Perspectives
September 23, 2002
Elizabeth Lowery, GM Vice President, Environment and Energy |
Fuel Cells Point
to Design Flexibility
Reed Business
Information March 25, 2002
Autonomy:
Reinventing the Automobile
Larry Burns
General Motors May 3, 2002
GM's Electric
Dream
Telegraph August 15, 2002
GM's
Billion-Dollar Bet
Wired August
2002
GM's Hy-Wire Brakes Driving Mold
Wired September 26, 2002
GM Walks Hy-Wire
with FCV
The
Car Connection August
14, 2002 |
General
Motors Study Released:
"Fuel Cell Cars Offer
Solution To Curtail Greenhouse Gas Emissions"
May 21, 2002 |
End of the Fossil-Fuel
Era
by Jeremy Rifkin
Washington Post September 26, 2002
Canada's Palcan Fuel
Cell Bike
by Alec Tsang EV World September 22, 2002
Western Canada's Palcan Fuel Cells Ltd is poised to be first
to market with a commercially viable fuel cell product to consumers. While fuel cells in
homes and cars may still be up to a decade down the road, an electric bicycle, powered by
a Palcan fuel cell, could motor down your street within one or two years.
However, you may stand a better chance of seeing one if you lived in
Beijing or another large Chinese city, because China has banned vehicles powered by
two-cycle engines in many of its urban centers. more
World's First Fuel Cell Bike?
Popular Science, September 21, 2001
|
Joe Bor, Xcellsis, explains the Ballard 275 horsepower Phase 3 Heavy Duty
Fuel Cell bus engine used in the BC Transit fuel cell bus program in
1999-2000
-- from HYDROGEN
HAWAII: The Vancouver Demonstration --
Ballard
Receives
Fuel Cell Bus Engine Order
for California Market -
Ballard Power Systems/Business Wire August
29, 2002
Ballard Power Systems announced today the
receipt of an order from Gillig Corporation for delivery of three heavy-duty Ballard fuel
cell engines and support services. The 205 kW fuel cell engines will
be integrated into transit buses for delivery in 2004 to the Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority (VTA) based in San Jose, California.
The fuel cell buses will operate for a two-year period in
revenue service under real-world conditions, in response to the California Air Resources
Board's zero-emission transit bus requirements. VTA will evaluate fuel cell technology for
the public transit industry, including maintenance and operating performance and costs,
fueling safety, employee training, and public education and awareness. This is a joint
demonstration program with VTA, the San Mateo Transportation District, the California Fuel
Cell Partnership and the California Air Resources Board.
|
Hydrogen Bus Service
In Oakland, California
Jamie Levin , A.C. Transit
RealVideo by VIMS
RealAudio
Get RealPlayer |
|
2002
The Beginning of Fuel Cell Vehicle Use
The FCX, powered by
hydrogen, has been certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a Tier-2
Bin 1, National Low Emission Vehicle (NLEV), which is the lowest national emission rating.
The California Air Resources Board
(CARB) categorized it as meeting all applicable standards. In addition, the FCX also meets
all applicable U.S. standards for safety and occupant protection.
Honda
Fuel Cell Gets Government Nod EarthVision
July 25, 2002
"This is an important milestone for
the automobile industry and holds the promise of cleaner air for all Americans," Jeff
Holmstead, assistant administrator of the EPA's office of air and radiation said in a
statement.
China Daily News (Bejing) July 26, 2002
 The announcement
came just weeks after a similar decision from archrival Toyota Motor Corp. - Honda,
Toyota in Last Lap of Fuel-cell Race
Asahi Shimbun (Japan) July 27, 2002
California Coast 2002
California Fuel Cell Partnership Road Rally - Sept 4
Experimental Bus Goes for Test
Drive
Fuel-cell Vehicle Powered by Air, Hydrogen
by Kimberly Trone Desert
Sun (Palm Springs, CA) October
25, 2002
One of the world’s most
advanced experimental buses took to the streets of Palm Desert on Thursday for a trial
run. The large blue fuel-cell bus is powered by air and hydrogen from renewable sources
such as wind and sun. It has no transmission.
Only 12 such buses are known to exist in the world, its creators say.
The bus’ electric engine can reach speeds as great as 65 mph without the lurching
motion of most buses.
...It was created by ThunderPower, a joint venture between Thor
Industries and ISE Research, a San
Diego-based company. ISE President David Mazaika said the cost to develop the bus was less
than $1 million.
SunLine Transit Agency is
one of three public transportation authorities in the world selected to showcase the
fuel-cell bus while designers work out the kinks.
...SunLine agency has a hydrogen refueling facility it hopes to expand
as fuel-cell technology becomes more commonplace, Kronmiller said.
"Hydrogen fuel may be a
larger market
for wind energy by year 2020 than the electric grid."
Bill Leighty, Director, The Leighty
Foundation June 4,
2002
|
CHBC MEMBERS DEMONSTRATE INNOVATIVE
PARTNERSHIPPING
-- WIND TO POWER BUSES! --
SMALL CALIFORNIA TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY FIRM QUIETLY SEIZES
FUEL CELL BUS SPOTLITE |
 |
Michael Simon,
Chairman of the Board of ISE Research-Thundervolt,
stands proudly beside the "ThunderPower" bus inside the
certified-for-hydrogen service facility at Sunline Transit.
Photo: VIMS |
 |
Clean power expert Paul Scott reveals the powerplant of the
"ThunderPower" bus,
a 170 kW UTC fuel cell. Looking on is Cynthia Verdugo-Peralta,
appointee of California Governor Gray Davis to the
South Coast Air Quality
Management District Board.
Photo: VIMS |
QUANTUM
Awarded Contract to Deliver
Hydrogen Fuel Storage System for Wind-Generated Hydrogen Refueling Station
QUANTUM Press Release July 11, 2002
 QUANTUM Fuel
Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of IMPCO Technologies, Inc.
(Nasdaq: IMCO, QTWW), announced today that it was recently awarded a contract to provide
the hydrogen fuel storage system for a wind-generated hydrogen refueling station being
developed for the South Coast Air Quality Management
District.
The goal of this project is to provide wind-generated hydrogen to fuel
vehicles from the California Fuel Cell Partnership
and SunLine Transit Agency.
This will be the first hydrogen fuel facility powered by wind energy. Only hydrogen
produced from renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar, provides the opportunity
for zero emissions from "well to wheels." ISE Research is the
prime contractor for the project and SunLine Services Group is the host site.
Wintec Energy, Ltd., will
dedicate the output from wind turbines to power an electrolytic "fueler" from Stuart Energy USA.
This "fueler" will generate and compress up to twenty-five kilograms of hydrogen
that will be stored in QUANTUM's ultra lightweight TriShield(TM) tanks. The compressed
hydrogen will be stored at pressures up to 6000 psi. "QUANTUM's involvement in this
project is one element of our recent hydrogen refueling infrastructure initiatives,"
said Alan Niedzwiecki, President and COO of QUANTUM Technologies, Inc. "This project
demonstrates the important role that hydrogen storage plays for more widespread and rapid
commercialization of hydrogen as a fuel from initial production to on-board vehicle
storage." more |
AC Transit had previously planned to have fuel cell buses in service by the
end of July 2003. According to an AC Transit memo, the original bus provider and engine
provider withdrew.* A subsequent search led to a contract with ISE Research-Thundervolt, Inc. to build three 40-foot fuel cell buses for delivery in
mid-to-late 2004. The AC Transit program involves the District, ISE Research, with
research conducted by the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory and the Institute of Transportation
Technology at the University of California –Davis. It is fully grant funded, and
is part of the district’ s effort to move its fleet of newly purchase buses in 2008
to 15 percent zero-emissions, in compliance with California Air
Resources Board regulations. In addition to the new fuel cell buses, AC Transit has
contracted for up to 160 European designed transit buses, which will be powered by
low-emission diesel engines. AC Transit is also working on behalf of Sunline Transit of Palm Desert to build a 45-foot composite fuel cell bus. --
Calstart/Weststart
* Fuel Cell Engine Maker Xcellsis
Joins California Fuel Cell Partnership |
AC Transit of Oakland and
SunLine Transit of Thousand Palms
Fuel Cell Development – Zero-emission Bus Program
AC Transit, with nearly $14 million in grants,
and SunLine Transit with grants totaling $4 million, is initiating an internationally
recognized fuel cell demonstration program. As members of the California Fuel Cell Partnership,
the primary objective is to work in partnership with the private sector to commercialize
fuel cell technology for the transit industry.
Zero-emission, fuel cell buses are quiet, electrically propelled
vehicles, that are environmentally friendly, with only distilled water exhaust emitted
from the tailpipe in the form of steam, which evaporates and has no adverse impacts to air
quality.
Acting as the lead agency in the procurement process, AC Transit is
entering into an exclusive agreement with ISE Research – ThunderVolt (ISE) of San
Diego, (a designer and integrators of fuel cell and electric hybrid propulsion systems),
and UTC Fuel Cells of Connecticut, (a United Technologies company), for the delivery of
four fuel cell buses, between July and December of 2004. Three buses will be owned and
operated by AC Transit, who will work cooperatively with the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway,
and Transportation District in San Rafael, to demonstrate and evaluate fuel cells vehicles
in comparison with diesel buses. SunLine Transit will own and operate a fourth bus....
Fuel cell, hybrid-electric propulsion system, utilizing a 170-kilowatt
fuel cell from UTC, and either high-density, lightweight batteries or ultra capacitors, to
provide acceleration and hill-climbing power and to store energy from regenerative
braking. -- AC Transit
"The
evolutionary process will include stationary power plants by the end of 2003 at a cost of
$1,500-$2,000 followed by inner city bus demonstrations in the 2004-2005 timeframe and
commercial availability in 2006. Success in these applications will help drive towards $50
per kilowatt for the automotive market around the end of the decade. These milestones are
aggressive, but can be met and serve as appropriate benchmarks for progress."
Mr. William T. Miller
President, UTC Fuel Cells
 |
President Bush talks with William
T. Miller, president of UTC Fuel Cells, right, during an energy policy event on the South
Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 25. - AP
|
"We happen to believe that
fuel cells are the wave of the future; that fuel cells offer incredible opportunity."
U.S. President George Bush
|
|
|
Ballard Powers
DaimlerChrysler's Fuel Cell Vehicle
on a 3,000 Mile Drive Across the United States
Ballard/Business Wire June 4, 2002
The successful completion of this 13-day,
3,000 mile (4,800 kilometre) endurance test is the world's first for a fuel cell vehicle
and demonstrates a new level of reliability and endurance achieved by Ballard fuel cell
engines. The NECAR 5 is a Mercedes-Benz A Class vehicle powered by a Ballard fuel cell
engine generating 75 kilowatts of power. Hydrogen is generated onboard the vehicle from
methanol, utilizing a fuel processor developed by Ballard.
 |
HONDA
FCX-V5S SACRIFICED
IN CRASH TESTS |
Japan recently gave
fuel cells another boost towards commercialization when Honda, the country's second
largest automaker, started conducting crash tests of its FCX-V5 fuel cell vehicle. The
company conducted front and rear end collision tests at a speed of nearly 35 miles per
hour (55 kilometers per hour). The results showed high levels of passenger protection
safety and no hydrogen leaked from the high pressure fuel tank.
The tests are expected to assuage some fears associated
with carrying hydrogen onboard vehicles. Honda plans on following these tests with more
severe tests, including side and front offset collision tests for its FCX-V5, which will
be road tested on public roads starting next month. The company's 2003 fuel cell vehicle,
which is scheduled to be sold commercially in limited numbers next year, will be crash
tested at a speed of nearly 40 mph (64 kilometers/hour) for front offset collisions, a
type of test that is not obligatory.
Fuel Cell Vehicles Get Boost in
Japan EarthVision
April 30, 2002 |
"We decided at today's cabinet
meeting that the government would start buying fuel cell vehicles from next year if car
companies are able to market them."
Junichiro Koizumi, Prime
Minister of Japan
Fuel Cell
Vehicles Get Boost in Japan EarthVision
April 30, 2002
 Experimental Hydrogen Powered Shelby Cobra
FOR SALE $125,000 (CHEAP) |
The Hydrogen
Cobra was built for racecar driver and auto designer, Carroll Shelby, to demonstrate
that hydrogen could be used as a clean and safe transportation fuel.
The Hydrogen Cobra won the Clemson University Mark Brooks
Memorial Trophy for the fastest Hydrogen-fueled vehicle to run at the Bonneville Salt
Flats 2001 World Finals. In addition, the Hydrogen Cobra received "A" grades
(gold metals) in acceleration and the slalom course at the 2001 Michelin Challenge
Alternative Fueled Vehicle rally. (No other hydrogen fueled vehicle was able to
achieve a grade higher than a "D" in acceleration or higher than a "C"
in the Slalom).
The vehicle can also be operated on
Natural Gas or Propane. Gasoline can be used if the hydrogen fuel injectors are replaced
with gasoline injectors. The original gasoline carburetor and manifold are also included.
For more information, please contact James Heffel at (909)
781-5783 or heffel@cert.ucr.edu |
This vehicle comes with an aluminum, naturally aspirated, 8-cylinder
Shelby 427 engine bored and stroked to 526 cubic inches and a 5-speed TKO
transmission. |
Hydrogen is stored on-board the vehicle at 3,600 psi in a Type IV
pressure tank. Two high flow pressure regulators are used to control the input
pressure to the 16 electronically controlled hydrogen fuel injectors. |
Accessories include a removable SCTA approved roll cage, a fire suppressions system,
aluminum bucket seat, hydrogen leak detection system, and custom trailer with on-board
hydrogen storage. |
H2 Cobra
James Heffel
UC Riverside
Quicktime by VIMS |
 |
"The vehicle
used for the Hydrogen Cobra is a 're-introduction' of the 1965 427 Cobra and was made by
Carroll Shelby's company in Las Vegas, Nevada. While it is not an original Cobra, it is
not a 'kit car' either. Shelby is making 40 of these Cobras this year to mark the 40th
anniversary of the first Cobra.
"Last week one of these Cobras (gasoline powered) sold for
$205,000. This is $80,000 more than what the Hydrogen Cobra is selling for ($80,000 will
buy a heck of a lot of hydrogen - even at $8/gallon).
"WE DID IT! - We are now making hydrogen vehicles cheaper than
gasoline vehicles!" -- James Heffel
June 7, 2002 |
| CHBC
NOTE: THE COMMERCIAL AVAILABILITY OF A GENUINE SHELBY COBRA POWERED BY HYDROGEN
PRESENTS A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY FOR SOMEONE WITH THE FINANCIAL MEANS TO PRIVATELY PRODUCE
FUEL FOR THE VEHICLE WITH A RENEWABLE HYDROGEN GENERATION SYSTEM. BE A HYDROGEN
HERO. CONTACT CHBC FOR
INFORMATION ON HOW THIS CAN BE ENGINEERED AND CO-FINANCED. |
"Hydrogen has
been called the ultimate fuel, and the sun is the ultimate source of energy. If you tap
into that, and you should, it changes the world beyond anything anybody could
expect."
Stan Ovshinsky
CEO, Energy
Conversion Devices and
Time Hero
of the Planet
Taking a Lighter
Approach to Solar Power AP
April 29, 2002 |
CHBC SPECIAL REPORT
HYDROGEN
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE TECHNOLOGY SURGES AHEAD
--- LEAD BY BMW AND FORD --- |
"The target of all the
auto manufacturers is to provide a vehicle that has the same kind of range, comfort,
acceleration and so forth, with the addition of being a very clean vehicle. It also will
be a very quiet vehicle because of the fuel cell. As far as horsepower, with the electric
drive you’ll get tremendous torque, or power at the wheels, and it’ll be kind of
a different animal here."
Jim Ohi
National
Renewable Energy Laboratory Distributed Energy Resources Center
INTERVIEW: Alternative Fuel Researcher Jim
Ohi
MSNBC March
12, 2002
The lack of
refueling infrastructure is one of the major challenges facing commercialization of fuel
cell vehicles. Initially, fuel cell vehicles will be marketed as fleets to organizations
that have the ability to install hydrogen-refueling stations.
Ford
Motor Company
|
"We decided at today's cabinet
meeting that the government would start buying fuel cell vehicles from next year if car
companies are able to market them."
Junichiro Koizumi, Prime
Minister of Japan
Fuel Cell
Vehicles Get Boost in Japan EarthVision
April 30, 2002
QUANTUM
Selected
as Preferred Technology
Supplier to
Hydrogen World Land
Speed
Record
Contender
Jim Heffel
with the Hydrogen Powered Shelby Cobra |
QUANTUM Technologies, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary
of
IMPCO Technologies Inc,
(Nasdaq: IMCO) today announced that its advanced hydrogen storage system and hydrogen fuel
injectors have been selected by Carroll Shelby and James Heffel who will attempt to break
the world land speed record for hydrogen internal combustion engines.
Carroll Shelby, Cobra's inventor and producer, has teamed-up with James
Heffel, Research Engineer for the University of California, Riverside Center for
Environmental Research and Technology, to develop the fastest hydrogen production vehicle
in the world and enter it in the hydrogen speed event at Bonneville.
Heffel has experimented with improving the performance of
hydrogen-powered vehicles for over 8 years. "The QUANTUM hydrogen fuel storage tanks
were chosen for their fuel storage capability and ultra-light weight. Using QUANTUM's
leading edge hydrogen storage tank, the Cobra's on-board fuel storage tank weight will be
dramatically lowered," said James Heffel. "The injectors were selected for their
ability to precisely meter large quantities of hydrogen gas required by the 300+ HP
Cobra." At 7.5% hydrogen storage by weight, QUANTUM's fuel storage system achieves a
400-mile range at a total weight below 150 lbs., as compared with 660 lbs. for existing
technologies. In November 2000, QUANTUM, in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National
Laboratory and Thiokol Propulsion, demonstrated 11.3% hydrogen by weight storage tank
technology-a new world record.
-- IMPCO/PRNewswire March 1, 2001 |
 The Hydrogen Cobra Video
THE
CHBC's MOST POPULAR VIDEO!
Get Quicktime
|
ExxonMobil
Joins Fuel Cell Partnership
New
Honda-Designed Fuel Cell Added
To California Fuel Cell Vehicle Demonstration Program
|
 |
United
States
Fuel
Cell
Council
New
brochure
DOWNLOAD |
NRDC/Clean Air & Energy:
Transportation: In Depth: Report
No Breathing in the Aisles -
Diesel Exhaust Inside School Buses
Poway Opening:
Purring With
Power
by Frank Green Union Tribune San Diego,
CA
"We'll probably add another 30
employees this year," said Xcellsis' Rick Cooper, noting that the company plans to
produce 50 fuel-cell engines a month at the factory. Cooper said he expects Poway and
other areas of North County to ultimately become a magnet for small companies looking to
support the region's burgeoning fuel-cell industry. (Ford's Think Group electric-vehicle
enterprise, which is working with Xcellsis, is based in Carlsbad.) "We should see
some of our suppliers moving closer to home," Cooper said. more
See the XCELLSiS Fuel Cell
Bus at Sunline Transit. Take the
HTAP
PHOTO TOUR |
'Premacy FC-EV'
Mazda Introduces New Fuel Cell
Electric Vehicle
February 13, 2001
The five-seat Premacy FC-EV is powered
by a methanol reformer fuel cell system and electric motor. The components, including fuel
cell stacks and reformer unit, have been miniaturized to be mounted under the floor.
Through this effort, Mazda successfully realized a space for five adults without major
structural modifications of the base model. The
Premacy FC-EV has been developed in cooperation with Ford's TH!NK group.
TOYOTA
INTRODUCES
HYDRIDE STORAGE IN FC HYBRID
The fuel cell hybrid switches back and forth between the fuel cell
and battery-operated electric motor. It runs on pure hydrogen stored inside the car in an
alloy -- a mixture of metals -- that absorbs hydrogen.
Toyota
February 27, 2001
BMW
& Delphi Present the First Development Vehicle Equipped With a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell
Replacing Oil With Hydrogen:
Ford Exec Says
Hydrogen-Fueled Cars Are in Future
February 6, 2001 MSNBC/Reuters |
“We believe
that fuel cell cars have the potential
in our life-time to end the 100-year reign
of the internal combustion engine.”
Ford of Europe Chairman Nick Scheele |
| Most car makers are developing fuel cell
technology, which uses a chemical process to convert hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen into
electricity. ...Car makers say it will be many years before fuel cell cars are
widely available because of the high cost to make them and the difficulties of
distributing and storing hydrogen. |
“Developing
the use of hydrogen as a fuel would allow us to reduce road transport’s impact on air
quality and help reduce our reliance on oil products."
European Union Commissioner Loyola de Palacio |
DaimlerChrysler,
Mazda to Test Fuel Cells in Japan;
Honda in California
Hydrogen in the Oil
Emirate:
The CleanEnergy WorldTour 2001 Kicks Off in Dubai
 |
Air
Quality Board Eases
Mandate For Electric Cars
Robert Salladay - San Francisco Chronicle |
With powerful lobbyists from Detroit
and environmentalists from around the world watching, state air-quality officials voted
last night to revolutionize the car market by requiring 3 million electric and
low-polluting vehicles to be sold in California over the next decade.
...The California Air Resources Board met yesterday
in a basement board room, with about 200 automotive lobbyists and environmentalists
looking on, to consider the new regulations. For all of them, it was one of their most
high- stakes meetings in years. The new rules essentially require the world's largest auto
makers to sell only 4,650 pollution-free cars in 2003, increasing to 14,000 by the year
2012. That's fewer than the 22,000 that the board had earlier recommended but is still the
first such mandate in the nation.
|
"I think it was the fact that the Board had confidence in
[ fuel cell ] technology which provided them with the courage
to go ahead and maintain the mandate."
Dr. Alan Lloyd, CARB Chairman
February 2, 2001 Xcellsis, Poway CA - VIMS |
...The final result, environmentalists say, should be a
greater number of cars that produce no pollution. That may mean more electric cars, or
more so-called "fuel-cell" vehicles that run on hydrogen and air. AC Transit in
Alameda County is testing some fuel-cell buses over the next few years.
|
"We
are pleased with CARB's decision to maintain its course towards the commercial
introduction of zero-emission vehicles.
The maintenance of a pure zero-emission vehicle requirement of two per cent, which
can be met with vehicles such as those powered by hydrogen fuel cells, provides an
incentive and a clear road map for the continued investment in fuel cell vehicle
technology."
Ballard
chairman Firoz Rasul
|
The California Air Resources Board
Swivels in the Battle of the Standards
by Marc B. Haefele - LA Weekly February 2, 2001
SACRAMENTO — It was good guys
vs. bad guys, heroes vs. villains and gold standard vs. silver at the California Air Resources Board
(CARB) last week, but I’m still not sure who won. The arguments were technical, but
the cognitive conflict at the 11-hour-marathon hearing was as primeval as Cain and
Abel’s. You really had to be crammed into the undersize SRO Sacramento meeting room
with 200 others to warm to the long-simmering hostilities beneath the abstruse question of
which energy will turn our wheels in decades to come. ...The CARB decision to push for
theoretical perfection seems to be based on a gamble that the fuel-cell car — which
also counts as a ZEV — can become a viable alternative to gas-powered autos within
the next four years. Right now, a fuel-cell car’s practical mileage is said to be
only slightly greater than a battery vehicle’s. Its promoters say they’ll double
that range in a few years (and perhaps widen the range of fuels — currently,
zero-emission cells use hard-to-come-by hydrogen gas). But then, manufacturers were unable
to deliver when they made the same promise regarding electric cars 20 years ago. Or, for
that matter, 90 years ago. It’s a sad fact that basic science often responds poorly
to the demands of politics. If the fuel cell’s science does pan out, the CARB wins
its wager and we’ll have better air quality. If it loses, the board will have
forfeited a chance to use more practical, if less idealistic, means to gain cleaner air.
more
Harsh Reality for California's
Electric Car Owners
by Warren Brown - Washington Post January 26, 2001
"We just have to come up with a better battery," said Robert C. Stempel, a
former General Motors Corp. chairman who now heads
Energy Conversion Devices,
Inc., a Michigan-based company engaged in advanced battery research. ...But it's
hard to do that when the power is off. Of course, California is a special case. Everything
about California is special. For example, electric utility deregulation there seemed to be
done for special interests, the power companies and their suppliers, at the expense of
consumers. When the power comes back on a more-or-less permanent basis, it'll come at a
higher price per kilowatt hour – not exactly ideal for people interested in
zero-emission vehicles. Curiously, all of this is happening just when the California Air Resources Board
is considering, once again, weakening the state's zero-emission-vehicle mandate.
Currently, automakers selling more than 35,000 vehicles annually in California are under
orders to make four percent of their new-vehicle fleets all-electrics. Failure to meet
that goal would result in a per vehicle fine of $5,000. But lukewarm consumer demand for
all-electrics was beginning to undermine that mandate; and now, with the
on-again-off-again service shenanigans of Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas &
Electric, it could be lights out for all-electrics altogether. But battery developer
Stempel believes that doesn't have to be the case. For example, he said his company is
developing hydrogen fuel cells that can give a compact car gasoline-equivalent mileage
without the need to plug in. Essentially, through a chemical reaction, the fuel cells
convert hydrogen to electricity. The by-product is water vapor. The problem is safely and
conveniently storing hydrogen, which can be dangerous if not handled properly. Energy
Conversion Devices is developing a "solid" storage system, in which hydrogen
atoms are trapped, or stored in a metal hydride matrix. This allows the cell to carry more
usable hydrogen in smaller packages, Stempel said. It sounds complicated; and many
problems remain before fuel cells can be introduced into the mass market. "But this
is a coming technology," Stempel said. He said the same thing to his former auto
industry colleagues at the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
"They listened to me. A lot of them seemed interested," Stempel said of the
automakers. But there was a little chuckle in his voice. "It's a lot like 1973,"
he said. "Back then, nobody in Detroit wanted to hear about small cars. They said
that small cars wouldn't sell. Leave it to the Japanese. "Well, we left it to the
Japanese. You know what happened. "So, I told them: 'Hey, guys, here we go again. We
were wrong about those small cars. We don't want to be wrong about this.'‚" Will
they listen? Stempel thinks so. They'll listen regardless of what happens in California,
regardless of who is sitting in the White House. It's all about competition, Stempel said.
The Japanese and Europeans are moving ahead with the development of hydrogen fuel cells.
Detroit can't afford to wait, or lag behind the way it did in the 1970s. "The public
isn't going to stand for that," Stempel said. "They'll do the same thing they
did in 1973. We didn't have what they needed and wanted. They left us behind."
Ballard Supports California Move for Minimum Number
of Zero-Emission Vehicles - Canoe
Money (Canada)
Dynetek Industries Ltd.
Supports
California Air Resources Board Amendments - Canada Newswire |
The
Ultimate Challenge:
Manufacturing of Fuel Cell Vehicles
by Marc W. Jensen - Environment
Magazine
Power Crisis Is Weapon in
Electric Car Debate
by John O'Dell - Los Angeles Times |
Hypercar Piques the Auto Industry,
Pushed by Green Guru Amory Lovins
by Jeffrey Ball
Wall Street Journal January 9, 2001 |
|
Hypercar’s
strategy is to prove its technology by selling to fleets such as utility companies and
delivery services that could install centralized hydrogen-refueling facilities. ...BP
Amoco PLC has invested about $500,000 in Hypercar.
Its hope is that Mr. Lovins’s project will spur the world’s established auto
makers to move boldly to produce cleaner vehicles. more |
"I believe fuel
cells will finally end
the 100-year reign
of the internal combustion engine."
Bill Ford, Chairman Ford Motor Company
Ford
Expects 'Green' Future - Financial Times (UK)
 |
Stuart Energy
Enters California
Fuel Cell Partnership |
November
22, 2000 PRNewswire |
"We are very excited to become an Associate Member of the
California Fuel Cell partnership. We are already providing hydrogen to the
Partnership at SunLine Transit in Thousand Palms, and we are confident
that we can play an enabling role in a hydrogen fueling infrastructure in California to
help make fuel cell vehicles a success."
Andrew Stuart, President and CEO, Stuart Energy Systems |
Fuel Cell Cars Head to California - MSNBC
Video Interview of
Ballard's Rasul, Damiler's Panik and Ford's Wallace
Volkswagen Unveils A Mock-Up Of
Its First Fuel-Cell Car
At Grand Opening of the California Fuel Cell Partnership - VW
"We have now overcome
the major technological obstacles facing the development of the fuel cell drive
system."
Dr. Ferdinand Panik, CEO of EXCELSiS
Fuel Cell Cars
Closer to Hitting the Road - CNN
Fuel
Cell Engine Maker XCELLSiS
Joins California Fuel Cell Partnership |
October 31, 2000 |
 Dr. Ferdinand Panik, XCELLSiS President and CEO, said the
selection of XCELLSiS as a full partner in the CaFCP is significant in that it recognizes
the company's ongoing success in designing fuel cell engines and demonstrating their
effectiveness in automotive and transit bus applications.
"The California Fuel Cell Partnership is leading the way in
proving that fuel cell-powered cars and buses represent the future of zero-emission
transportation, and we are honored to be joining them in this important initiative,"
said Dr. Panik. "XCELLSiS continues to make great progress in the development of fuel
cell engines, and we believe that our experience and enthusiasm will benefit the
Partnership and ultimately help shape the future of transportation."
XCELLSiS fuel cell engines powered seven of the twelve vehicles
featured at the recent CaFCP Grand Opening Ceremony, held on November 1 in Sacramento,
California. The latest XCELLSiS passenger car engine, a 75-kW hydrogen-fueled engine, was
demonstrated in the new DaimlerChrysler Necar and Ford Focus FCV. The engine incorporates Ballard Power Systems' Mark 9
fuel cell stack and represents a key milestone in XCELLSiS' advanced hydrogen engine
development program.
 Limited
production of XCELLSiS advanced hydrogen engines is slated to begin in late 2003/early
2004. XCELLSiS heavy-duty fuel cell engines were also featured in the transit buses
present at the CaFCP ceremony. The hydrogen-fueled ZEbus (Zero Emission Bus) was the first
demonstration vehicle delivered to the CaFCP. The vehicle is powered by a Phase 4 205-kW
hydrogen-fueled engine and is currently participating in a one-year testing program at Sunline Transit Agency in
Thousand Palms, California.
XCELLSiS Phase 5 heavy-duty fuel cell engines will be in operation in
30 EvoBus Citaros starting in early 2003 in 10 cities in Western Europe. XCELLSiS is also
looking to supply engines for the CaFCP's bus program, which will feature 20 North
American fuel cell buses operating at Sunline Transit and AC Transit (Oakland, California)
starting in 2003.
 John Wallace,
Executive Director of the TH!NK Group, an enterprise of Ford Motor Company, and Chairman
of the CaFCP Steering Team, welcomed XCELLSiS to the partnership as a logical choice. "We are very pleased to have XCELLSiS as a full
member of the Fuel Cell Partnership," said Wallace. "XCELLSiS shares our
commitment to advancing fuel cell technology and we expect that the Partnership will
benefit greatly from their international experience."
EXCELLSiS/PRNewswire/Photos: VIMS
The
XCELLSiS Projects |
DaimlerChrysler to Test Drive New
Fuel-Cell Vehicle
Detroit Free Press |
Are Fuel Cell Cars Next? |
 |
California Air
Resources Board Approves Guidelines
for ZEV Incentive Program
December 7, 2000 |
The Zero-Emission Vehicle Incentive Program is the result of
legislation signed by Governor Gray Davis on September 30, 2000 (AB 2061 –
Lowenthal). The program will provide a total of $18 million in grants to reduce
the incremental cost of new ZEV purchases or leases over the next three years.
Individual grants totaling up to $9,000 may be provided over a 36-month period.
These grants are available to qualified private and public
consumers who purchase or lease a new ZEV between October 1, 2000, and December 31, 2002.
If each recipient is awarded the full $9,000, this program would support 2,000 vehicles.
Applications will start being taken as soon as December 15,
2000 with the first grants being distributed by February 1, 2001. The program may only
provide grants to individuals, local government, state agencies, nonprofit organizations,
and private businesses purchasing or leasing an eligible ZEV. moreCalifornia
Air Resources Board |
 Development and Demonstration
of Distributed Hydrogen Refueling Stations
within South Coast Air Basin
October 20, 2000
"Each station will be a packaged transportable system.
Each system will have generation, purification, compression, dispensing and, preferably
storage capacity. Each station would be fast-fill capable, compatible with early
fuel cell vehicles, and should have the capacity to dispense fill two vehicles overnight
at slow fill with hydrogen at 99.995% purity, into onboard cylinders at 5000
psia."
SOUTH COAST AIR
QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
REQUEST
FOR PROPOSALS RFP #P2001-17 Proposal |
Toyota 'Interested'
in California Fuel Cell Project
by Kae Inoue Bloomberg/Detroit Press
October 3, 2000 |
|
"We have a positive interest in the California Fuel Cell Partnership,
but no final decision has been made," said company spokesman Koki Konishi. He added
that Toyota is willing to work with rival automakers to choose fuels to run cars that use
the devices and to help create the fueling infrastructure that will be needed. |
FINANCIER PURCHASES $15M GM STOCK
GM OPENING DELAYED ON DOW FRI MORN
GM Says Carl Icahn Intends to Purchase at Least $15 Mln Stake
Bloomberg
August
18, 2000
GM and Opel Boast
World's Most Advanced
'Road-Going' Fuel-Cell Vehicle
by Bob Krantz - Ward's AutoWorld
August
18, 2000
GM Plans
High-Volume
Production
of Fuel-Cell Vehicles
Detroit Free Press
June 30, 2000
"This morning, we are very pleased to announce
that we have developed a gasoline processor that exceeds 80 percent efficiency. We intend
to integrate an advanced version of this new processor with a GM fuel cell stack in a
25-kilowatt output system. And we will test the system in a fuel cell vehicle within 18
months. We expect this early-generation system to achieve nearly 40 percent peak
efficiency. As a reference, this results in nearly twice the efficiency of today’s
vehicles over a typical drive cycle."
21st Century Vehicles
Lawrence D. Burns, General Motors Corporation
August 10, 2000
University of
Michigan Management Briefing Seminars
"Why are we pursuing a technology that has been
associated with space flight and other high tech applications? The reason is that
the fuel cell vehicle – and specifically the gasoline powered fuel cell vehicle
– has the potential to be twice as efficient and to produce half the CO2
produced by today’s conventional internal combustion engine vehicle. And it can
also markedly reduce regulated emissions. ...We believe that fuel cell vehicle technology
utilizing a gasoline fuel processor represents a major technical innovation. This
vehicle technology offers too many advantages to be considered just a passing fad.
Whether it can become commercially significant depends on its ability to gain broad
consumer acceptance by demonstrating competitive cost and performance."
GM/ExxonMobil Partnership for On-Board
Reforming
of Gasoline For Fuel Cell Vehicles
William R. R. Innes
President of ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company
August 10, 2000
University of Michigan Management Briefing Seminars
|
"If you want a large
SUV that will haul 3/4 of a ton up a 30 percent grade, be safer than safest car,... get
about 120 m.p.g., and emit nothing but hot drinking water, we now know how to do
that."
Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute
Return of the Jetta: Mileage Matters Again
March 10, 2000 Christian Science Monitor
Hyundai-Kia, Daewoo Develop Alternative Fuel
Automobile
BOLD
BMW
CHALLENGES GERMAN LEADERSHIP
15 BMW Clean Energy Hydrogen Vehicles Pose Before the
Brandenburg Gate
"We chose Berlin as the venue
for our launch to make clear to politicians that we, the industry, are ready for this, and
we want them to have a clear signal that we expect them to act."
Johannes Neukirchen, BMW's Berlin Director
"We feel that hydrogen,
generated from a renewable resource such as sunlight, is the only viable long-term
solution to providing an absolutely environmentally sound fuel."
Henrich Heitmann, Board Member for BMW AG
"In 2010 there should be a
sufficient density of hydrogen filling stations all over Europe."
Burkhard Goeschel, BMW R&D head |
German Greens
May Put Anti-Car Policy in
Reverse
May 30, 2000 Environmental
News Service
Possible concessions over the party's strategy on cars follow other compromises
made by the Greens since coming to power in September 1998. ... The discussion paper
promotes renewably produced hydrogen fuel cell and solar powered electric vehicles as
replacements for petrol, diesel, kerosene and oil and goes on to encourage lightweight
"three-litre cars." |
BMW's Car for Tomorrow
Society of Automotive Engineers |
BMW Declares Hydrogen Era Opened
by Starting
Clean Energy Project
German Hydrogen Association May 16, 2000
IS THERE
AN H2 APU IN YOUR FUTURE?
BMW Sidesteps the Fuel-Cell Bandwagon
by Dennis Simanaitis
ROAD & TRACK, November 1999 |
"Germany is 10 giant steps ahead of the rest of the world
with regard to developmental work on hydrogen technology for use as an automotive
fuel."
Bob Keeley, editor of CryoGas
International |
BMW Counts on
Alternative Energy Sources
by David Gow - The Guardian (UK)
September 28, 2000
The recent fuel crisis underlined
the degree to which modern economies depend on oil but also that to which oil is a finite
resource. Opec countries already realise that the time for achieving maximum revenues may
be relatively short-lived, and Saudi Arabian ministers have said that the emergence of
alternative fuels such as hydrogen should stabilise oil prices.
At an extraordinarily eerie filling station
behind the cargo area at the Bavarian capital's airport, you can already fill up a top of
the range BMW 7 series with the fuel of the future: liquid hydrogen.
A robotic arm, triggered by a series of electronic messages from
the dashboard and a smart payment card, glides out and fills the 750HL with up to 140
litres of liquid hydrogen - enough to travel 400km. The fuel is stored, at -253 C, in a
tank fitted behind the rear seats that, according to Martin Geier, a BMW research
executive, can withstand a full scale, rear end crash.
The 5.4 litre engine, producing 204HP, does 0-100km in 9.6
seconds (compared with 6.8 for a conventional 750iL) and has a top speed of 226km an hour
(compared with 250). It uses 40 litres per 100km compared with 13.8 for its conventional
sister and the three or four litres of petrol now targeted by manufacturers. And in case
the hydrogen runs out and the driver is not near the DM34m (£10m) filling station at the
airport, it has a 95-litre reserve petrol tank.
The only problem is that you cannot yet buy the vehicle. There
are only 15 such cars running in Germany. But Burkhard Goeschel, BMW's development
director, says the engine has reached the stage where it is virtually ready to go into
series production, and forecasts that at least several thousand will have been sold within
the next few years. "Series production, technically, can be started within a couple
of months," says Mr Geier. more |
''History
will decide, but my opinion is that customers will like combustion engines more than fuel
cells."
BMW Chairman Joachim Milberg. |
Is BMW Building a Hydrogen
Bombshell?
by Christine Tierney - Business Week September 18, 2000
''Hydrogen's the right way to go,''
says Burkhard Goschel, BMW's director of vehicle development. ''You're solving the problem
once and for all.''
...Indeed, the sleek BMW 750hL, expected to cost upward of
$100,000, looks and feels like a high-performance luxury car. It has a top speed of 140
mph, 50 mph more than DaimlerChrysler's latest fuel-cell demonstrator, the NECAR 4.
...BMW's hydrogen car will contain both hydrogen and gasoline
tanks. So if the hydrogen runs low, the driver can switch to gas by pressing a button.
Christopher Will, a car analyst at Lehman Brothers Inc., believes BMW's bet looks shrewd.
The company's sticking to what it knows best, high-performance engines. It's not signing
onto huge investments in new engine production, and it's safeguarding its brand identity.
''Performance is central to the BMW brand,'' Will says.
''I wouldn't be surprised if they set an industry standard. In terms of current engine
technology, they already do.'' For BMW, the 750hL is just the start. Goschel's
already thinking about bringing the technology to the Rolls-Royce nameplate, which BMW
will acquire in 2003. |
June 15,
2000 |
 U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
JOINS CALIFORNIA FUEL CELL PARTNERSHIP
(SACRAMENTO) — The California Fuel Cell Partnership today announced that the United
States Department of Transportation has joined its public-private venture to demonstrate
and promote fuel cell vehicles as a technology both environmentally safe and commercially
viable. The Partnership -- which formally began in April 1999 -- includes auto
manufacturers (DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen); energy
providers (BP Amoco, Shell, and Texaco); a fuel cell company (Ballard Power Systems); and
government agencies (the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission,
the U.S. Department of Energy, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and now
the U.S. Department of Transportation).
DOT is the federal agency which develops and implements national transportation policy and
programs. The agency has demonstrable experience with fuel cell-powered applications for
transportation, including transit buses. DOT’s fuel cell experience will enhance the
Partnership’s fuel cell demonstration and infrastructure efforts. DOT’s
involvement will be coordinated through their Advanced Vehicle and Federal Transit
Adminstration programs. The California Fuel Cell Partnership is a voluntary effort
to advance a new automobile technology that could move the world toward practical and
affordable environmental solutions. The Partnership will demonstrate fuel cell-powered
electric vehicles under real day-to-day driving conditions; will demonstrate the viability
of an alternative fuel infrastructure technology; explore the path to commercialization;
and increase public awareness of fuel cell electric vehicles. The Partnership will place
more than 70 fuel cell passenger cars and fuel cell buses on the road between 2000 and
2003. |
|
Hyundai
Joins
California
Fuel Cell Partnership
June 9, 2000 |
 |
SACRAMENTO -- The California Fuel Cell Partnership today announced that
Korean automotive manufacturer Hyundai
has joined its public-private venture to help demonstrate and commercialize fuel cell
electric vehicles in California over the next four years.
The Partnership which formally began in April 1999 includes auto
manufacturers (DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Volkswagen, and now Hyundai); energy
providers (ARCO, Shell, and Texaco); a fuel cell company (Ballard Power Systems); and
government agencies (the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission,
and the U.S. Department of Energy).
Hyundai will occupy one of the garage bays at the Partnership’s
planned West Sacramento facility . Along with
other automakers, Hyundai will contribute fuel cell-powered vehicles for testing and
demonstrating in California beginning this fall. -- California Fuel Cell Partnership |
 Hydrogen
On Wheels
Space-age technology comes down to Earth to power the car of the future
by Dan McCosh
Popular
Science May 2000
|
The recent advances in fuel cells have been dramatic. A few years
ago, the pumps and cell stacks barely fit inside a commercial van. The system shrank
to smaller vans, then filled the entire enterior of a car. As of January, a
demonstratable unit fit under the floor and seats of a Ford Focus.
...The series 900 fuel cell unveiled this year by Ballard Corp., the Vancouver, Canada, company that is
the leading developer of automotive fuel cells, could be manufactured, along with the
drive motor, for as little as $60 per kilowatt. |
 |
Just released by the
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
January 2000
Blueprint for
Hydrogen Fuel
Infrastructure Development |
"The key finding of the workshop is encouraging:
...there are no technical
showstoppers to implementing a near-term hydrogen fuel infrastructure for direct hydrogen
fuel cell vehicles." |
This Blueprint for
Hydrogen Fuel Infrastructure Development is based on a workshop held in October 1999.
The workshop, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the California Air
Resources Board (CARB), and the California Energy Commission (CEC), posed the question:
What has to be done, beginning today, to implement a
hydrogen fuel infrastructure so that when hydrogen vehicles become market-ready in
3–5 years, the infrastructure needed for on-board direct use of hydrogen will be
available?
The workshop did not specifically address the issue of fuel
choice (direct hydrogen versus on-board reforming of a liquid fuel). Although the
participants acknowledged that fuel choice is an open issue, the workshop focused on
near-term direct hydrogen systems with on-board hydrogen storage. This near-term focus
does not preclude longer-term concerns, such as climate change and the sustainable use of
resources. In fact, if this Blueprint is successful in addressing the near-term question,
it will also help to enable optimal carbon management strategies and, eventually, result
in the decoupling of energy use and environmental pollution in the transportation sector.
This Blueprint is based on a consensus among the workshop participants
on the desirable attributes of a hydrogen fuel infrastructure, as well as on an estimate
of the number, type, and uses of hydrogen vehicles anticipated in the 2000–2005 time
period. This Blueprint also explores how addressing near-term requirements and barriers
will facilitate establishment of a commercial-scale hydrogen fuel infrastructure. -
NREL |
Industry Concludes Hydrogen Fuel Not A Problem
Dr. Paul Scott Addresses the California Hydrogen Business Council
October 25, 1999 Lake Tahoe, California
"As we went around the table one by
one, the overall consensus was that the fuel suppliers - indicating that they would
require a purchase order and some time - would provide the fuel.
There is no problem!
And it suddenly came to the realization of everyone there
that this is doable with present technology. Bring in the cars. Issue
purchase orders. You will have the fuel. And that came as a bit of a surprise to some of
the people there from the government." |
|
Visit California's
most advanced and visionary transportation agency.
Hythane & hydrogen buses form the
nexus of a new clean air cluster! |
Texaco Takes
Alternative Fuel Cell Step
May 2, 2000 Reuters |
Texaco Inc. on Tuesday became the first U.S. major oil company to take a big stride toward
hydrogen energy, a clean energy that could one day replace petroleum. Texaco, the third
largest oil company in the United States, agreed to invest $67.3 million for a 20 percent
stake in a fuel cell and alternative energy company Energy Conversion Devices Inc. |
William
Wicker, a Texaco senior vice president, said at a conference in Detroit that the
investment is a potential "game changing" situation in the energy business,
particularly in fueling automobiles.
|
|
The move comes just two months after the White Plains, New York based oil company quit the
Global Climate Coalition, a business group that opposes the Kyoto treaty's approach to
fighting global warming. |
Texaco Appears to Moderate Stance
On the Issue of Global Warming
by Steve Liesman
Wall Street Journal
May 15, 2000
In the oil industry, the big Europeans, BP Amoco PLC and Royal
Dutch/Shell Group, were early leaders in embracing the need for change. However, the U.S.
industry, led by Exxon Mobil Corp., generally has insisted that the global-warming theory
is unproven, and that efforts to curb carbon output will do more economic harm than
environmental good.
Until recently, environmentalists viewed Texaco as backing a set of
policies "antithetical to the agenda that we need to pursue to protect our planet's
health," said Gregory Wetstone, director of programs at the Natural Resources Defense
Council in Washington.
...Amid the headline-grabbing mergers in the fall of
1998, Texaco Chairman Peter Bijur gave a little-noticed speech in which he posited a world
where "we will see multiple ways to power cars -- hybrids, advanced batteries, fuel
cells, even cars that run on pure hydrogen." Several months later, in April 1999, the
company formed Texaco Energy Systems Inc., a fuel-cells venture.
Texaco to Explore Fuel Cell Systems Business - Businesswire April 20, 1999 |
Texaco Press Release
5/2/2000
Fuel Cells
Power Former General Motors CEO 4/7/2000
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune (Minnesotta)
Video Features Former GM CEO Stempel and ECD Ovonics Hydride
Storage Canisters - CNN 3/15/2000 |
. "Watching
an oil company making an investment into hydrogen-storage technology is a telling sign of
the industry's direction toward cleaner fuels."
-- Christine Farkas, Merrill Lynch & Co
Texaco Funding Backs Hydrogen As Fuel-Cell Power Source
Dow Jones 5/3/2000 |
Advancing
Research In Europe
by Stuart Birch, Editor
Automotive
Engineering International
Society of Automotive Engineers |
"The reformer is really
an on-board refinery, but we are miniaturizing it. We have a business relationship with
Mobil (our partner DaimlerChrysler has one with Shell) because they know how to build
refineries far better than we do. We are trying to work out how you take refinery
technology and make it automobile-like. Another type of fuel cell is one which can be fed
methanol directly with no need for a reformer. Currently, we are working in three
particular areas with regard to fuel cells: firstly, the fuel cell itself, both hydrogen
(gaseous and liquid) and methanol-fed; secondly, devices that transform liquid fuels into
hydrogen — partial oxidation devices and reformers; and thirdly, we are working on
the infrastructure. We need to decide whether the fuel cell car will use methanol; a
'designer' fuel or a natural gas derivative."
Dr. William F. Powers, VP Research, Ford Motor Company |
A brief drive in the P2000, which weighs less than 1520 kg (3344 lb) showed it to be
surprisingly responsive; Ford claims a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of about 14 seconds.
Compressor noise is similar to a dentist's high-speed drill, but Ford explains that this
is simply a prototype system. The car uses a third-generation
Ballard fuel stack and the same Ecostar electric drive system (which includes
a motor/transaxle and a traction inverter module) as the DaimlerChrysler Mercedes-Benz
A-class-based NECAR 4 fuel cell car. The P2000 has a three-stack fuel cell fitted in the
rear but an ideal layout would see a two-stack under the hood, with the fuel tank in the
rear, says the company. |
Ford Unveils TH!NK FC5 at Detroit Auto Show
Streaming Video & Audio
BP Amoco Confirms Support for California
Fuel Cell Partnership
May 12, 2000
Nissan Joins California Fuel Cell Partnership!!
March 2, 2000
|
|
California Fuel Cell
Partnership
Adds 6 New Partners!!! |
Alameda-Contra
Costa Transit District
U.S.
Department of Energy
Air Products and Chemicals
Linde AG
Praxair
SunLine Transit Agency |
Sacramento -- The California Fuel Cell Partnership
today announced the addition of new partners to its team who will add value and expertise
to the push to commercialize fuel cell electric vehicles.
The Partnership -- which formally began in April 1999 --
includes auto manufacturers DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Honda
and Volkswagen; energy providers ARCO, Shell,
and Texaco; a fuel cell company
Ballard Power Systems; and the State of California Air Resources
Board and the California Energy Commission.
Joining those partners is the U.S. Department of Energy
who will work with the state government partners to provide insight into identifying and
resolving potential technical and infrastructure barriers for fuel cell-powered cars and
buses. DOE will also help secure needed resources. DOE's office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy will be involved in the Partnership.
The Partnership has also added new associate partners --
entities who bring specific expertise to aid in fuel, vehicle, and bus demonstration
activities. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. of Allentown, Pennsylvania ; Linde
AG, headquartered in Germany; and Praxair of Danbury, Connecticut. The
companies will assist the energy partners with hydrogen fuel infrastructure needs,
particularly at the Partnership's Sacramento-area facility. All are global industry
leaders in the production, distribution and technology of industrial gases, and all have
experience developing or providing hydrogen fuel delivery systems for vehicle
manufacturers.
Additional associate partners are the Alameda-Contra
Costa Transit District, which operates a fleet of 700 public transit buses in the San
Francisco Bay Area, and SunLine Transit Agency which operates a fleet of 50
alternative-fueled buses in the Palm Springs area of southern California. Notable for
their interest in advancing alternative-fueled buses, these transit agencies were invited
to serve as test sites for the first phase of the Partnership's bus demonstration program.
As part of that effort, next year each agency will acquire two fuel cell-powered buses and
include them in regular revenue service on scheduled routes throughout their service
areas. By 2003, the Partnership plans to deploy up to twenty fuel cell-powered buses. --
California Fuel Cell Partnership |
 |
"Every carmaker in the world is rushing
to replace
the internal-combustion engine with fuel cells."
When Cars Drive You
Newsweek January 10, 2000 |
General
Motors
Precept
|
 |
GENERAL
MOTORS
Stops Production of EV1 Electric Car
Astonishing Performance Claims Made for Fuel Cell Precept
Prototype
Justin Hyde Associated
Press January 11, 2000 |
GM vice chairman Harry J. Pearce said Tuesday that GM was shifting its attention from
all-electric cars to vehicles powered by hybrid fuel-electric systems and fuel cells,
which use hydrogen to create electricity.
...GM also showed off its fuel cell technology Tuesday, unveiling a
fuel cell version of its high-efficiency Precept concept vehicle. The five-passenger sedan
has a range of 500 miles, and an equivalent of 108 miles per gallon of gasoline based on
federal testing standards, Pearce said.
Fuel cells are attractive because the only byproduct is water. One of
the biggest hurdles to using fuel cells has been ways to store liquid hydrogen in the car;
it has to be chilled to 430 degrees below zero. Instead of liquid hydrogen, the Precept's
fuel cell uses a gel-like chemical hydride that fills tanks below the rear seat.
"This is a no-excuses vehicle," Pearce said. "When this
vehicle is up and running -- as I predict it will be by the end of the year -- this
vehicle will have performance of 9 seconds, zero to 60 (mph). It will have a top speed
well in excess of 120 miles per hour."
Byron McCormick, co-executive director of GM's Global Alternative
Propulsion Center, said fuel cells will be ready for production by 2004, but more work
needs to be done to build fueling stations and other infrastructure.
"We're trying to set the stage to get millions of these out there.
... You don't clean the air by putting just a few of these on the roads," he said. |
States Get Tough
On Auto Pollution
New laws in New York and Massachusetts
may force automakers to push electric cars
November 10, 1999 by Dina Elboghdady The
Detroit News |
New York Gov. George Pataki
announced Monday that his state will adopt the California rules, the toughest in the
nation. Pataki expects the state legislature to accept the plan.
Massachusetts had previously signaled its intention to follow
California's lead, and held a hearing Tuesday to pave the way for adoption of its plan.
...California, New York and Massachusetts carry a lot of weight because
of their 18 percent share of total auto sales, their vocal stance on all issues
environmental and their trend-setting reputations.
...Electric vehicles have been a flop in California. GM sold only 94
EV1 battery-powered coupes this year. Nationwide, only about 3,000 electric vehicles have
been sold in the past four years, largely to government and commercial fleets.
Because of their range limits and other technological hurdles,
California backed away from mandating their production in 1998. But starting with the 2003
model year, 10 percent of the vehicles sold in California -- and states that adopt its
rules -- must be zero-emission vehicles.
So far, only electric vehicles can meet the requirement. But the state
allows a certain share of that 10 percent to be low-emission vehicles, such as hybrids
that run on gas and electricity. Fuel-cells that use hydrogen directly are also
pollution-free, but are years from introduction because of cost and other problems.
California
* 1998 vehicle registrations: 1.67 million
* U.S. market share: 10.6%
* Required 2003 low emissions vehicles: 167,000
New York
* 1998 vehicle registrations: 830,000
* U.S. market share: 5.2%
* Required 2003 low emissions vehicles: 83,000
Massachusetts
* 1998 vehicle registrations: 347,000
* U.S. market share: 2.2%
* Required 2003 low emissions vehicles: 34,700
1998 U.S. new vehicle
registrations: 15.7 million
-- Source: Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, GM, Ford and
DaimlerChrysler.
|
|
May 27, 1999
Successful Completion and Testing of Class 8 Truck
Demonstrates Viability of Clean Fuel Technologies In Large Vehicle Applications
The nation's first
hybrid-electric heavy-duty Class 8 truck rolled out at a meeting of the California Air
Resources Board (CARB) Thursday, pushing the leading edge of clean technologies for
heavy-duty vehicles.
Manufactured by San Diego-based ISE Research Corp. in cooperation with PACCAR, parent company of
Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks, the Hybrid Electric Prototype Truck (HEPT)
is a public-private partnership led by ISE Research, WestStart-CALSTART, CARB and the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA), among others.
The HEPT utilizes a Kenworth T-800B chassis and replaces the
diesel engine with a smaller, clean natural gas-powered engine to run a generator, which
provides power to the vehicle's electric drive motor and battery packs...
Alan
Lloyd, CARB chairman, said: "Bringing clean air ideas to the marketplace is the
real value of [CARB's
Clean Air Technology (ICAT) program.] These vehicles are the first of many that will
help us meet California's combined goals of technology advancement, economic development
and healthful air."
...The HEPT was initially funded by DARPA through WestStart-CALSTART as
part of DARPA's Electric and Hybrid-Electric Vehicle (E/HEV) Program. The truck was
designed to test a hybrid system's ability to provide comparable performance to a
diesel-powered Class 8 tractor, while also doubling fuel economy and cutting harmful
exhaust emissions by 90-95 percent.
Initial testing shows the HEPT has met this criteria, while also
delivering these additional improvements: better acceleration than diesel; greater
smoothness of operation and lower vibration; no gear shifting, since there is no
transmission; and noise reduction to the point where normal conversations are possible in
the cab.
...Also unveiled in Sacramento was the Los Angeles Hybrid Electric Bus
(LAHEB), which uses the same basic drive system as the HEPT, except with different
constituent components. The program was funded by the Federal Transit Administration
through WestStart-CALSTART, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), the
California Air Resources Board and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
...With the success of the program trials, the Los Angeles Department
of Water and Power took an interest in ISE's buses and offered extra funding to expand the
project. ISE will be retrofitting three earlier-generation hybrid-electric buses with the
new drive system. However, those three vehicles, as well as the fifth bus, will use paired
sets of 30 kW Capstone Turbine Corporation MicroTurbines as their APUs.
"Clearly, these vehicles represent breakthrough technologies
and commercial successes for a company with a growing presence in the electric and
hybrid-electric vehicle industry," said Bill Van Amburg, vice president,
WestStart-CALSTART.
"WestStart-CALSTART is proud to be a partner with ISE
Research and this team. These vehicles promise to change the face of transportation --
cleaner, more efficient -- and are clearly on the road to commercialization."
WestStart-CALSTART is an advanced transportation technologies
organization that focuses on developing new, clean technologies and solutions in
transportation.
Working with private partners worldwide, WestStart- CALSTART
provides technology development and demonstration, industry analysis, marketing, business
development and fleet implementation services. Its expertise includes electric vehicles,
natural gas vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, intelligent transportation systems (ITS)
and fuel-cell technologies. -- WestStart-CALSTART/Business Wire
[CHBC Note: Natural gas can be blended with pure hydrogen to provide even cleaner
operation of internal combustion engines and turbines. Because of this, natural gas
technologies are regarded as a "bridge" to the future Hydrogen Economy.] |
Diesel's Stranglehold on Economy Is Hard to Break
by Marla Cone Los Angeles Times
May 31, 1999
"The need
to find something better than diesel has spurred a tremendous wave of research and
development," said Bill Van Amburg, a vice president of CALSTART, a business and
government consortium promoting advanced transportation technologies in California.
For the first time in the 40 years that diesels have
dominated heavy machinery, cleaner alternatives do exist.
..."We're seeing people looking at other alternatives
when they purchase an engine," Van Amburg says. "Diesel is starting to be looked
at as a legal liability, and companies are worried about their public image."
Ten or more years from now, he predicts, perhaps only half
of new buses and delivery trucks coming on the road will run purely on diesel; half could
be powered by natural gas, exhaust-free fuel cells, or a hybrid of diesel and electricity.
But experts agree that how far new technology goes will
depend on how hard government pushes. That remains somewhat up in the air, particularly
after a federal appeals court ruling earlier this month that invalidated the Environmental
Protection Agency's effort to limit fine particles such as those emitted by diesel
engines. Without mandates or financial incentives, progress will remain slow. |
The
Carl Moyer Program
Cash Incentives for Purchasing Lower-Emission Heavy-Duty
Engines
April 1999
SCAQMD |
DamilerChrysler Hydrogen Necar 4 Awarded Grand Prize!
Popular Science's "1999 Best of What's New"
Roy McAlister's Dodge truck runs on
hydrogen.
Its lack of emissions confused testing equipment
and caused computers to grade it a "void." |
American Hydrogen Association
|
Truck's
Exhaust
Too Clean for Tests
May 17, 1999
|
| Department of
Environmental Quality officials are familiar with the woes of hydrogen vehicles. There
aren't many of them in Arizona - 37 as of late last year. That's why the emissions
computers have a hard time with the clean-burning engines, said Don Bauer, inspection and
compliance manager for the state vehicle emissions inspection program. "Hydrogen-powered vehicles emit very, very little exhaust,"
Bauer said. "We have a very difficult time reading what does come out." That
difficulty is compounded by the fact that the emissions computers are programmed to
account for a certain amount of "background" air pollution. But the hydrogen
exhaust is cleaner than the surrounding air.
It's literally eating up the background pollution, Bauer
said.
McAlister and fellow members of the
American Hydrogen Association would like the DEQ monitors to be programmed to read
negative levels of vehicle exhaust, to prove their point that hydrogen is a clean fuel.
by Mary Jo Pitzl
The Arizona Republic |
Ballard's Firoz Rasul - Engineering Alchemist
Financial Times - May 10, 1999
|
|
A major Taiwan industrial group that owns the country's largest
motorcycle manufacturer, San Yang, is moving ahead with a program to develop PEM fuel
cell- powered scooters.
...The technological keys to the
fuel cell scooter concept are a lightweight, compact fuel cell stack for a 3 kW PEM system
and a compact air cooling system that would fit into the limited space on a scooter...
The scooters are expected to operate on hydrogen, stored in
hydride canisters holding enough hydrogen for maybe an hour's worth of operation at full
power and a range of some 50 miles (80 km), according to very early estimates.
Peter
Hoffmann's Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Letter July 1999 |
|
|
The Committee on
Energy and Commerce 
Dr. Alan Lloyd
