Motor Authority - blog Tag: hydrogen

Many think the infrastructure for a hydrogen-powered car just isn’t there, and they’re mostly right. There have been a few advances in hydrogen production recently, but the distribution system is the weak point. Honda hasn’t let that deter the production of a hydrogen fueled car, and neither is Mercedes-Benz, which plans to launch a production hydrogen fuel-cell car in the U.S. next year.

The luxury automaker will build 200 of the zero-emissions vehicles, each based on the current B-Class compact. Half of these have been earmarked for the U.S., with most expected to end up in California where there are currently hydrogen...

Many think the infrastructure for a hydrogen-powered car just isn’t there, and they’re mostly right. There have been a few advances in hydrogen production recently, but the distribution system is the weak point. Honda hasn’t let that deter the production of a hydrogen fueled car, and neither is Mercedes-Benz, which plans to launch a production hydrogen fuel-cell car in the U.S. next year. The luxury automaker will build 200 of the zero-emissions vehicles, each based on the current B-Class compact. Half of these have been earmarked for the U.S., with most expected to end up in California where there are currently hydrogen filling stations. The information comes from Daimler R&D chief Thomas Weber, who revealed that the cars will go to private customers. The cars will be leased early next year, but terms have not been finalized, he explained. Mercedes-Benz showcased the fuel-cell B-Class this week at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show. The car, which you can read more on in our previous story, has better performance than a 2.0-liter gasoline car and is fully suited for everyday driving. The vehicle’s technological heart is a compact, high-performance fuel cell system, in which gaseous hydrogen reacts with atmospheric oxygen at 700 bar to generate a current to power an electric motor that then drives the front wheels. Weber said the driving range on a single tank of hydrogen should be about 250 miles. [AutoNews, sub req'd] Read More

Many think the infrastructure for a hydrogen-powered car just isn’t there, and they’re mostly right. There have been a few advances in hydrogen production recently, but the distribution system is the weak point. Honda hasn’t let that deter the production of a hydrogen fueled car, and neither is Mercedes-Benz, which today is launching its first series-produced fuel cell car on the road: the new B-Class F-CELL.

The environmentally friendly electric car has better performance than a 2.0-liter gasoline car and is fully suited for everyday driving, with the zero-emission drive system achieves the equivalent of 71 mpg of diesel. Production of the...

Many think the infrastructure for a hydrogen-powered car just isn’t there, and they’re mostly right. There have been a few advances in hydrogen production recently, but the distribution system is the weak point. Honda hasn’t let that deter the production of a hydrogen fueled car, and neither is Mercedes-Benz, which today is launching its first series-produced fuel cell car on the road: the new B-Class F-CELL. The environmentally friendly electric car has better performance than a 2.0-liter gasoline car and is fully suited for everyday driving, with the zero-emission drive system achieves the equivalent of 71 mpg of diesel. Production of the B-Class F-CELL will commence in late 2009 with a small lot. The first of around 200 vehicles will be delivered to customers in Europe and the U.S. at the beginning of next year. The vehicle’s technological heart is a compact, high-performance fuel cell system, in which gaseous hydrogen reacts with atmospheric oxygen at 700 bar to generate a current for the electric motor. The fuel cell system of the B-Class F-CELL has a very good cold-start capability even at temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius, and is good for a driving range of about 250 mi. Peak output from the electric motor stands at 136 horsepower and 214 pound-feet of torque, all of which is available from zero revs.  As in hybrids with combustion engines, the B-Class F-CELL also uses a lithium-ion battery with an output of 35 kW and a capacity of 1.4 kWh to boost power and recover braking energy. Mercedes-Benz does acknowledge that a comprehensive network of hydrogen filling stations still has to be set up before locally zero-emission driving can become a widespread reality. To make this possible, the automaker is cooperating with government authorities, energy utilities and oil companies in joint projects in places such as Hamburg, Stuttgart and California to help roll out hydrogen infrastructure. Read More

Jesse James, American engineer, stuntman and all around lunatic successfully shattered the land speed record for a hydrogen powered vehicle for his latest show Jesse James Is A Dead Man – a show in which he cheats death every week by taking on a different challenge. But not everyone is so sure of James' record.

James, who is married to actress Sandra Bullock (who starred in Speed, somewhat fittingly), claimed to have broken the world land-speed record for a hydrogen powered car June 16 in the Mojave desert. Jesse's speed of 199.7mph (321km/h) was documented by the Southern California Timing Association and beat the previous record... Jesse James, American engineer, stuntman and all around lunatic successfully shattered the land speed record for a hydrogen powered vehicle for his latest show Jesse James Is A Dead Man – a show in which he cheats death every week by taking on a different challenge. But not everyone is so sure of James' record. James, who is married to actress Sandra Bullock (who starred in Speed, somewhat fittingly), claimed to have broken the world land-speed record for a hydrogen powered car June 16 in the Mojave desert. Jesse's speed of 199.7mph (321km/h) was documented by the Southern California Timing Association and beat the previous record holder, the BMW H2R, which previously held the land-speed record for an H2 car of 185mph (298km/h). However, the BMW record was FIA-certified, and the people who keep track of the world speed records aren't taking James' claim lightly. Louise Noeth, proprietor of a site that, among other things, compiles only official FIA-sanctioned world speed records, said of James' speed record attempt: "Mr. James efforts count for absolutely nothing on the world motorsports stage and amount to little more than a self-promoting 'TV racer' PR stunt since he chose to ignore the sport's sanctioning rules that have applied to all records certified for the past 80 years." James' camp hasn't yet released any counter-argument. The vehicle he used was a 1960s relic that has been used for attempts on land-speed records before, most notably by Dees-Milodin Engineering, which named the contraption the Streamliner for fairly obvious reasons. This time around, James rebuilt the vehicle from the ground up, replacing its Chrysler engine with a twin-turbocharged 9.8L V8 engine from Chevrolet. The engine uses hydrogen gas, rather than liquid hydrogen, and considering the old 1960s Chrysler-engined Streamliner was able to hit 237mph at the Bonneville salt flats without hydrogen, the 199.2mph speed claimed by James should have been easy going for the old girl. James, who has done some amazingly dangerous stunts for his show already, told AutoWeek that he was not even scared of doing the run - but if it was us barreling down a Southern Californian salt flat at world-record speeds with two tanks of hydrogen gas pressurized to 10,00psi sitting behind us we think we'd be just a little bit apprehensive. The show was filmed June 16 and will air as the season one finale on Sunday, August 9 (10:00 PM, ET/PT) on Spike TV. Read More

Honda's FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle has grabbed lots of headlines, as has BMW's combustion-powered Hydrogen7 and Mazda's rotary RE line of vehicles, including the RX-8. But Toyota is working on a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle too, and it could be on the streets by 2014.

Well, the streets of California at least. The company had previously released plans to have a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle on the road by 2015, but that schedule has been bumped up a year to meet the incentives within California's Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate.

“So much of what happens is directly related to the California ZEV mandates — they’re followed by... Honda's FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle has grabbed lots of headlines, as has BMW's combustion-powered Hydrogen7 and Mazda's rotary RE line of vehicles, including the RX-8. But Toyota is working on a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle too, and it could be on the streets by 2014. Well, the streets of California at least. The company had previously released plans to have a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle on the road by 2015, but that schedule has been bumped up a year to meet the incentives within California's Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate. “So much of what happens is directly related to the California ZEV mandates — they’re followed by at least 14 states, and they affect nearly half of the cars on the market in the United States. Phase IV of the mandates covers model years 2015 through 2017, so that means we could begin complying in late 2014," John Hanson, a Toyota spokesperson, told the New York Times. California's ZEV scheme has previously influenced Toyota and other carmakers, including General Motors, to introduce zero-emissions vehicles, including the RAV-4 EV and the much-discussed EV-1. This time around, the monetary benefits to California's program are such that it's now a valid business case for Toyota to build the hydrogen fuel-cell car. Read More

There may be debate over who killed the electric car, but we can now say with some certainty that the culprit behind killing the hydrogen car is none other than President Barack Obama. In his new budget, the President has eliminated funding to develop hydrogen fuel-cell cars, scrapping a $1.2 billion program first introduced by George W. Bush.

The reasoning behind the decision to eliminate this funding was purely pragmatic, according to the White House. The secretary of energy, Steven Chu, explained to Automotive News that the government needs to focus on immediate solutions for improving national efficiency.

Developing a viable hydrogen... There may be debate over who killed the electric car, but we can now say with some certainty that the culprit behind killing the hydrogen car is none other than President Barack Obama. In his new budget, the President has eliminated funding to develop hydrogen fuel-cell cars, scrapping a $1.2 billion program first introduced by George W. Bush. The reasoning behind the decision to eliminate this funding was purely pragmatic, according to the White House. The secretary of energy, Steven Chu, explained to Automotive News that the government needs to focus on immediate solutions for improving national efficiency. Developing a viable hydrogen fuel-cell application for cars would need to be backed by massive changes to current infrastructure, including new hydrogen fueling stations, hydrogen pipelines and a host of other issues. Realistically speaking, the likelihood of seeing such a rollout within the next two decades was "low", according to a spokesman from the Energy Department. Instead of hydrogen fuel-cell technologies, the Obama administration will focus on solutions that can be implemented now, such as electric cars and hybrids. There will, however, still be funding in place for research into stationary fuel-cells that are not used in cars. Balancing the need for an immediate solution to current problems as well as preparing for the future has always been a tricky proposition for any President, but Obama's spending cuts on fuel-cell technologies will save taxpayers around $100 million per year - we just hope that future energy needs are also being considered.Honda FCX Clarity Read More

With its skinny, spoked open wheels and an open-air cabin, the Mercedes Benz F-CELL Roadster looks more like the cars of the turn of the 20th century than those of the 21st, but design students blended the two to illustrate a point. The combination of old and new symbolizes a rebirth of thinking about how to build and power cars.

As the name suggests, the F-CELL Roadster is powered by a 1.2kW fuel-cell system. Using drive-by-wire technology and a joystick to control the action, the car is capable of up to 15mph (25km/h) and has an estimated range of up to 217mi (350km). Though the car is high-tech, it would likely be outpaced by its... With its skinny, spoked open wheels and an open-air cabin, the Mercedes Benz F-CELL Roadster looks more like the cars of the turn of the 20th century than those of the 21st, but design students blended the two to illustrate a point. The combination of old and new symbolizes a rebirth of thinking about how to build and power cars. As the name suggests, the F-CELL Roadster is powered by a 1.2kW fuel-cell system. Using drive-by-wire technology and a joystick to control the action, the car is capable of up to 15mph (25km/h) and has an estimated range of up to 217mi (350km). Though the car is high-tech, it would likely be outpaced by its horse-drawn and early combustion-engine brethren at a sprint. Aside from the historical design elements, however, the car is all high-tech, including a set of carbon-fiber bucket seats and a fiberglass front section based on the same componentry as Formula 1 race car bodies. Altogether, it took over 150 trainees and 'dual education system' students about a year to arrive at the final design of the radical F-CELL Roadster. Every element of the car - even though it's just a rendering - has been designed from the ground up, including automotive 'mechatronics', electronics, manufacturing mechanics and even the car's interior features. "I am delighted to see how much initiative and creativity the young people have put into this project," said Human Resources Board member and Labor Relations Manager Günther Fleig. There are no plans to produce the car, for obvious reasons, though the technology demonstration does hint at Mercedes' continued commitment to hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative to more conventionally accepted battery electric vehicles. For more on Mercedes' work with hydrogen fuel cells, check out the BlueZERO family of concepts here.Mercedes Benz F-CELL Roadster design study Read More