The HydroGen4 vehicles use a fuel cell stack of 440 individual cells linked together. These cells combine hydrogen with atmospheric oxygen to produce electricity; the only local emission is water vapor. Most hydrogen in the world is sourced from natural gas, however, so there are still some wheel-to-well carbon emissions, though most fuel-cell vehicle manufacturers peg the output of about half of a similar petrol-powered vehicle. Those 440 cells generate 73kW (99hp), good for 0-62mph (100km/h) acceleration in 12 seconds and a top speed of 100mph (160km/h). The car's carbon-fiber tanks hold 9.24lb (4.2kg) of hydrogen, which is enough to give the vehicle a range of 200mi (320km).
The nine businesses in Berlin that will be taking part in the program include ADAC, Allianz, Coca Cola, Hilton, Linde, Schindler, Axel Springer, Total and Veolia - big names in European and global business, and an excellent basis to develop real-world user data. GM and Opel hope to leverage the testing to the construction of future vehicles, potentially even retail models based around the same basic drivetrain.
In the U.S., General Motors has demonstrated the fuel cell Equinox in several venues, and more than 100,000 people have applied as mainstream drivers to be involved in the Project Driveway test. Currently 100 vehicles are involved in the test, and 3,400 people have driven the vehicles on a daily basis for periods of about 3 months.
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