Fuel Cell

August 25, 2008

First Look: How To Fill A Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Car

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

If the though of driving around with tanks of hydrogen pressurized to 5,000 pounds per square inch makes you nervous, consider this: Fire fighters routinely enter burning buildings with 4,500 psi air tanks strapped to their backs.

With those words of assurance, GM hydrogen specialist Alex Karos led us out to the fuel-cell Equinox for our first refueling lesson.

----------

GM's Alex Karos, center, explains working of hydrogen fuel nozzle while Edmunds editors Chris Walton (left) and Brian Moody (back to camera) look on.

----------

Yup, I've driven and blogged about the Chevrolet Equniox fuel-cell electric vehicle several times in the past year, even wrote our first-drive review of it for Inside Line. But I'd never actually pumped any of its hydrogen fuel.

Well, General Motors finally has a few Equinoxes (Equinoxii? Equinii?) in its long-term media fleet and has loaned one to the crew at Edmunds for the next week.

So you'll be reading a lot more about it in up coming reviews from staffers for both Edmunds.com and Edmunds Inside Line. We here at Green Car Advisor will provide links to the pieces as they appear so you'll not miss 'em.

Still A Gas

But while you're waiting, we though we'd try to give you a feel for a fueling process that could someday replace topping off the tank with a gas other than gasoline.

Right now it's a bit more difficult - requiring a greater degree of dexterity than pulling into your local service station for a tank of regular unleaded.

We did, actually, pull into a local service station, a Shell station on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Federal Way in West Los Angeles. Shell recently installed a hydrogen pump there as part of program, backed by the feds, to help get people used to the idea of hydrogen as a fuel for passenger cars.

There are two big islands at the station, one with a bunch of gas pumps, the other with a gas pump and the new one labeled "Shell Hydrogen."

There were 10 of us from Edmunds gathered there the other morning, all aiming to drive the Equinox while we have it and all required to go through the brief fueling lesson so we could fill it up ourselves while out there on the road.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); John O'Dell August 25, 2008, 3:05 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Fuel Cell, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Green Vehicles, Hydrogen
Technorati Tags:: Equinox Fuel Cell Vehicle

Hydrogen Car Tour's Promoters Hope Finish Line Is Just the Start

As the nine cars crossed the Hydrogen Road Tour "finish line" Saturday in the shadow of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, promoters of the 13-day, 31-city event piped in Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" - theme song of "Rocky III" -as many in the audience of about 150 people waved mini checkered flags.

----------

Daimler's A-Class mercedes-Benz fuel cell car on display at Road Tour finale.

----------

The image they hoped to convey, of course, was the hydrogen, like actor Sylvester Stallone's fictional fighter, Rocky, is a winner.

It remains to be seen, though, whether the hydrogen fuel-cell technology promoted by the tour has a chance of knocking gas-electric hybrids out of contention as the dominant alternative to fossil fuel-powered engines.

General Motors, Honda, Toyota and Nissan were among automakers showing off their hydrogen fuel-cell cars by featuring them in the tour, which began in Portland, Maine, on Aug. 11 and ended Saturday at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.The tour was backed by the U.S. Energy and Transportation departments, the National Hydrogen Association and the California Fuel Cell Partnership.

Fully fueled, such cars, which produce electricity through an electro-chemical process in the fuel cell stack and limit tailpipe emissions to mere drops of water, have traveling ranges that vary from 100 miles for Daimler's Mercedes-Benz F-Cell to about 270 miles for Honda's FCX Clarity.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell August 25, 2008, 2:30 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, BMW, Daimler, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Green Vehicles, Honda, Hydrogen, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: Electric Car

August 19, 2008

Ford Reports Its Fleet of Fuel Cell Test Vehicles Has Exceeded Expectations

Ford Motor Co. announced today that its 30 fuel-cell test vehicles have exceeded the expectations of the company's hydrogen research engineers by accumulating more than 865,000 real world miles without significant maintenance issues since the fleet's launch three years ago.

Encouraged by the program's success, Ford said it recently reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy to extend its three-year-old hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle program for up to 24 months, until the next-generation system is ready for deployment in the 2010 timeframe.

Ford was one of the first automakers to launch a fleet of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles in 2005, after unveiling a prototype in late 2003. Its Focus Fuel Cell fleet partners include government agencies across the U.S. and in Canada, Germany and Iceland, where cold climate testing is expected to result in significant performance improvements on the next generation.

Additional Ford hydrogen projects have included a fleet of 20 hydrogen internal combustion engine buses, the Fusion Hydrogen 999 that set a land speed record in 2007, a Fuel Cell Explorer and a Plug-in Hybrid Edge that uses a fuel cell-powered HySeries Drive.

A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle produces electricity through an electro-chemical process in the fuel cell stack. Its only tailpipe emissions are drops of water. Fuel cell vehicles hold the promise of decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming by replacing vehicles that run on fossil fuels.

According to Ford's global fuel cell team, the first-generation fuel-cell vehicles worked much better than originally expected with virtually no degradation in performance. In light of that success, the Department of Energy, which shares the test program's operating cost with Ford, agreed to extend the program.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell August 19, 2008, 3:47 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Auto Shows, Emissions, Flex-Fuel

August 15, 2008

Feds, Automakers Renew Vow To Make Hydrogen the Fuel of the Future

In case you've been wondering, major automakers and the lame-duck Bush Administration have reaffirmed their joint commitment to hydrogen fuel and to getting fuel-cell electric and other hydrogen-using vehicles into the retail market by 2018.

The happy group renewed its vows during a hydrogen technology showcase Thursday in Washington.

----------

A pair of Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric Vehicles are shown in rendering of a hydrogen fuel station being installed near los Angeles International Airport.

----------

"With continued investment, hydrogen holds the potential to help fundamentally change the way we power our vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Bud Albright, an Energy Department undersecretary, said in remarks delivered during the public showcase.

The Energy Department, Transportation Department, nine automakers with prototype hydrogen-using vehicles and a number of fuel companies and other hydrogen advocates are in the midst of a cross-country tour to promote hydrogen as the logical successor to oil for fueling cars and trucks.

The manufacturers in "Hydrogen Road Tour '08" are BMW, Daimler, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co., Hyundai-Kia, Nissan Motor Co., Toyota Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); John O'Dell August 15, 2008, 4:49 PM
Categories:: BMW, Daimler, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Honda, Hydrogen, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehuile

August 13, 2008

Reclaiming Blue Skies, Using New Materials Shape Young Auto Designers' Visions

Design intern Evan Mai is reflected in mirror at GM Design Dome as he puts final touches on Azadi concept, a passenger car his team designed for India's crowded city streets.

By Dale Buss, Contributor

Warren, Mich. -- If the future of General Motors is reflected in the ambitions and attitudes of its summer design interns, the company will be a savvy player supplying culturally relevant, environmentally innocuous vehicles in each of the world's fastest-growing markets.

Those prospects were on panoramic display Tuesday as the interns and the Chevrolet concepts the designed ringed the inside of the Design Dome here at GM's Technical Center.

Creative vehicle ideas ranged from the ".Ru," a car aimed at Russia's teeming urban avenues, to the "He," a family car for upwardly mobile Chinese.

In between were the "Aux," a rugged concept meant for the Russian outback; the "Jian," meant for students and twenty-somethings in China; and the "Azadi," whose designer proposes a fold-out back seat to pack in passengers on India's crowded streets.

In their projects, the interns had to deal with issues just starting to arise for today's designers: How to use exotic lightweight materials, what cars without bulky internal combustion engines and transmissions might look like, and how to design around the big, cylindrical fuel tanks vehicles using compressed hydrogen gas would need for their fuel storage.

What nearly all of the designs - aimed for developing countries in the year 2020 -- had in common was an assumption that roads and cities in such markets will get ever-more crowded, putting a premium on small frames and flexible interior spaces.

----------
Ryan DeYoung, who studies 3-D animation at Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida, with model of Azadi concept.
----------

The concepts also shared some version of a "green" powertrain: GM's electric and fuel-cell propulsion system known as E-Flex - the same system being used in the Chevrolet Volt, the plug-in electric car due in 2010.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell August 13, 2008, 4:26 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Fuel Cell, General Motors, Green Vehicles, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Auto Designers

August 11, 2008

Rush to Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Recedes, Edmunds.com Research Suggests

Large-SUV segment: Could reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated?

The run-up in gas prices from April through June spooked American car buyers into a manic rush to find the most fuel-efficient vehicles they could and to dump their gas guzzlers.

So new-car buyers nearly abandoned the large-SUV and pickup-truck segments, grew lukewarm about crossovers even compared with the first quarter, sought out small cars, pushed OEMs' subcompact-car manufacturing capacity to the max, and completely sucked up supplies of Prius and of some other hybrids. All the while, overall sales tanked.

So automakers made some of the most precipitous and significant decisions ever about production cutbacks and segment reallocations. Each of Detroit's Big Three and even Toyota moved quickly and massively to slash pickup and SUV production and goose small-car output as much as they could.

But the latest Edmunds.com data indicate that the industry may well have rushed into these moves too soon, perhaps overreacting -- along with the news media and other entities -- to how American consumers plainly were responding to skyrocketing gasoline prices.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (6); Scott Doggett August 11, 2008, 7:15 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Natural Gas, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: CAFE

August 8, 2008

London Mayor Spikes Order for 60 Prototype Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicles

A hydrogen fuel-cell bus already in the fleet of big red buses serving London tanks up at a BP hydrogen station.

London's new mayor, intent on undoing some of his predecessor's most expensive anti-congestion plans, has tossed up a roadblock that is likely to further slow progress on the snail-paced development of a global hydrogen vehicle infrastructure.

Boris Johnson, who replaced Ken Livingstone earlier this year as Lord Mayor of England's capital city, canceled an order Livingstone had placed for 60 hydrogen vehicles, according to a report by analysts in the London office of Boston-based Global Insight economic consulting.

It would have been England's largest hydrogen transport project and one of the biggest anywhere. It also likely would have boosted interest in hydrogen vehicles and demand for hydrogen fueling stations by including a variety of cars, trucks and even motorcycles and scooters, all using hydrogen fuel cells to power emissions-free electric drive systems.

Johnson said he still will accept the 10 hydrogen buses his predecessor had ordered as additions to the city's growing test fleet of fuel-cell electric buses.

But one of his spokesmen told a major London newspaper that Johnson had decided the 60 smaller prototype fuel-cell electric vehicles would not help stimulate the market in hydrogen transportation.

Ironically, Johnson just a few weeks earlier told a group of London school children that hydrogen is the alternative fuel of the future.

The hydrogen buses alone, however, will cost the city about $20 million ($1.92 million or £1 million each), and Johnson apparently doesn't have enough faith in the future to spend that much or more on the 60 smaller vehicles.

John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell August 8, 2008, 5:06 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Emissions, Fuel Cell, Fuels & Technologies, Hydrogen
Technorati Tags:: Boris Johnson

August 6, 2008

Nissan Shows New Hybrid, EV Systems and More at Advanced Tech Fest

Nissan packaged its new electric vehicle ssytem in a Cube compact van for testing, but is planning a more conventional sedan for production.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

OPPAMA, Japan -- Much of the rest of the auto industry seems to be slowing down, but Nissan Motor Co., hoping to ride the green wave to growth in the U.S. and globally, is pumping billions into environmental initiatives that executives say could propel the company to the top tier of automakers in a just a few years.

In pursuit of that goal, Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's charismatic chief, already has committed the company to zero-emissions leadership by 2012.

Nissan this year has announced plans for a rear-wheel-drive hybrid and a battery-powered electric car by 2010; has formed a partnership with electronics giant NEC to develop a new generation of powerful lithium-ion batteries for hybrids and EVs; is helping develop a rapid charging system for electric cars that could recharge battery packs in as little as 10 minutes; and continues development work to commercialize hydrogen fuel cells for automotive use.

It showed off many of those technologies for the first time in a seminar this week at its research and development facilities in this port city southwest of Toyko.

The company isn't alone. As fuel prices have soared globally and international concerns about energy independence grows, most automakers have begun or stepped up efforts to bring alternative fuel and alternative power plant cars and trucks to market.

But Nissan is a standout for its push for battery EVs and its determination to make the technology -- promising in the late 1990s but long-since abandoned by most -- viable once again.

On Wednesday (Tuesday night in the U.S.) Nissan let a group of journalists try out prototypes of its 2010 EV and hybrid powertrains and showed us the technology behind the advanced lithium-ion batteries that will make them go.

Minoru Shinohara (right), Nissan's senior vice president of technology development, told Green Car Advisor that the company sees a business advantage in EVs and intends to be the industry leader in affordable, mass market zero emission cars that use batteries to power electric motors.

Nissan also wants to be a leader in providing the batteries and the battery-charging infrastructure that will make EVs work, he said.

While others champion the gas-electric hybrid and the plug-in hybrid with limited all-electric range, Nissan's faith in the all-electric vehicle is based on its belief that people all over the world are moving out of suburbia and back into cities as they try to minimize commutes and economize on fuel.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell August 6, 2008, 11:27 AM
Categories:: Batteries, Fuel Cell, Fuels & Technologies, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Electric Vehicle

August 5, 2008

GM's R&D Chief Says Volt Battery Pack Will Be Guaranteed 10 Years, 150,000 Miles

Larry Burns, as GM's vice president of R&D and strategic planning, is the General's pointman on developing vehicles that meet the demands of the marketplace and turn a hefty profit.

Design News emailed Burns a bunch of questions for a profile piece the magazine will publish next month, but it chose to post the questions and answers online today. Odder things have no doubt happened, but nothing jumps to mind.

Here, then, are some of Burns' more remarkable comments:

The VP confirms GM's plans to be "selling Chevrolet Volt to real customers in 2010."

In response to being asked if a final version of the Volt's battery -- versions based on a nano-phosphate cathode, manganese spinel chemistry or something else -- has been chosen, Burns says no.

"We continue to work on the battery with our two development partnerships, one involving LG Chem and Compact Power and the other involving A123 Systems and Continental," he said.

But, he said, GM has "confirmed the capability of our selected cell chemistry in terms of safety, range, recharge time, power density and energy density."

Although the battery version remains undecided, Burns said its "development is on track."

But, Burns admitted that "one of the important challenges remaining is proving ten-year, 150,000-mile life when we're developing the battery over a three-year timeframe. Obviously, we'll protect the customer in this regard with our warranty, but we still need to prove out the required durability."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 5, 2008, 7:33 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Chevrolet, Emissions, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Chevrolet

Honda Delivers FCX Clarity Fuel Cell Vehicle to Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, Husband

Honda Motor Co. today announced that its second FCX Clarity customer -- actress Jamie Lee Curtis and actor-filmmaker-composer Christopher Guest -- took delivery of the vehicle last Thursday.

The couple are the second of 200 customers who will begin leasing the vehicle in the U.S. or Japan over the next three years.

"I really wasn't expecting it to be so luxurious," the effervescent Curtis said of the next-generation, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle. "I love the interior layout, design and access to controls."

Curtis (a scream queen best known for her roles in Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train) and Guest (the unforgettable Nigel Tufnel in the 1984 "rockumentary" film This Is Spinal Tap) live in Santa Monica, California. They have owned alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles, and a strong advocates of a greener lifestyle.

Ron Yerxa and Annette Ballester of Santa Monica took delivery of the first FCX Clarity on July 25.

Honda made significant advances with this generation of FCX Clarity over its previous one. They include a 25 percent increase in combined fuel economy to 74 miles per gallon equivalent and a greater than 30 percent increase in driving range up to 280 miles.

Propelled by an electric motor that runs on electricity generated in the fuel cell, the vehicle's only by-products are heat and water and its fuel efficiency is three times that of a modern gasoline-powered automobile.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett August 5, 2008, 9:51 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hydrogen
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Cell

August 4, 2008

Rulemakers Told Fuel Economy Standards Fall Far Short of Consumer Demands

Auto dealers and consumer advocates told federal rulemakers today that a proposed 25 percent mandatory increase in fleetwide fuel economy standards is out of touch with importance buyers now give fuel-efficiency.

Mark Cooper, research director for the Consumer Federation of America, said rulemakers wrongly assumed U.S. drivers would continue to covet large trucks and SUVs, even though car buyers began moving to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars in 2004.

"The auto industry acts as if plummeting SUV and pickup truck sales are a new phenomena," he told the National Transportation Safety Board at a Washington public hearing. "The fact is, gas-guzzling-vehicle sales have been falling off a cliff for over three years. And yet the administration's proposed fuel economy standards presumes no fall and no cliff."

As a result, Cooper said, the proposed fleetwide fuel economy standard of 31.6 miles per gallon by 2015 would fail to meet consumer demands. According to a study performed by his organization, 59 percent of those surveyed want their next vehicle to get more than 35 mpg. Meanwhile, only 1 percent of new models offer that degree of fuel economy.

Adam Lee, president of Lee Auto Malls, which has a dozen Maine dealerships, said he has seen firsthand the shifting buying trends that have resulted in across-the-board losses for major carmakers.

Lee said he has laid off salespeople while waiting for automakers to produce the type of cars Americans want. "We just don't have the cars to sell," he said. "And I'm not just talking hybrids.... Consumers are waiting for good, old-fashioned small cars."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett August 4, 2008, 2:05 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Chrysler, Courts, Emissions, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Legislation, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota
Technorati Tags:: CAFE

August 1, 2008

Hydrogen Power Has Just Gotten Much Cheaper, Researchers Report

Right, MIT researcher Daniel G. Nocera.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

Hydrogen is widely regarded as the most promising automobile fuel of the future. Among its major obstacles: The cost of the catalyst needed to separate it from oxygen.

Electrolizers use platinum as a catalyst to split water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules. Platinum is also used by fuel cells to recombine hydrogen with oxygen, which produces electricity, which in turn can power the electric motors of EVs.

One of the main reason there aren't more hydrogen vehicles on the road today is that platinum costs upwards of $2,000 an ounce.

But researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Monash University in Australia report in today's issue of Science (subscription required) that they may have found a cost-effective replacement for platinum.

MIT professor Daniel Nocera and graduate student Matthew Kanan reported that they could split water into its constituent parts by replacing platinum with cobalt and phosphate. Those metals cost about $2.25 an ounce and $.05 an ounce, respectively.

On the fuel-cell side of the equasion, chemist Bjorn Winther-Jensen and colleagues at Monash University have developed new electrodes for fuel cells made from a special conducting polymer. It costs $57 an counce.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett August 1, 2008, 11:27 AM
Categories:: Emissions, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hydrogen, Plug-ins and Electric

July 30, 2008

Meeting of Minds Offers Hope, But With A Dash of Gloom

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

PORTLAND, Ore. -- I'm sitting in my hotel room after a day of panels and seminars at the 2nd running of an event called Meeting of the Minds, and am wishing I had a better one than was issued as original equipment.

This is a by-invitation gathering of about 250 people, mainly concerned with transportation and urban planning, and was convened to consider, as the confab's subtitle states: The Innovations We Need for More Sustainable Cities.

The reason an automobile writer, albeit one specializing in green issues, was invited (and I have to confess I'm not the only one) is that these folks get it -- most cities in the U.S. were built to accomodate the car, and there's no cure for what ails our municipalities without addressing transportation-related woes.

After a full day of discussions, it is clear that a lot of people are working hard to head off disasters that could be caused by horrid traffic congenstion, rapidly degrading infrastructure and a national political malaise that has robbed us of leaders with the guts to stand up and lead the charge for things we need.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell July 30, 2008, 10:09 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Fuel Cell, Fuels & Technologies, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Plug-ins and Electric
Technorati Tags:: Meeting of the Minds

July 27, 2008

Photos: Honda Delivers FCX Clarity to First Customer

We promised a few more photos of Honda's first FCX Clarity customer getting his car, and here they are.

Honda delivered the car to Hollywood producer Ron Yerxa and his wife, Annette Ballester, in a closed ceremony Friday, so we were unable to attend and shoot our own photos.

----------
Ron Yerxa and Annette Ballester receive ceremonial key to Clarity from Honda of Santa Monica's sales manager, Dan Rowand.
----------

We apologize that the pictures, supplied by Honda Motor Co. seem a bit promotional, but we thought the event was worth presenting because it marked the first long-term retail delivery of a fuel-cell electric car.

General Motors Corp. supplies models of its fuel-cell electric Equinox to regular people in its Project Driveway, but only for about a month at a time.

In contrast, the car Yerxa and Ballester received is for a three-year-lease.

About 199 more 2009 Honda Claritys will follow, with some to be leased in Japan, but most slated for customers in four Southern California areas with access to publicly available hydrogen fuel pumps.

Friday's delivery ceremony occurred just shy of three years after Honda unveiled the initial concept model of the car at the 2005 Tokyo Auto Show, and about nine months (hmmmm) after the first production model was unveiled at the 2007 Los Angeles auto show last October.

Above left, Yerxa and Ballester receive refueling instructions at new hydrogen station in West Los Angeles from Honda fuel-cell vehicle program consultant Tim Cunningham. Above right, a happy Yerxa shows off his new car.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell July 27, 2008, 11:04 AM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Fuel Cell, Fuels & Technologies
Technorati Tags:: 2009 Clarity

July 25, 2008

Honda Lanches New Era As First FCX Clarity Is Delivered

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

The first Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell car was delivered to its proud and happy new owner about an hour ago.

We'll provide some photos and perhaps a bit more text in just a little while, but wanted to be first to let everyone know that Honda has made good on its promise to start getting the swoopy and silent Clarity into consumers' hands by the end of July.

The first customer for the limited-production fuel-cell electric car is Hollywood producer Ron Yerxa ("Little Miss Sunshine"), who has described himself as a green guy who just wanted to be able to drive the coolest clean car around.

Like others who have signed up to lease the Clarity for three years (at a heavily subsidized $600 a month), Yerxa lives in Southern California, near one of four hydrogen fueling stations that Clarity drivers can use to fill their 74-miles-per-gallon (actually, it's "gallon-equivalent" as hydrogen gas is measured by weight - kilograms - not volume) cars.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); John O'Dell July 25, 2008, 1:22 PM
Categories:: Fuel Cell, Fuels & Technologies, Honda, Hydrogen
Technorati Tags:: Fuel Cell

July 24, 2008

Nissan CEO Says Gas-Electric Hybrids 'Unsustainable,' Pure EV Smarter Way To Go

Right, Nissan's Denki Cube concept, the battery-electric version of the popular Cube compact van.

By John O'Dell, Senior Editor

Never one to pussyfoot around an issue, Carlos Ghosn turns up his nose at the idea of a plug-in hybrid, insisting that any electric cars sold in the U.S. by Nissan - one of the two automakers Ghosn heads - will be "pure" EVs.

In remarks Ghosn made to reporters Tuesday following the dedication of Nissan North America's new headquarters in a suburb of Nashville, Tenn., Ghosn said that building range-extended electric hybrids with on-board gasoline or diesel generators is an "unsustainable" plan because they still will depend on the world's diminishing supply of oil.

Same for conventional and plug-in hybrids, he said, reports Michelle Krebs, editor of Edmunds Auto Observer and a member of the press corps Ghosn was addressing.

Interesting, because Nissan still has hybrid plans of its own.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (1); Scott Doggett July 24, 2008, 12:27 PM
Categories:: Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota

July 23, 2008

U.S. Postal Service Extends Market Testing of Chevrolet Equinox Fuel-Cell Vehicle

General Motors and the U.S. Postal Service have joined forces again to deliver mail using hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles.

The two organizations announced today that the Postal Service has for the third time joined Chevrolet's Project Driveway, one of the largest market tests of fuel-cell vehicles to date.

Two postal stations - one in Irvine, California, another to be announced - will be using hydrogen-powered Chevrolet Equinox fuel-cell electric vehicles to deliver the mail on regular routes six days a week. The service will begin immediately in Irvine.

The Postal Service began using an Equinox in 2004 in Virginia. The service began using an Equinox two years later to deliver mail in Irvine. Both trial programs, which ended last year, helped GM learn a lot about how fuel-cell vehicles operate in real-world conditions.

GM will maintain the vehicle and pay the cost of its fuel. Letter carriers will fuel the vehicle at the University of California, Irvine, hydrogen fueling station.

Scott Doggett, Contributor

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 23, 2008, 3:26 PM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Emissions, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Hybrid, Hydrogen

July 22, 2008

Public Invited to Test Drive Newest Green Machines at Inaugural Event

Right, BMW 7 Hydrogen on Nürburgring racetrack. The car or one like it will be available for test drives.

The Detroit area is famous for the Woodward Dream Cruise, a summertime showcase of thousands of hotrods, muscle cars and other exotics.

Now in an effort to improve Motown's gas-guzzling image, a new group has organized what they call Nextcruise, which will actually give the public an opportunity to drive what many see as the next generation of vehicles - hybrids, fuel cell, clean-diesel, plug-in electric and other green machines.

The low-emissions, fuel-efficient vehicles will be available for free 15-minute drives on a first-come, first-served basis in Pleasant Ridge, just outside Detroit, in mid-August.

The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16, and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17, at Memorial Park, 23925 Woodward Avenue, Pleasant Ridge 48069-1199.

Nine automakers have agreed to provide green vehicles and green-car-technology demonstrations for event to date. They are: General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 22, 2008, 3:44 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, Audi, Auto Shows, BMW, Biofuels, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daimler, Diesel, Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Fuels & Technologies, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota, Volkswagen

July 17, 2008

Transition to Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Is Doable, Experts Report to Congress

Right, the cockpit of Honda's HFCV.

By Scott Doggett, Contributor

A transition to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is entirely doable but requires nearly $200 billion in funding and further technological breakthroughs, National Research Council experts said today in a report requested by Congress.

While stressing the "best-case scenario" nature of their report, the experts concluded that hydrogen could be the key driver of a shift away from fossil fuels and emissions tied to global warming, with other clean technologies and biofuels helping in that transition.

"The benefits of hydrogen would be less in the early years but have a dominant effect" in the longer run, panel chairman Mike Ramage, a retired ExxonMobil executive, said in a conference call with reporters. "Hydrogen is a pathway to a sustainable energy future."

The best-case scenario assumes the automotive industry invests $145 billion and the federal government spends $50 billion over the next 15 years to drive down the costs of hydrogen production and vehicles that run on hydrogen.

"The number is big, but in perspective" it is doable, Ramage said, noting that the federal ethanol subsidy is at a pace to cost $160 billion over that same period. "We need durable, substantial and sustainable government help to make this happen, just as there is for ethanol."

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (2); Scott Doggett July 17, 2008, 4:31 PM
Categories:: Alternative Fuels, BMW, Biofuels, Diesel, Emissions, Ethanol, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Legislation, Mercedes-Benz, Plug-ins and Electric, Toyota, Transportation Alternatives

All Mercedes Cars to be Turbocharged by 2010; Full Hybrid to Join S Class Next Year

Right, Daimler R&D's Thomas Weber.

Mercedes-Benz will introduce turbocharged engines across its entire lineup in the next two-and-a-half years.

"All our vehicles will have turbocharged engines in series production by the end of 2010 at the latest," Thomas Weber, Daimler board member responsible for research and development, told Automotive News Europe at a press event in Dusseldorf, Germany, today.

Forthcoming legislation in Europe and the U.S. is forcing automakers to reduce auto emissions.

Demand for turbochargers is growing, because they offer a proven and relatively inexpensive way to reduce fuel consumption. With the addition of a turbocharger, Daimler will be able to install smaller, lighter and more fuel-efficient engines without sacrificing performance.

Under current proposals, the European Commission will ask the German automaker to cut its average fleet emissions from 178 grams per kilometer to 138 g/km by 2012. The commission will fine automakers that fail to meet the targets.

Improving the efficiency of its existing engines is the first part of Daimler's strategy to reduce carbon-dioxide emission levels across its fleet. Weber said the medium-term step would be to introduce more hybrid technology. The S class -- Mercedes' flagship sedan -- will be offered as a full hybrid vehicle starting in 2009.

Weber also said that zero-emission driving is the German automaker's long-term goal. To get there, the automaker plans to use technology such as fuel cells and electric-powered vehicles. A full-electric version of the Fortwo from Mercedes sister brand Smart goes into production in 2010.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (3); Scott Doggett July 17, 2008, 8:30 AM
Categories:: Daimler, Emissions, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, Hybrid, Mercedes-Benz, Smart

July 16, 2008

Survey Finds American Consumers Are Hot for Hybrids but Cooling on Ethanol

While most automakers have shifted production to focus on smaller vehicles, nearly 70 percent of consumers want the companies to invest more in existing and emerging powertrain technologies, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Alternative Powertrain Study released today.

Now in its third year, the Alternative Powertrain Study examines the reasons why consumers consider or avoid alternative powertrain vehicles, such as gas-electric hybrid, flex fuel and clean diesel models.

The study includes the Automotive Environmental Index, which rates the 2008-model-year vehicles on the basis of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data to fuel economy and greenhouse-gas emissions, as well as expert input from J.D. Power & Associates.

The study found that more than 80 percent of the 4,000 consumers polled believe the U.S. is currently facing an energy crisis. Only 18 percent of these respondents believe the issue can be addressed by building small, fuel-efficient vehicle.

Thirty percent believe automakers should continue to produce a comparable vehicle lineup with a focus on gas-electric hybrid, clean diesel and flexible-fuel vehicles, while another 39 percent believe carmakers should focus on developing fuel cell and all-electric vehicles.

Posted by: Permalink | Comments (0); Scott Doggett July 16, 2008, 3:32 PM
Categories:: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Emissions, Ethanol, Fiat, Flex-Fuel, Ford, Fuel Cell, Fuel Economy, General Motors, Honda, Hybrid, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, MINI, Mitsubishi, Natural Gas, Nissan, Plug-ins and Electric, Pontiac, Smart, Solar, Toyota