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It sounds impossible but engineers they have come up with the answer that environmentalists and economists have spent years searching for: a non-polluting concept car, which runs on compressed air and costs a $1.50 a tank to fill. The air is compressed at four thousand pounds which is 150 times more than we fill our tires with.
The quiet MDI Car, made in France has a top speed of 65 mph, and a range of around 200 miles before you need to fill the tanks up again with more air. It comes fitted with its own compressor so it can be filled up at home, in about four hours.
The company has developed the technology to refill the vehicle in three minutes, although there are no service stations yet with the compressed air machines to do it.
Hopefully, popular demand will convert this concept car to reality.
The first fuel cell was built in 1839 by Sir William Grove, a Welsh judge and scientist. Serious interest in the fuel cell as a practical energy generator did not begin until the 1960's, when the U.S. space program chose fuel cells over riskier nuclear power and more expensive solar energy. Fuel cells furnished power for the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft, and still provided electricity and water for the space shuttle.
Fuel cells can supply vast sources of energy. Hydrogen is the most abundant element on Earth and can be used directly in fuel cells. Fuel cells can also utilize fuel containing methanol, ethanol, natural gas, and even gasoline or diesel fuel. Fuels containing hydrogen generally require a "fuel reformer" that extracts the hydrogen. Energy also could be supplied by wind, solar power or other renewable sources. You can start by putting a wind mill on top of your limo.
Everyone is working on their own version of a fuel cell vehicle and here is a run down of what you can expect.
Ballard Power Systems is the leading supplier of fuel cells for transportation. The company has received orders from auto manufacturers around the world. Ballard has introduced the Mark 902, its most advanced fuel cell platform to date. The Mark 902 establishes a new standard of performance by optimizing lower cost, design for volume manufacture, reliability, power density and compatibility with customer system requirements.
Ballard, DaimlerChrysler and Ford Motor Company have signed an agreement in which Ballard will acquire the interests of DaimlerChrysler and Ford in XCELLSIS GmbH and Ecostar Electric Drive Systems, LLC. This transaction increases DaimlerChrysler and Ford's commitment to, and reliance on, Ballard as their exclusive fuel cell engine supplier. Ballard has unveiled its latest fuel cell stack, the Mark 900. This stack uses low-cost materials and is designed for high volume manufacture.
DaimlerChrysler has a fuel cell powered Town & Country Minivan, the "Natrium," which uses Millennium Cell's Hydrogen on Demand system. The unique feature of the Natrium is that the hydrogen for the fuel cell is generated from sodium borohydride, which is derived from borax.
DaimlerChrysler unveiled the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter powered by a Ballard fuel cell engine in August 2001. The delivery company Hermes Versand Service is field-testing the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle under everyday conditions for two years in Hamburg, Germany.
Chrysler has another fuel cell concept vehicle based on the Jeep Commander, running on a hydrogen fuel cell reformed onboard from methanol. The vehicle is actually a fuel cell/battery hybrid concept, with a nickel-metal-hydride battery to provide supplemental energy during acceleration, and for cold starts. The battery also captures energy from regenerative breaking. The hybrid power train gives the Commander 2 near-zero tailpipe emissions, while achieving double the fuel efficiency of a conventional SUV.
A group of Ford Motor Company engineers, scientists and marketing specialists recently set a national endurance record with Ford's P2000 fuel cell vehicle. Ford broke the U.S. record for fuel cell endurance during a 24-hour test. The P2000 maintained an average on track speed of 65 mph and an average overall speed of 57.95 mph. Over the course of the 24-hour test, the vehicle traveled 1390.75 miles, further than any other fuel cell vehicle has traveled in a single day.
Ford has the Focus FCV, a family size sedan powered by a Ballard fuel cell electric power train using methanol fuel. The Focus FCV fuel cell power train is located beneath the vehicle floor, so it doesn't compromise passenger or cargo space.
Ford's P2000 Prodigy is a fuel cell-powered sedan, running on stored hydrogen. It is designed to achieve the same performance as Ford's Taurus, with a fuel cell engine that achieves the equivalent of 90 horsepower. Ford has also introduced a P2000 SUV concept, a sport utility vehicle that features a fuel cell engine with a methanol reformer. Ford and Mobil are collaborating on a fuel processor to extract hydrogen from hydrocarbon fuels for use in fuel cell vehicles.
General Motors has the fuel cell AUTOnomy, a platform that looks like a giant skateboard in which the entire propulsion and electrical systems are built into a 6-inch-thick chassis. The chassis, long and flat, could be built in varying lengths and widths to accept a wide array of body types, from a family sedan to SUV or from a station wagon to hot little sports car.
General Motors and Suzuki Motors Corp. are expanding their alliance to cover the development of fuel cell vehicles. The collaboration will focus on developing small-car applications for fuel cell technology. GM and ChevronTexaco Corp. have formed a pact to speed the pace of introducing gasoline fuel cells in cars, a technology that cuts emissions of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in half.
General Motors introduced its prototype, the HydroGen1 fuel cell, it's smallest, most powerful fuel cell yet. The HydroGen1 is two-thirds smaller than previous GM models, yet provides 80 kW of power, and has a thermal efficiency of 53 to 67 percent. In addition, the HydroGen1 can start a car in temperatures as low as -40� C.
General Motors unveiled the Precept concept car, in both hybrid and fuel cells powered forms. The Precept has a four-wheel drive, dual-axle setup. Electricity from the fuel cell is used to drive the electric motor on the Precept's front axle. Composites of actual data indicate the fuel cell Precept will achieve 108 miles per gallon gas equivalent.
GM showed the Opel Zafira fuel cell minivan, powered by its seventh generation fuel cell system. The Zafira was the pace vehicle for the marathon at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
GM's Delphi subsidiary is working with ARCO and Exxon to jointly develop onboard fuel processing technology and hardware to convert gasoline to hydrogen for use in fuel cell engines.
New for 2003 is the Honda Civic Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). It combines a small internal combustion engine with an electric motor. Built off the current Civic sedan, the hybrid features an improved version of Honda's integrated motor assist (IMA) system. The IMA system works with the continuously variable automatic or manual transmission to provide a combination of excellent drivability and gas mileage (projected at about 50 miles per gallon). The hybrid is expected to be certified nationwide as an "Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle," with about an 80% reduction in hydrocarbon emissions compared to a conventional car.
The Honda Insight was the first Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) to be available for public purchase. The two-seat sporty car has been a hot item since it was introduced across the country in late 1999.
The Insight earns the best EPA mileage ratings in history, rated at 61-mpg city/70-mpg highways. At the heart of the Insight is Honda's revolutionary Integrated Motor Assist (IMATM) system, which combines the world's lightest 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder gasoline automobile engine with an ultra-thin electric motor.
Driving closer to reinventing the automobile, General Motors Corp. introduced Hy-wire, the world's first drivable vehicle that combines a hydrogen fuel cell with by-wire technology.
The GM Hy-wire, appropriately named for its technology, incorporates the features first envisioned in the AUTOnomy concept vehicle at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and the Geneva Motor Show. Hy-wire was introduced to the public at the Paris Motor Show.
The Toyota Prius is available for sale in the U.S. The five-passenger vehicle has been sold successfully in Japan since late 1998. The Prius has a 1.5-liter, 16-valve, EFI 4-cylinder with Variable Valve Timing. The Prius' compact lightweight battery pack consists of sealed nickel-metal hydride modules that produce 274 volts. The Prius gets about 52 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the highway.
A hybrid-electric powered Ford Escape is being designed to be the cleanest, most fuel-efficient sport utility on the planet when it debuts in 2003. The Ford Escape HEV will feature an electric drive train to augment its fuel-efficient four-cylinder gasoline engine. (It will also be sold in Europe as the Maverick HEV.) With regenerative braking and nearly instantaneous start-stop capability, the Escape HEV will be especially fuel efficient in the city, delivering about 40 mpg in urban driving. Yet the Escape HEV will deliver acceleration performance similar to an Escape equipped with a V-6 engine. The hybrid Escape will be capable of being driven more than 500 miles on a single tank of gasoline and will be certified as a super ultra low emission vehicle (SULEV) under California emissions standards and meet Stage IV requirements in Europe before they become mandatory in 2005.
GM's Chevrolet Triax is unique because the driver can select one of three propulsion options, including four-wheel-drive electric, four-wheel-drive hybrid electric, or two-wheel-drive internal combustion. The hybrid-electric and gasoline-engine versions of Triax feature the latest in small engine and transmission technology from Suzuki. Triax introduces GM's third generation of electric drive and controls. GM introduced the first and second generation of electric drive and controls on the EV1.
Major developments are being introduced daily and we are progressing by leaps and bounds. Who knows we might eventually have a, "Duracell Bunny," powered by a fuel cell.
Have a good trip!
The countdown to the New Year is on. The entertainment and party season, is here, and with it increases in business. To all of my most wonderful and business associates, "May this New Year be the happiest, healthiest, and most profitable year for everyone."
I'll see you next time!!!
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