BMW brings hydrogen FC cars to the road

The BMW Group has revealed its iX5 Hydrogen pilot fleet that will go into service this year, writes Trish Whelan.

After four years of development work, the iX5 Hydrogen vehicle and development project is entering its critical next phase.

The fleet of under 100 vehicles will be employed internationally for demonstration and trial purposes for various target groups.

The iX5 Hydrogen was developed on the basis of the current X5. 

The BMW Group sources the individual fuel cells from the Toyota Motor Corporation. The two companies have enjoyed a partnership for many years and have been collaborating on fuel cell drive systems since 2013. 

BMW say the car will have a range of 504km in the WLTP cycle. Filling up the hydrogen tanks only takes three to four minutes and that the car can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6 secs. 

The iX5 Hydrogen is being built in the BMW Group’s pilot plant at its Research and Innovation Centre in Munich. 

Toyota hydrogen car sets world record

A Guinness World Record has been set by the Toyota Mirai fuel cell car of 1,360 kilometres without refuelling, writes Brian Byrne.

The distance was achieved on a single fill of hydrogen which took just five minutes to do. With hydrogen as the fuel source, the only emissions from the car was water vapour.

The trip was undertaken over two days around California in the USA. It was estimated that an equivalent internal combustion engine car would have emitted around 300kg of CO2 on the same trip.

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BMW to build hydrogen-electric X5

BMW will be showcasing a hydrogen-electric SUV at the Munich Motor Show next month which will go into limited production next year, writes Brian Byrne.

Called the iX5 Hydrogen, the vehicle will use a fuel-cell stack to generate electricity for motive power. The limited number of the 368hp iX5 Hydrogen will be used for demonstration and testing purposes and a retail version won't be available until at least 2025, the company says.

The iX5 Hydrogen is described as part of the carmaker's intention to be able to provide customers with their powertrain of choice in the future, related to market needs.

Hydrogen power faces challenges of fuel distribution, and also of being produced in a sustainable-energy way.

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Land Rover to prototype fuel cell Defender

Jaguar Land Rover is to start testing a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Defender towards the end of the year, writes Brian Byrne. The prototype is being developed as part of Project Zeus in the UK, funded by the British Government. The 'Zeus' stands for 'zero and low-emission vehicles in urban society'.

It's not anticipated that an FCEV-powered Land Rover will actually go into production, but the company has indicated that hydrogen will have a part to play in its development of a zero-emissions range of vehicles.

A fuel cell generates electricity to power an electric motor, and in the Defender prototype it will also charge a small battery to give extra power in high-load situations.

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Mercedes-Benz reveals test hydrogen-powered Actros

Mercedes-Benz has revealed a hydrogen-powered test Actros truck previewing a model planned for introduction in 2024, writes Trish Whelan.

The GenH2 vehicle will use fuel cell technology and will have a range of 1,000kms on one tank of liquid hydrogen fuel. The production version will be one of a portfolio of carbon-neutral trucks.

At the reveal, the company announced that it is engaged in joint venture research with Volvo and Rolls Royce concerning the development of fuel cell technology.

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Mercedes-Benz hands over fuel cell GLCs

Mercedes-Benz has just handed over the first GLC F-Cell fuel cell-powered vehicles to selected customers in Germany, writes Brian Byrne.

The car is both a plug-in hybrid and an FC vehicle that can run on hydrogen via its fuel cell technology.

the first customers in the German market include Deutsche Bahn, the German railways and further handovers will be made this year to companies which include Air Liquide, Shell, Linde AG and also the cities of Stuttgart and Hamburg.

Other business as well as private customers in Germany will also be able to enjoy access to the GLC F-Cell from the spring of 2019 via Mercedes-Benz Rent.

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VW-backed breakthrough could cut fuel cell costs

Demonstration fuel cell stack. Pic: NASA.

A partnership between Volkswagen and Stanford University in the US has come up with a way of significantly cutting the cost of fuel cell technology, writes Brian Byrne.

Researchers have developed a method of cutting down on the amount of platinum which is used as a catalyst in fuel cell systems.

The work, if carried through to production, could reduce use of the precious metal to 'a fraction' of what's needed now, Volkswagen says.

It would triple the efficiency of the catalyst, and would also be more durable.

Fuel cells power electric vehicles by producing electric current from hydrogen, with the only emissions being water and heat. They are in use in spacecraft, buses, boats, and submarines. A number of carmakers have prototype and production fuel cell cars, including the Toyota Mirai.

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Hyundai shows dedicated fuel cell model

Hyundai has released pictures of its first dedicated fuel-cell powered SUV, which will be named at next week's Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas in the US, writes Brian Byrne.

The vehicle will replace the Tucson Fuel Cell variant of its best selling SUV, which has been used in a number of pilot applications, mainly in the US.

The new car is the production version of the FE Fuel Cell Concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show last year. It is expected to go on sale in a limited way, initially in parts of California. It is likely to be made available in some European markets where hydrogen filling facilities are already in place.

It joins the Toyota Mirai and the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell as fuel-cell cars actually on sale.

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Germany moves closer to hydrogen vehicle growth

The goal of having hydrogen as an alternative fuel widely available in Germany came a little closer recently when two new hydrogen fuel facilities were opened at filling stations in Frankfurt and Weisbaden, writes Brian Byrne.

In a scheme to which the German government has contributed €1.6m, this brings to 30 the number of such facilities in Germany. It is planned have a network of 400 such stations by 2023.

The programme is being implemented in a joint venture by H2 Mobility Deutschland and its partners Air Liquide, Daimler, Linde and Shell.

The hydrogen is used in fuel-cell powered cars, which emit no greenhouse gases and have electric motors using electricity produced by the FC system.

Is Marai the FC future that never comes?

With Toyota rolling out its production Mirai fuel cell car this year — the name is Japanese for 'Future' — are we seeing the real start to a long promised 'car of the future' finally arriving?, writes Brian Byrne.

Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it's still a 'sometime' thing. The truth is, part of the reason for the Mirai's rollout is auto-political. It will initially only be available in California, which has 'zero tailpipe emissions' legislation that penalises any carmaker who doesn't have at least one model available with no emissions. Toyota hasn't gone the pure EV route, so this is its 'zero' candidate. That it costs some $30,000 more than an equivalent gasoline powered sedan doesn't really matter.

But the Mirai's arrival is a pointer to the ongoing search for a real alternative to petrol or diesel as the energy source for our car travelling. And prompts me to look again at the situation in Ireland.

Daimler pushes fuel cell infrastructure

With Toyota already set to bring its Fuel Cell Sedan to market in Europe next year, and other carmakers well on the way to the same goal, the question of refuelling systems comes to the fore again, writes Brian Byrne.

In Germany they're getting ahead with the situation, with Daimler and industrial gas maker Linde set to install 20 hydrogen fuel stations across the country over the coming years.

Daimler, owner of the Mercedes-Benz and Smart brands, has a deal with Ford and Nissan to develop fuel cell powertrains.

There are already 16 hydrogen fuel cell stations in operation in Germany.

It's likely that traditional fuel service station chains will eventually provide such supply too, if the fuel cell finally becomes a significant power unit. The systems are already in use in buses in a number of countries, especially Iceland.

New fluid concept from Hyundai for Geneva

Like the look of this one? So do we. It's a teaser picture from Hyundai for a concept we'll see at Geneva next March, writes Brian Byrne.

The Intrado will be more than a svelte and sexy come hither machine for the Korean maker's stand, it will also be showcasing a second generation fuel cell powertrain developed by the company which promises to be lighter and smaller than the current experimental ones.

It will also preview a possible new direction in car building for the brand, as the advanced composite materials used will also feature a new joining method.

Fuel cell power for cars is no longer a dream in an engineer's eye — Hyundai is leasing an FC version of its Tucson (ix35 here) in California next spring.

Fuel Cell power gets closer

The recent announcement by Honda and GM that they will collaborate on fuel-cell vehicles underlies the fact that the systems are now getting closer to affordability, writes Brian Byrne.

In fact, Toyota is likely to show a real FC car at Frankfurt which is planned for sale in 2015.

And, while prototypes by a number of manufacturers already in evaluation may have cost as much as $1m apiece, it's conceivable that the first consumer versions will get as low as $50,000. This follows strong success in bringing down the costs of FC systems and components.

They may also be more environmentally friendly than electric cars, which also don't have emissions but do involve CO2 production in power generation. Producing hydrogen for FC vehicles also involves energy and CO2 emissions, but the overall impact can be argued as less.

Issues about storage of hydrogen onboard and the allied costs have largely been dealt with. The big problem to be solved is availability of hydrogen in the fuel infrastructure, but other gas fuels are available in many markets as an adjunct to the petrol system and there aren't major reasons why hydrogen can't be distributed in a similar way.

Ford, Daimler and Nissan have also committed to producing FC cars.

GM, Honda collaborate on fuel cell technologies

General Motors and Honda have announced a long-term agreement to co-develop next generation fuel cell system and hydrogen storage technologies, aiming for the 2020 time frame. They will share expertise, economies of scale and common sourcing strategies.

They will be working to advance refuelling infrastructure, critical for the long-term viability and consumer acceptance of fuel cell vehicles.

It has the potential to help reduce our dependence on petroleum, on emissions challenges, efficiency, range (fuel cell vehicles can have up to 400 miles driving range) and refuelling times (3 minutes). Fuel cell vehicles can operate on renewable hydrogen made from sources like wind and biomass; the only emission is water vapour. The technology can be used on small, medium and large vehicles.

The companies are acknowledged leaders in fuel cell technology.

Three carmakers will jointly work on fuel cell vehicles

The Mercedes-Benz parent company, Daimler, has signed an agreement with Renault-Nissan and Ford to jointly develop fuel cell electric vehicle technology, writes Brian Byrne.

It is suggested that the collaboration could lead to the first affordable FCEVs being on the market by 2017.

Together, the three companies have more than 60 years of cumulative experience developing FCEVs and their prototype cars have logged more than 10 million km in test drives around the world in customers’ hands and as part of demonstration projects in diverse conditions.

FCEVs produce no CO2 emissions while driving.

Nissan to show new FC car concept

Shades of Juke on steroids feature in the styling of this Nissan concept car slated for show in Paris at the end of the month, writes Brian Byrne.

The TeRRA has more than interesting looks, though, as its powertrain is fuel-cell electric and its instruments are on a take-away iPad-like tablet. And that classy looking dashboard isn't hardwood trim, but recyclable plywood.

The front wheels are driven by an electric motor pack from the Leaf EV, and the rears by individual electric motors. Electricity is provided by a hydrogen fuel cell mounted in the rear.

The car won't go into production as it stands, but Nissan has already proven the FC system in pilot vehicles as being able to travel a standard 400 miles on a tank of hydrogen.

Fuel cell Hyundai for Ireland in 2015

Hyundai plans to sell a fuel cell version of its ix35 crossover in Europe in 2015, after a pilot lease programme which begins next year, writes Brian Byrne.

The Europe deployment will include Ireland, according to Hyundai Ireland's Stephen Gleeson, and the target pricing will include a premium similar to that currently relating to electric passenger cars. In European market terms this would pitch the vehicle at approximately €55,000.

"But while the FCEV ix35 would be an electric vehicle in terms of its powertrain, it will offer a range of around 680kms, which makes it a much more practical proposition over the standard electric car," says Stephen Gleeson.

FCEVs are truly zero emissions vehicles, fuelled by hydrogen and the only byproduct being water vapour. Electricity is generated by passing hydrogen from an onboard tank through the fuel cell system. 

Hyundai seems to have cracked the two main issues with fuel cells for automotive use, the design of suitable high pressure tanks and low temperatures operation.

The system has long been the 'holy grail' of carmakers, to produce cars that no longer depend on fossil fuels. Several of the big players have advanced prototypes in testing.

Hydrogen for Hawaii

The electric/fuel cell debate continues. We figure it will be horses for courses. From Technology Review.