Issue 0101    

Content:

Looking for investors – the Hypercar

300 PS with hydrogen – Hydrogen Cobra

Increasing security, reducing loss – progress in H2 storage

Clean Energy on tour – the BMW fleet on international roads

Moving towards market readiness – the third Honda generation

Club of Seven – Californian fuel cell vehicle meeting

Higher temperatures, less cleaning – the latest fuel cell

The Cryoplane project: Interview with Dr. H.G. Klug, EADS Airbus

Saving money – Early Bird Rate and International Pavilion

Unique networking forum – the VIP service

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With his Hypercar, Amory Lovins from Colorado (USA) is pursuing ambitious goals. Announced as a superefficient sports-utility vehicle, the fuel cell powered car is said to make more than 4.000 kilometers with 100 litres of hydrogen. The machine would be made of carbon fiber and driven by two joysticks. However, Mr. Lovins' search for investors to fund further development and test car construction has been far from successful. According to a recent Wall Street Journal Europe article, the list of big spenders currently exhausts itself to BP Amoco of the UK and a billionare from Texas. But Amory Lovins needs 250 million US dollars to get his car out of the lab and onto the street. Then, he says, his vehicle "will probably spell the end of the car, oil, steel, aluminum, nuclear and coal industries as we know them".

A good old friend from the 1960s is geared up for a new speed record among hydrogen powered cars. American scientist Jim Heffel from the University of California's Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CERT) in Riverside is planning to break the 1996 record of 180 kilometers per hour before the year ends. His goal is to outdo the record by 50 km/h, and he wants to achieve it with his own 427 Shelby Cobra specifically reconstructed for this purpose. In its new shape the Cobra would have 300 PS. According to the scientist this could even be exceeded. But his first objective is to drive the car with the cleanest possible fuel, emitting as little carbonmonoxide as possible. "We are trying to do it clean", he said to reporters from the Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Letters.

Linde AG is rapidly moving ahead with the storage of liquefied hydrogen. While until now tanks have to let off steam when no hydrogen is taken out every three days, the newly developed containers can sit untouched for 12 days. This significantly helps to minimize loss while simultaneously increasing security and is made possible by an additional cooling jacket encasing the inside tank. The "evaporation coldness" of vaporizing hydrogen is used to cool down ambient air to 191°C. The air is dehumidified, liquefied and stored in between the inner and outer wall of the tank. This method reminds of wetsuits for surfing and diving and is expected to go commercial by the end of this year.

Bavarian car manufacturer BMW is going on tour with its hydrogen vehicle fleet. Some ten cars of the first hydrogen mini series will be driven around the world as part of a promotional campaign. The BMW 750hl series, which were introduced in an EXPO 2000 shuttle service, are driven by a modified combustion engine. The engine is powered by both petrol and hydrogen fuel. Some of the cars have a built in fuel cell in their trunks to subsitute the battery and to supply the onboard air-conditioning system. Dubai (United Arabian Emirates) is the first stop on the tour list. There seems to be a local interest to establish a solar hydrogen economy parallel to the petrochemical industry. Further destinations of the tour include Milan, Brussels, Tokyo and Los Angeles.

Honda is eagerly pursuing hydrogen vehicle development, too. In this case, research went from energy storage in metal hydride (Honda FCX-V1) to methanol (FCX-V2) to its current stage: liquid hydrogen (FCX-V3; 100 l pressurized gas tank, 250 bar). Throughout the process vehicle weight could be reduced from 2 t to 1.750 kg. Also, the car now offers room for four passengers. This was made possible by putting most of the components (among others a Ballard 63 KW fuel cell stack Mark 900) into the vehicle bottom, similar to Daimler Chrysler's Necar 5. The car's reach still does not exceed 180 km. According to the manufacturer, market readiness is predicted for 2003.

The first international get together of fuel cell vehicles took place in Sacramento (USA) last year in conjunction with the California Fuel Cell Partnership's new headquarters inauguration. Volkswagen used the opportunity for its fuel cell car's world premiere. The Bora HyMotion is a hybrid car with an 30 kW PEM fuel cell of Internation Fuel Cells and a nickel metal hydride battery with 3kW storage performance and braking energy recovery. The asynchronous electric engine reaches a high speed of 140 km/h with 75kW. The car is fueled by liquid hydrogen stored in a 50 l tank that lasts for 350 km. Another highlight was General Motor's father of all hydrogen cars. As early as 1960 the Electrovan was powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen and made it to 160kW. Other participants of the meeting were: Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda FCX, Ford Focus FCV, DaimlerChrysler Necar 4, General Motors HydroGen1, Opel Zaphira.

New proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells might operate at temperatures of 200°C instead of 80°C in the future. This would be made possible by introducing a "new" 20-year-old membrane rediscovered by Celanese AG for fuel cell production. In cooperation with Honda and Plug Power (USA) the company formerly known as Hoechst is developing the so-called polybenzimidazol (PBI) polymere membrane which could become part of a new fuel cell. Increased operating temperature enables hydrogen efficiency of several thousand ppm carbon monoxide. Until now only high-purity hydrogen with a purity of less than 50 ppm CO can be used. At low temperatures the "catalytic converter toxin" carbon monoxide reacts with platinum in the fuel cell, which often leads to destruction of the cell. At 200°C this might no longer happen. If the new membrane does in fact tolerate higher carbon monoxide quantities, particularly onboard methanol or fossil fuel reformers in mobile applications would benefit from this. Costly cleaning units could be reduced, while using the additional energy for heating purposes.