DC's FUEL-CELL CAR
DaimlerChrysler vows to be the first
fuel-cell company on the road.
by Paul A. Eisenstein
In the race to market a customer-friendly, cost-competitive fuel
cell-powered vehicle, DaimlerChrysler AG wants to be first off
the starting blocks.
DaimlerChrysler, with dual headquarters in the United States
and Germany, will
begin field-testing a
small fleet of fuel
cell-powered
sedans next
year, and
plans to
launch volume
production in
2004, senior
executives
have
announced.
But several
other manufacturers, including General Motors Corp., are
rushing to develop their own fuel-cell systems first.
Like batteries, fuel cells are potentially zero-pollution
sources of energy. But unlike batteries, they offer the
chance at providing the range and performance
consumers have come to expect from the familiar but
much maligned internal-combustion engine.
"We think we are ahead in the race and want to be first
on the market," said Prof. Klaus-Dieter Voehringer, the
DaimlerChrysler board of management member
overseeing the carmaker's fuel-cell program. Voehringer
was one of a cadre of top DaimlerChrysler executives
visiting Washington, D.C., last week to discuss and
display the latest fuel-cell developments.
Fuel Cells 101
Fuel cells have been around for nearly 160 years, though
they first gained public attention during the Apollo moon
missions, when they were used to generate power for the
manned spacecraft. The basic technology is surprisingly
simple: start with a supply of hydrogen and oxygen,
separated by a thin membrane of platinum and other
noble metals. As they pass through the membrane, the
gases combine to produce water vapor — and electricity
that can be used to power an electric vehicle.
The technology has undergone massive improvements
since the days of the Apollo mission. What NASA spent
several million dollars on would cost $35,000 today in
mass production, according to Prof. Voehringer.
Fuel cells have been physically downsized as well. Most
of
DaimlerChrysler's
first
prototype, a
medium-duty
commercial
van known
as NECAR
1, was
taken up by
the fuel-cell
hardware.
Five years
later, the new NECAR 4 is a modified version of the
European Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedan. The entire
fuel-cell system is mounted in the same space normally
housing the car's internal-combustion engine — which in
the A-Class is under the passenger compartment.
Not your normal A-Class
Besides the prototype's bold decals, the only visible cue
that this is not a normal A-Class is the thermoslike
fuel-tank system that takes up a third of the vehicle's trunk
space. The tanks hold 100 liters, or 11 pounds, of liquid
hydrogen cooled to a frigid –430 degrees F. On a full
load of hydrogen, the tank gives NECAR 4 up to a
280-mile range, comparable to what a conventional car
gets on a tank of gasoline, and as much as four times the
range of electric vehicles, such as Chrysler's EPIC
minivan.
A fuel-cell vehicle can "gas up" like a normal car, too. Of
course, there aren't many places to get liquid hydrogen
today — unless you work at the Kennedy Space Center.
"The cleanest way to run a fuel cell is with hydrogen,"
Prof. Voehringer said, "but I think everyone would agree
that the big challenge is creating a hydrogen
infrastructure."
Instead, researchers are exploring ways to use other
fuels, including gasoline, methanol or naphtha. An
on-board reformer could separate one of these fuels into
hydrogen and carbon dioxide, piping the hydrogen to the
fuel-cell "stack" and venting the excess carbon dioxide.
The total pollution would still be less than with a
conventional internal combustion engine, while "mileage"
would increase up to 50 percent.
On-board reformulation is key
Development of an on-board gasoline reformer has been
slow and could delay introduction of a fuel-cell car until
2010, according to DaimlerChrysler Vice President
Bernard Robertson. Methanol reformers are simpler and
could be ready by the 2004 production target. Indeed,
next year's field-test vehicles are expected to run on
methanol. Just as important, DaimlerChrysler officials
said they are receiving support from various oil
companies, who would be needed to distribute the
alcohol fuel.
There are other challenges yet to overcome. Fuel-cell
prices must come down another 90 percent, to $3,500,
according to Robertson. And weight needs to drop by a
third. Despite those seemingly staggering obstacles,
DaimlerChrysler officials remain exceedingly bullish.
While he was reluctant to provide hard sales numbers,
Dr. Voehringer suggested that "in the first year of series
production, it would be good to have 5,000 to 10,000
units of production." Reaching out to the 2040 to 2050
timeframe, he predicted fuel cells will account for
"between 20 and 50 percent" of the global motor vehicle
market.
Many of recent technical breakthroughs have come from
a small British Columbia-based start-up, Ballard Power
Systems Inc., considered the world's fuel-cell technology
leader. DaimlerChrysler owns a significant stake in
Ballard and several joint-venture companies. But Ford
Motor Co. also owns a chunk of Ballard and is racing to
bring its own fuel-cell car to market.
Other contenders include Honda Motor Co. and GM.
General Motors Vice Chairman Harry Pearce has
suggested his company could have a fuel-cell car
"production ready" by 2004 — if the technology proves
feasible and cost-effective.
And then there's DaimlerChrysler's cross-town rival BMW
AG, which also is tinkering with fuel-cell hardware, but it
has made a higher priority out of using hydrogen gas to
fuel conventional internal-combustion engines.
With the rapid development of technology,
DaimlerChrysler is seemingly convinced that the heady
barriers of cost and hardware size will fall. But no matter
which automaker is first to market with a fuel-cell car, the
full-court press to put them on the road seems to indicate
their future is bright.
(3/22/99)
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