U.S. shifting from gasoline to hydrogen to boost mileage
The Bush administration is throwing its support behind a plan crafted by the Energy Department and the auto industry to develop hydrogen-based fuel cells to power the cars of the future, administration and industry officials said Tuesday.
The new effort, to be announced in Detroit today by Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, is intended to hasten the replacement of the internal combustion engine. Fuel cells use stored hydrogen and oxygen from the air to create electricity, and the only emission from engines they power is water vapor.
In backing the plan, the Bush administration is walking away from a $1.5 billion, eight-year project to develop high-mileage gasoline-fueled vehicles.
Environmentalists and energy experts favor the fuel cell research. But critics said that the new program, like its predecessor, would let Washington and Detroit focus on vague, long-term aims while avoiding the task of improving the mileage of cars and sport utility vehicles in the short term. Experts say that commercial production of cars with fuel-cell engines is 10 to 20 years away.
With hearings scheduled in the Senate next month on a Democratic alternative to President Bush's energy program, it has been unclear how either party would address fuel economy standards, which are unpopular with automakers and organized labor.
On Tuesday, an administration official speaking on the condition of anonymity said the Transportation Department will offer a proposal this year on tightening those standards. But he added that since any changes would be years away, the fuel-cell project could make them "a non-issue."
The original program, begun in 1993, aimed to develop affordable cars that got 80 miles to a gallon of gasoline. Vice President Al Gore, its most vocal backer in the Clinton administration, likened the project, known as the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles, to the Apollo program in its urgency and technological complexity.
In addition to about $1.5 billion in government subsidies, the Big Three automakers -- General Motors, Ford Motor and DaimlerChrysler -- together spent about $1 billion a year on related technologies.
The automakers developed prototype vehicles that got at least 70 miles a gallon. The project made advances in aerodynamics and composite materials. But none of the Big Three came close to commercial production of an 80-mile-a-gallon car.
Meanwhile, the average fuel economy of vehicles for sale in the United States has dropped, so that this year's fleet gets the worst gas mileage in 21 years, according to the government.
chron.com
Millennium Cell Hydrogen on Demand
Fuel System Powers New
DaimlerChrysler Mini Van
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(AutomotiveWire)--Dec. 12, 2001--
Fuel System Demonstrates Safety, Efficiency and Storage Capabilities of Millennium Cell's Hydrogen Process for Transportation Applications
Millennium Cell Inc. (NASDAQ: MCEL), a developer of hydrogen fuel systems that safely generate, store and deliver pure hydrogen for clean energy applications, announced today that its Hydrogen on Demand(TM) fuel system has been integrated into DaimlerChrysler's (NYSE: DCX) new Chrysler Town and Country "Natrium" clean energy vehicle.
The Chrysler Group is the first U.S. automaker to integrate Hydrogen on Demand on board a new vehicle design. Millennium Cell and Chrysler's Liberty and Technical Affairs Group have been working together for more than 18 months on the effort, collaborating on the development of a vehicle that can travel 300 miles without refueling. This range is longer than any existing fuel cell vehicle and comparable to those powered by gasoline - with a fuel system compact enough to sit under the vehicle floor. The zero-emission Natrium, Chrysler's third-generation fuel cell vehicle, was unveiled today in Sacramento at the Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas' Electric Transportation Industry Conference & Exposition.
"The fuel for the fuel cell has long been a critical question in the design of safe, reliable, clean energy fuel cell cars," said Thomas Moore, Vice President, DaimlerChrysler's Liberty & Technical Affairs research and development group. "We are very encouraged by the sodium borohydride-based system from Millennium Cell. The fuel is energy dense, safe to store and use, generates pure hydrogen and can be recycled."
Millennium Cell's Hydrogen on Demand solution generates hydrogen from sodium borohydride, which is derived from sodium borate, commonly known as borax. Dissolved in water and passed through a proprietary catalyst chamber, the sodium borohydride releases a perfect stream of pure hydrogen - on demand - to power a fuel cell or an internal combustion engine. The fuel's byproduct is water and borax. In the Natrium, the stream of hydrogen fuels the fuel cell, producing the electricity needed to drive the vehicle's electric motors.
"It is always gratifying to work with a world leading company, and the vision of the Liberty and Technical Affairs team at DaimlerChrysler for a clean, safe vehicle that delivers on consumer expectations for range and performance aligns with our goals," said Dr. Stephen Tang, Millennium Cell President and CEO. "Our Hydrogen on Demand(TM) fuel system is now being validated for transportation use by its integration into the Natrium, and we can move forward into more commercial applications of the technology."
Millennium Cell's renewable fuel solution produces a completely safe hydrogen fuel product based on abundant natural materials. It generates energy in a closed loop system, with the fuel byproduct regenerated into fresh fuel. New process technology for regeneration is anticipated to have a favorable impact on the overall economics of the system.
"Hydrogen on Demand is a simple yet elegant solution, unparalleled for safely carrying and storing hydrogen," said Rex Luzader, Millennium Cell Vice President, Business Development for Transportation and Hydrogen-Fuel Infrastructure. "The Natrium demonstrates that this is a technology that can be used today in vehicles indistinguishable in comfort and efficiency from those already in production."
newsalert.com
* * * |
