[neshapop]

TOKYO - Toyota has developed a new fuel cell hybrid, a green car powered by hydrogen and electricity, that can travel more than twice the distance of its predecessor model without filling up, the automaker said Friday.

The improved model's maximum cruising range is 516 miles (830 kilometers) compared with 205 miles (330 kilometers) for Toyota's previous fuel cell model, the maker of the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury cars said in a statement.

The FCHV-adv model, which received Japanese government approval Tuesday, will be available for leasing in Japan later this year, Toyota Motor Corp. spokeswoman Kayo Doi said. Pricing and other details weren't available, and overseas plans were still undecided, she said.

Fuel cell vehicles produce no pollution by running on the power of the chemical reaction when hydrogen stored in a tank combines with oxygen in the air to produce water.

The FCHV-adv from the world's second biggest automaker also comes with an electric motor and works as a hybrid by switching between that motor and the hydrogen-powered fuel cell. Toyota's Prius hybrid switches between an electric motor and a standard gasoline engine.

Fuel efficiency in the FCHV-adv was improved 25 percent with better braking and other changes, Toyota said. The new fuel cell vehicle can also start and run in temperatures as low as minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 30 Celsius), it said. Getting a fuel cell to work well in cold weather is a technological challenge.

Major automakers around the world are working on fuel cells and other ecological vehicles, including electric cars and plug-in hybrids, which recharge from an electrical outlet. And consumer interest in alternative fuels is increasing amid soaring gas prices and worries about global warming.

Rival Honda Motor Co.'s revamped fuel cell vehicle for leasing in California is rolling off a Japanese factory floor later this month.

For 2010, U.S. automaker General Motors Corp. is planning a Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle, while Tokyo-based Nissan Motor Co. is planning electric vehicles for the U.S. and Japan.

Fuel cell vehicles are usually marketed through leasing arrangements since the technology is too expensive for most people to buy in an outright purchase.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080606...a_fuel_cell;_ylt=ArZYylnqNpSizWxUqlGhsfj0kPUI

 

[johnstarnes]

I hope it looks cool, like that FT-SH sports car concept a while back!

 

[minnfang]

The FCHV-adv from the world's second biggest automaker also comes with an electric motor and works as a hybrid by switching between that motor and the hydrogen-powered fuel cell.

What a brainiac writer...

Anyone ever see a fuel cell with an output shaft?

 

[WishIhadatruck]

What a brainiac writer...

Anyone ever see a fuel cell with an output shaft?

That was what I was wondering. They've really come up with something good if the fuel cell doesn't need an electric motor to move the car.

 

[FenwickHockey65]

Little late to the party, toyota?

 

[windvale]

Little late to the party, toyota?

How do you figure that ? Sounds to me like they may have just leap-frogged everybody.

 

[minnfang]

How do you figure that ? Sounds to me like they may have just leap-frogged everybody.

If they are actually leasing completed fuel cell cars in the near future, they will be leapfrogging GM. I wouldn't get my grundies in a bunch over it though. Without a fully deployed hydrogen infrastructure, this is nothing more than an experiment. Given our current refueling situation, what really matters are gasoline or diesel hybrids and fully electric cars. In that area, GM needs to move to the head of the class FAST.

I think GM will be ready and waiting with fuel cell cars when and if the infrastructure ever exists. Future advances in battery technology that allow for practical, electric only cars may make the whole fuel cell discussion moot.

 

[Dgrocho]

..and so begins the "distance wars"

How far is the Volt expected to go on a "charge?" Meaning fully charged battery and full tank of gas? This Toyota thing is probably the same concept as the Volt really, just swap the ICE for the PEMFC.

wow, ICE sure makes a better acronym...

 

[Chaddy0122]

Given our current refueling situation, what really matters are gasoline or diesel hybrids and fully electric cars. In that area, GM needs to move to the head of the class FAST.

I think GM will be ready and waiting with fuel cell cars when and if the infrastructure ever exists. Future advances in battery technology that allow for practical, electric only cars may make the whole fuel cell discussion moot.

Screw that, the only way we are EVER going to get off of terrorist oil is to lead the world in Hydrogen, starting TODAY! Our complete gas infrustructre wasn't built overnight, so we can't expect a hydorgen one that fast. Why can't OUR government lead the world in Hydrogen?? Offer the big 3 and whatever AMERICAN companies want to lead the future Hydrogen infustructure with tax incentives. Nobody will move off their dead asses and start this without some help from Washington.

 

[minnfang]

Screw that, the only way we are EVER going to get off of terrorist oil is to lead the world in Hydrogen, starting TODAY! Our complete gas infrustructre wasn't built overnight, so we can't expect a hydorgen one that fast. Why can't OUR government lead the world in Hydrogen?? Offer the big 3 and whatever AMERICAN companies want to lead the future Hydrogen infustructure with tax incentives. Nobody will move off their dead asses and start this without some help from Washington.

Screw what? You just made my point. GM (or any other car maker) is not in a position to dictate that a hydrogen refueling infrastructure be deployed in this country. It would be suicide to develop and produce any real quantities of fuel cell vehicles without one.

Screw hydrogen. My ultimate answer is fully electric cars recharged with electricity from nuclear, solar, and wind. It will happen as soon as battery technology is up to the task.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

E-Flex will make GM's transition to fuel cells pretty easy when the time is right. They will already have vehicles in production that have pure electric drive systems which is what is needed for a fuel cell car. The Chinese Volt was fuel cell powered instead of having an ICE powered generator. E-Flex makes the power source pretty flexible. Again, cost is a big problem with the fuel cell.

It was no coincidence that China got the fuel cell Volt concept. The Chinese government seems much more interested than the US in making a hydrogen economy.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

My ultimate answer is fully electric cars recharged with electricity from nuclear, solar, and wind. It will happen as soon as battery technology is up to the task.

You might be right. A hydrogen production facility, a hydrogen tank and a fuel cell all together accomplishes the same thing a battery does. Which ever way is cheaper and more efficient will win.

 

[Z16monte]

Screw that, the only way we are EVER going to get off of terrorist oil is to lead the world in Hydrogen, starting TODAY! Our complete gas infrustructre wasn't built overnight, so we can't expect a hydorgen one that fast. Why can't OUR government lead the world in Hydrogen?? Offer the big 3 and whatever AMERICAN companies want to lead the future Hydrogen infustructure with tax incentives. Nobody will move off their dead asses and start this without some help from Washington.

Better figure out how to make hydrogen cheaply enough to be competitive with gasoline before you worry about distributing it.
Ed

 

[big swede]

Hydrogen is a joke right now. It takes more electricity to propel a car 500 miles on "Hydrogen" than it does if you would just put that electricity into a battery pack. Maybe in the future when new techniques are developed to drop the electricity it takes to create Hydrogen in the first place you will then see more Hydrogen powered vehicles. For now it's much more efficient to just put the electricity into a battery pack instead of using it to create Hydrogen.

Let's get the Electric vehicle with range exenders nailed first and then start trying to invest other resources for different applications.

 

[johnstarnes]

Electrolysis is no longer needed to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.....naturally occuring algae and bacteria have been discovered that do it readily, with sunlight the energy source. Plus Honda has already created solar powered parking garages that split water while you are parked to refill hydrogen right there.

 

[mbukukanyau]

I like the way the writer fails to mention GM Fuel Cell Equinox'es running around california and Fords efforts.
There is a trend to always look America look backward and bad in journalism. The failure to research the article properly is disturbing.

 

[JeffInDFW]

I like the way the write fails to mention GM Fuel Cell Equinox'es running around california and Fords efforts

Exactly what I was thinking! I'm waiting for the press release saying "Toyota develops first rocket to take men to the moon!". It does not matter that other companies are doing great things, when Toyota does it, then it is the best thing EVER! And only Toyota is doing it!

"Toyota developing car that will feed homeless children, and help the elderly to cross the street!"!!!

 

[mbukukanyau]

GM Takes Lead with 100 Hydrogen Equinoxes

HomeAlt-FuelCalendarCitiesEV & PHEVFleetsGoodsMovementHydrogenPapersPresentationsRenewablesResearchServicesVehiclesAboutContact(updated 4/16/08 by John Addison) Tim Powers, GM Western Regional Manager, revealed more details of the GM Project Driveway at the California Hydrogen Business Council meeting. GM will select at least 100 initial drivers of the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell from people applying to participate at chevy.com. GM Application
My past drives of the Equinox Fuel Cell demonstrated that it offered a smooth drive comparable to the gasoline Equinox, a roomy four-door crossover vehicle. Due to the added need for hydrogen fuel storage, it is a four-seater instead of five in the gasoline Equinox. Conventional gasoline vehicles emit about 20 pounds of greenhouse gases with every gallon burned. The Equinox Fuel Cell only emits water vapor.
Most drivers that GM will select will live in California within ten miles of 700 bar hydrogen stations located from San Diego to Burbank, California. They are likely to include everyone from Marines to Mouseketeers. GM will also select drivers in other parts of the U.S. including Metro New York and Washington D.C. and other countries including Germany, China, Korea, and Japan. Five different types of drivers will be selected by GM:
• Media
• Public policy makers
• Celebrities and influentials
• Mainstream drivers
• Fleets
Most individuals will try the vehicle for three months. It is a free trail with GM covering the vehicle, insurance, maintenance, and fuel. Fleets will put the vehicles through more extensive 30 month tests. For example, Disney will be using ten for employee use in Southern California for 30 months. Fleets could also include universities, city government, military, taxis, and delivery. Over three years, 300 to 500 people are likely to try the vehicles for three months each.
One of the first drivers will be David Shelton a computer systems operator from Irvine. This will be his fourth electric vehicle. He tried General Motors' EV1 in the late '90s, experimented with a Ford Think City electric car and, since 2002, has owned a Toyota RAV4 EV. The Equinox Fuel Cell is an electric vehicle with an electric drive motor, no engine, nickel metal hydride batteries, and a hydrogen fuel cell which generates electricity.
GM is making a priority of customer support. At the heart of the support is OnStar. OnStar is GM’s in-vehicle safety and security system. OnStar's innovative three-button system offers: 24-hour access to one of 6, and later 12, Equinox Fuel Cell Advisors; a connection to emergency assistance; and access to OnStar Hands-Free Calling. Each driver will have one person to deal with at GM, a driver relationship manager. All drivers will receive training. OnStar and the Advisor will recommend maintenance. Detailed data acquisition and analysis will help GM develop a knowledge base that will influence the roll-out of the next generation fuel cell vehicle.
Customer support will include three dedicated service hubs for vehicle prep, training, deliver, maintenance and vehicle return. The hubs are at Burbank, CA; Ardsley, NY; and at U.S. Army Ft. Belvoir, VA.
Three dealers will also be active in customer training and support. This will help GM prepare for large-scale sales and support of vehicles with electric drive systems. The initial dealers will be in California, New York, and Maryland.
Range is a challenge for all makers of electric vehicles. The Equinox Fuel Cell will typically deliver a range of 160 miles between hydrogen fueling, but only by using higher pressure 700 bar. This range estimate from GM is more conservative than earlier 200 mile announcements. In California, only the Irvine station currently offers the higher 700 bar pressure as well as 350 bar. All other stations offer only 350 bar. The Equinox Fuel Cell only has a range of about 80 miles when fueled at 350 bar. Another challenge is that a number of hydrogen stations are dedicated to one fleet and are not available to the public.
Over the next few years, range will greatly improve from drivers of fuel cell vehicles. Today, fuel cell buses with ten times the weight of the Equinox have ranges greater than 300 miles. With more hydrogen storage, more range is achieved. Toyota has demonstrated a range of 350 miles by using extra 700 bar storage. GM has demonstrated a range of 300 miles by using 8 kg of storage. Honda will achieve a 270 mile range with the new FCX Clarity using the lower pressure 350 bar. The Honda is a lighter four-passenger vehicle designed from the ground-up to be an electric fuel cell vehicle.
The Equinox Fuel Cell uses 35 kW of NiMH batteries in a mild-hybrid configuration. In other vehicles, such as the Volt, GM is testing new lithium batteries. In its next generation fuel cell vehicle, GM could achieve a range exceeding 300 miles by reducing vehicle weight, having a more battery-dominate full-hybrid design such as E-Flex, using its fifth generation fuel cell, and by switching to lithium batteries.
To accelerate the presence of higher pressure stations with public access, GM is spending millions to establish nine temporary 700 bar stations from Burbank to San Diego. At least three of the portable fueling stations will be provided by Quantum (QTWW). Hydrogen will be made by large-scale reformation of natural gas that is truck delivered.
A number of existing California hydrogen stations use zero-emission hydrogen production by using electrolysis powered by renewable energy, such as solar. Others, such as AC Transit and USMC Camp Pendleton, make hydrogen with on-site electrolysis of pipelined natural gas. AC Transit’s approach produces about 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions of diesel alternatives by using solar power in the reformation and compression of hydrogen. Next year, pipelined byproduct hydrogen will be available at a Torrance station for less than the cost of gasoline. GM and other stations in development will increase California’s hydrogen infrastructure from 25 to 40 stations. In California, the number of hydrogen vehicles from all makers on the road is likely to double from over 150 today to over 300 in 2008, with GM leading the way.

http://www.cleanfleetreport.com/vault/gm_equinox.htm

 

[rozz]

GM Takes Lead with 100 Hydrogen Equinoxes

HomeAlt-FuelCalendarCitiesEV & PHEVFleetsGoodsMovementHydrogenPapersPresentationsRenewablesResearchServicesVehiclesAboutContact(updated 4/16/08 by John Addison) Tim Powers, GM Western Regional Manager, revealed more details of the GM Project Driveway at the California Hydrogen Business Council meeting. GM will select at least 100 initial drivers of the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell from people applying to participate at chevy.com. GM Application
My past drives of the Equinox Fuel Cell demonstrated that it offered a smooth drive comparable to the gasoline Equinox, a roomy four-door crossover vehicle. Due to the added need for hydrogen fuel storage, it is a four-seater instead of five in the gasoline Equinox. Conventional gasoline vehicles emit about 20 pounds of greenhouse gases with every gallon burned. The Equinox Fuel Cell only emits water vapor.
Most drivers that GM will select will live in California within ten miles of 700 bar hydrogen stations located from San Diego to Burbank, California. They are likely to include everyone from Marines to Mouseketeers. GM will also select drivers in other parts of the U.S. including Metro New York and Washington D.C. and other countries including Germany, China, Korea, and Japan. Five different types of drivers will be selected by GM:
• Media
• Public policy makers
• Celebrities and influentials
• Mainstream drivers
• Fleets
Most individuals will try the vehicle for three months. It is a free trail with GM covering the vehicle, insurance, maintenance, and fuel. Fleets will put the vehicles through more extensive 30 month tests. For example, Disney will be using ten for employee use in Southern California for 30 months. Fleets could also include universities, city government, military, taxis, and delivery. Over three years, 300 to 500 people are likely to try the vehicles for three months each.
One of the first drivers will be David Shelton a computer systems operator from Irvine. This will be his fourth electric vehicle. He tried General Motors' EV1 in the late '90s, experimented with a Ford Think City electric car and, since 2002, has owned a Toyota RAV4 EV. The Equinox Fuel Cell is an electric vehicle with an electric drive motor, no engine, nickel metal hydride batteries, and a hydrogen fuel cell which generates electricity.
GM is making a priority of customer support. At the heart of the support is OnStar. OnStar is GM’s in-vehicle safety and security system. OnStar's innovative three-button system offers: 24-hour access to one of 6, and later 12, Equinox Fuel Cell Advisors; a connection to emergency assistance; and access to OnStar Hands-Free Calling. Each driver will have one person to deal with at GM, a driver relationship manager. All drivers will receive training. OnStar and the Advisor will recommend maintenance. Detailed data acquisition and analysis will help GM develop a knowledge base that will influence the roll-out of the next generation fuel cell vehicle.
Customer support will include three dedicated service hubs for vehicle prep, training, deliver, maintenance and vehicle return. The hubs are at Burbank, CA; Ardsley, NY; and at U.S. Army Ft. Belvoir, VA.
Three dealers will also be active in customer training and support. This will help GM prepare for large-scale sales and support of vehicles with electric drive systems. The initial dealers will be in California, New York, and Maryland.
Range is a challenge for all makers of electric vehicles. The Equinox Fuel Cell will typically deliver a range of 160 miles between hydrogen fueling, but only by using higher pressure 700 bar. This range estimate from GM is more conservative than earlier 200 mile announcements. In California, only the Irvine station currently offers the higher 700 bar pressure as well as 350 bar. All other stations offer only 350 bar. The Equinox Fuel Cell only has a range of about 80 miles when fueled at 350 bar. Another challenge is that a number of hydrogen stations are dedicated to one fleet and are not available to the public.
Over the next few years, range will greatly improve from drivers of fuel cell vehicles. Today, fuel cell buses with ten times the weight of the Equinox have ranges greater than 300 miles. With more hydrogen storage, more range is achieved. Toyota has demonstrated a range of 350 miles by using extra 700 bar storage. GM has demonstrated a range of 300 miles by using 8 kg of storage. Honda will achieve a 270 mile range with the new FCX Clarity using the lower pressure 350 bar. The Honda is a lighter four-passenger vehicle designed from the ground-up to be an electric fuel cell vehicle.
The Equinox Fuel Cell uses 35 kW of NiMH batteries in a mild-hybrid configuration. In other vehicles, such as the Volt, GM is testing new lithium batteries. In its next generation fuel cell vehicle, GM could achieve a range exceeding 300 miles by reducing vehicle weight, having a more battery-dominate full-hybrid design such as E-Flex, using its fifth generation fuel cell, and by switching to lithium batteries.
To accelerate the presence of higher pressure stations with public access, GM is spending millions to establish nine temporary 700 bar stations from Burbank to San Diego. At least three of the portable fueling stations will be provided by Quantum (QTWW). Hydrogen will be made by large-scale reformation of natural gas that is truck delivered.
A number of existing California hydrogen stations use zero-emission hydrogen production by using electrolysis powered by renewable energy, such as solar. Others, such as AC Transit and USMC Camp Pendleton, make hydrogen with on-site electrolysis of pipelined natural gas. AC Transit’s approach produces about 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions of diesel alternatives by using solar power in the reformation and compression of hydrogen. Next year, pipelined byproduct hydrogen will be available at a Torrance station for less than the cost of gasoline. GM and other stations in development will increase California’s hydrogen infrastructure from 25 to 40 stations. In California, the number of hydrogen vehicles from all makers on the road is likely to double from over 150 today to over 300 in 2008, with GM leading the way.

http://www.cleanfleetreport.com/vault/gm_equinox.htm

This Nox is not a Fuel Cell "Hybrid".

 

[PhishPhood]

Little late to the party, toyota?

It's a good thing that the engineers at other competing vehicle makers have the same blind perspective.

If it works, always a big IF, goes beyond gas. But the problem with FC-powered vehicles is how to fill them and where. The infrastructure still is not there no matter how elegant the solution might be.