Hydrogen Hits the Roads

WorldAutoSteel on May 18, 2011 announced  the results of a three-year programme to develop fully engineered, steel-intensive designs for electrified vehicles, including fuel cell vehicles that reduce greenhouse gas emissions over their entire life cycle. The FutureSteelVehicle (FSV) features steel body structure designs that reduce mass by more than 35 percent over a benchmark vehicle and reduce total life cycle emissions by nearly 70 percent. This is accomplished while meeting a broad list of global crash and durability requirements, enabling five-star safety ratings, while avoiding high-cost penalties for mass reduction. The results are available at the WorldAutoSteel website. The FSV programme developed optimised Advanced High-Strength Steel (AHSS) body structures for four proposed 2015-2020 model-year vehicles: battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) A-/ B-Class vehicles; and PHEV and fuel cell (FCEV) C-/D-Class vehicles. “FutureSteelVehicle taps into the best attributes of steel – its design flexibility, its strength and formability, its low manufacturing emissions and its comparative low cost,” said Jody Shaw, chairman, FSV programme and director of technical marketing and product research at United States Steel Corporation. “Though FutureSteelVehicle’s development focused on electrified powertrains, a broad bandwidth of steel applications have been produced that can be used to reduce mass [...]

The EHA participated in the Stakeholders Meeting that was organized by DG MOVE to present the EU efforts in establishing a Strategic Transport Technology Plan (STTP)  on May 24, 2010.  The STTP is scheduled to be published by mid 2011.

Germany’s cabinet agreed on Wednesday plans to boost the country’s electric auto sector with billions of euros in subsidies, aiming to have 1 million of the cars on the road by 2020. Berlin hopes the move will help Germany shift towards the emerging technology and has come alongside pledges from the private sector for some 12 billion euros ($17 billion) in investments in the coming years. Chancellor Angela Merkel  hopes to make Germany the world’s leading market in the sector, while Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche has predicted that in 50 years all cars will be electric. Source: CNBC World  

According to a study conducted by the World Bank, China is emerging as the global leader in developing and introducing more electric vehicles. Global economies have been pushing for the development of electric vehicle technology in an attempt to reduce dependence on non-renewable energy and pollution. The World Bank study predicts that Chinese consumers will buy 47 per cent more electric vehicles than the US, and that the sales of green cars will make up 10 per cent of new vehicles sales in China by 2020. China’s economic emergence came at the price of the environment and criticisms have been levelled at the country by citizens and the international community alike. The government has since taken steps towards green development and plans to pump US$15 billion (*S$18.52 billion) over the next five years in vehicle electrification. In 2009, China launched its Ten Cities, Thousand Vehicles Program to promote energy saving vehicles. Currently, the programme has been extended to 25 cities. The Chinese government also introduced green subsidies that were intended to encourage citizens to purchase environmentally friendly vehicles in the same year. In 2010, approximately CNY8.5 billion (*S$1.61 billion) was invested in China’s electric vehicle industry. While China has focused on [...]

The Antares H3 fuel-cell powered aircraft is on track for its first flight this year, and a transatlantic flight in 2012. The H3 glider is the successor to the Antares DLR-H2, the world’s first piloted fuel cell aircraft, developed by Lange Research Aircraft with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). Professor K. Andreas Friedrich of the DLR says that the Antares is “very close to market viability in special-purpose applications such as surveillance functions”. He will report on the project’s progress at H2Expo in Hamburg, Germany on 8th and 9th June. Source: Fuel Cell Today

- The hydrogen industry has passed a major milestone – the first pipeline fed vehicle hydrogen fuelling station has opened in the US. Until now, all hydrogen vehicle fuelling stations has been delivered by truck in liquid or compressed form, because demand has not been high enough to justify building a pipeline. But if hydrogen fuelling is going to become cheap enough for large scale viability, pipeline infrastructure The fuelling station is based in Torrance, California, and is fed directly from an industrial hydrogen pipeline. It was built in a collaborative effort between Toyota, Air Products, Shell, South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and the US Department of Energy (DOE). Source: The Hydrogen Journal

Intelligent Energy will exhibit a Fuel Cell Black Cab at the 11th Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Berlin from 18th to 22nd May 2011. The five-day event plays host to thousands of representatives from around the world who discuss challenges and solutions for sustainable road mobility. The Fuel Cell Black Cab is fully road-legal and now being demonstrated on London roads. It will be part of a ‘ride and drive’ at the event. Intelligent Energy will also be showing the Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter, which has recently obtained European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA). Source: Fuel Cell Today

Tropical, a Greek fuel cell system manufacturer based in Athens, has launched a new product line of portable fuel cell power generators. The TB-1000 and TB-5000 generators provide 1,000 W and 5,000 W electric power respectively at 12/24/48 V DC and at 110/230 V AC. They are suitable for a wide range of applications, including back-up power for telecom stations, power supply for caravans and other RVs, and military use. The TB-1000 generator is hydrogen fuelled and uses the FCgen-1020ACS (air cooled) PEM stack from Ballard Power Systems. The TB-5000 uses the FCgen-1300 (water cooled) stack from Ballard and is fuelled by reformate hydrogen. Source: Fuel Cell Today, Tropical

Hydrogen + Fuel Cells 2011 (HFC2011) is one of the leading international events for the hydrogen and fuel cell industry. The event will be celebrating its fifth edition and will be held from May 15 – 18, 2011. It will take place at the Vancouver Convention Centre. HFC2011 will feature keynote addresses from industry, academic and government speakers as well as topical parallel sessions focusing on key issues in the sector. The event will also feature an extensive exhibition where hydrogen and fuel cell companies and research institutions will have an opportunity to demonstrate their latest efforts. There will be numerous opportunities to network and partner with global leaders in the business, government and scientific communities. For further information about the conference, please refer to the official website.

On its 90th anniversary Barcelona International Motor Show is showcasing the new models of electric and hybrid cars with an exhibition entitled “Electric Car”. The exhibition is complemented by numerous conferences and technical seminars on the advances of eco-friendly designs and on the present and future of the motor industry. For more information see Barcelona Motor Show