Trends in Transportation - Hydrogen and Fuel Cells: Advances in Transportation and Power - page 166

two gas permeable electrodes of graphite paper. Hydrogen is introduced
to one side of the fuel cell while the other side is exposed to the air. Like
the GM Hy-Wire platform, the fuel cells, fuel tank and fuel systems are
under the floor. The compressor is in the front of the car to reduce the
noise. There are four hydrogen sensors on the fuel cell stack, on each of
the hydrogen tanks, another at the electric motor and another inside the
cabin. The high torque electric motor developed 100-kW of motive power
which was 35-kW more than the previous design for the A-class. The fuel
cell is also more efficient. An enhanced hydrogen storage system gives the
vehicle a range of 250 miles (400-kM). The Ballard fuel cells are expected
to last at least 5,000 hours in a car and 10,000 hours in a bus.
In 2005 GM joined with Sandia National Lab in a partnership to
design and test an advanced method for storing hydrogen. The 4-year, $10
million program is intended to develop and test tanks that store hydrogen
in sodium aluminum hydride. The goal was to be able to store more
hydrogen onboard that other hydrogen storage methods currently in use.
Toyota and Honda have been experimenting with both methanol and
metal-hydride storage of hydrogen. Honda has built several test cars, in
1999 a Honda FCX-V1 (metal-hydride hydrogen) and FCX-V2 (methanol)
were tested at a track in Japan. The Ballard powered version-1 was ready,
but proved to be a little sluggish and noisy. The other car suffered from
a noisy fuel cell. Both Honda fuel cell test cars were built on the chassis
of the discontinued EV Plus battery electric. Honda used a different and
more aerodynamic body.
The 2005 Honda FCX is a four-seat compact hatchback with an
ultracapacitor to provide short bursts of power for passing and hills.
Many of the other fuel cell vehicles use batteries for this power. The use of
the ultracapacitor can eliminate the expensive replacement of the batteries
when battery life is over. The energy from a regenerative braking system
is stored in the ultracapacitor, which is a low voltage, high efficiency
capacitor. The 2005 FCX had a top speed of 92 miles per hour with a range
of 200 miles. The equivalent fuel economy is 62 miles per gallon for city
driving and 51 on the highway.
The FCX-V2 used a Honda designed fuel cell and reformer.
Downsizing the methanol reformer remained to be done and both test
cars had room only for a driver and passenger. Fuel cell components took
up the rear seats. The need to test fuel cell cars under real-life conditions
is one reason Honda joined DaimlerChrysler in the California Fuel Cell
Partnership. More recently Honda announced the first lease of its advanced