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Wind-Up Hybrids: Lessons from Toy Cars

Brad Berman — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 21:24:43 +0000

Frugal and simple are the keywords for this recession-era gift-giving season. This signals the resurgence of low-tech classic toys made of wood, tin and string, which can delight just as much or more than expensive electronic and plastic toys. One of the retro classic toys—the wind-up rubber band car—points the way to low-cost energy storage strategies for hybrid cars.

Brian Watt’s amazing rubber band car.

No, we’re not talking about Floridian Brian Watt’s adult-sized rubber band car, shown at last year’s MakerFaire. “This is taking rubber band and cardboard technology to the extreme,” said Watt. He admitted that his design was “experimental” but wondered: “Who knows how far it could go if you use more rubber bands?”

Freshman mechanical engineering students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, picked up on that question when they were assigned their first major design project: To construct model cars that propel solely on energy from six rubber bands and two mousetraps. The cars were put to the test by racing one another on an 11-foot long S-curved slalom course. The project focused on principles such as potential and kinetic energy, friction, and material properties.

For their first major design project, freshman mechanical engineers at Johns Hopkins had to think low-tech. No motors or batteries. Each vehicle could be powered only by two mousetraps and six rubber bands.

Real-World Wind-up Hybrids

Can the idea of rubber band power be scaled up to cars in the real world? That’s apparently exactly what Chrysler hybrid engineers were considering in the 1990s. Chrysler engineer Evan Boberg, in his tell-all book “Common Sense Not Required: Idiots Designing Cars & Hybrid Vehicles,” explained how Chrysler engineers connected huge rubber bands to a transmission. The rubber bands were wound up and released to propel the car. Unfortunately, according to Boberg, sometimes the rubber bands exploded causing a safety hazard.

Cover image from Evan Boberg’s “Common Sense Not Required.”

A similar but far more effective—and apparently dangerous—strategy is the use of flywheels. Boberg wrote that one Chrysler technician sacrificed his life when a test flywheel disintegrated.

Almost every vehicle with a manual transmission is already fitted with a flywheel—a kind of high-speed spinning device—to smooth the flow of power from the engine and to provide a small store of energy to help prevent stalling on launch.

In a flywheel hybrid, the mechanical system recovers the kinetic energy of a vehicle during braking and transfers it to the flywheel rather than using an electric motor to store it in batteries as with current hybrids.

In the 1980s, General Motors Research investigated the potential of flywheel hybrids. A 44-person FX85 task force demonstrated the ability of its flywheel design to achieve 10 percent improvements in fuel economy, but abandoned the program based on “a considerable increase in complexity and cost.”

General Motors FX85 leadership Team with a mock-up of the FX85 flywheel hybrid transmission.

The idea of mechanical winding and spinning energy storage for hybrids persists. In 2007, a group of leading British companies announced its plans to develop flywheel hybrid system in accordance with new Formula One regulations. The idea is to store just enough energy for a burst of speed to pass the competition at exactly the right moment.

And at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, AFS Trinity Power Corporation—a company that develops energy storage systems using batteries, flywheels and ultracapacitors—unveiled its Extreme Hybrid XH-150. In the vehicle, AFS Trinity applied its technology to a stock Saturn Vue Greenline Hybrid, to produce a small plug-in hybrid SUV capable of 150 miles to the gallon, according to the company.

There’s no reason to wait for AFS Trinity to roll out its technology. You can follow Rob Hangen’s lead, and build your own flywheel hybrid drivetrain…out of Lego. Batteries and rubber bands not included.

A flywheel hybrid made out of Lego.

Happy Holidays!

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Toyota Predicts First Loss in 70 Years

shamit — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:20:44 +0000

The global recession has finally caught up with Toyota Motor Corporation, which announced on Monday that it is anticipating a loss of US $1.7 billion for the fiscal year ending in March 2009. It would be the first time in 70 years that Toyota’s annual operating budget ended up in the red.

The figure is especially shocking since Toyota projected a $14 billion profit earlier in the year, and re-adjusted that forecast downward to $6.7 billion as recently as November. It also comes on the heels of eight consecutive year-over-year profit records, ending with more than a $25 billion surplus for fiscal 2008.

Toyota and the other Japanese automakers have maintained an edge over American manufacturers due to a more progressive, long-term business philosophy. Rather than targeting quarterly earnings and profits, Toyota has based its success on planning years, and even decades ahead. Progressive thinking has allowed the automaker to become the world leader in hybrid cars.

But as vehicle sales plunge, even Toyota is not immune to the fallout of the financial crisis. “The environment surrounding us is extremely severe, and we are facing an unprecedented, emergency situation where we have no choice but see an operating loss this year,” said Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe. Toyota expects to sell 12 percent fewer cars than it had originally predicted. That number is expected to directly translate to a slide in hybrid vehicle sales, which have also suffered due to declining gas prices. Nevertheless, Toyota is standing by its goal of selling 1 million hybrids per year soon after the turn of a new decade.

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US Hybrid Battery Companies Join Forces

Brad Berman — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:21:29 +0000

The Hybrid Car Battery: A Definitive Guide

See our rundown of today’s hybrid cars battery makers, chemistries, and recent news.

A group of US battery companies teamed up this week to boost American manufacturing of lithium ion batteries. The new alliance aims to compete with Asian companies that currently dominate the lithium ion battery market.

The production of affordable lithium ion batteries is viewed as the key to success for the next generation of hybrid and electric cars.

The newly formed National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Battery Cell Manufacture will create one or more manufacturing and prototype development centers in the United States, working with the Argonne National Laboratory as advisors. Members include 3M, ActaCell, All Cell Technologies, Altair Nanotechnologies, EaglePicher, EnerSys, Envia Systems, FMC, Johnson Controls-Saft, MicroSun, Mobius Power, SiLyte, Superior Graphite and Townsend Advanced Energy.

The plan of the alliance is to replicate the success of Sematech, a government-industry collaboration of US semiconductor-makers that was formed in the 1980s to address the migration of semiconductor manufacturing from the United States to Asia. It has since evolved into a self-supporting trade association.

The new US battery group will face formidable competition from Japanese companies. Just this week, Panasonic decided to make a tender offer for Sanyo, the world’s largest producer of rechargeable batteries. Sanyo is well positioned to capitalize on the auto industry’s shift to hybrid and electric cars—and will be a battery powerhouse when aligned with Panasonic. Panasonic EV Energy Co., a division of Panasonic and an affiliate of Toyota, currently supplies nickel metal hydride batteries for Toyota hybrids as well as Chrysler’s Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUV hybrids. Sanyo provides similar batteries for Honda, and the Ford Escape Hybrid and its Mercury and Mazda versions.

Panasonic EV opened a new battery factory in a Sendai suburb last month—one month ahead of schedule. The company rushed the construction of the factory, putting hybrid cars at the core of its manufacturing strategy. In June, Toyota also set up a battery research department that develops next-generation batteries for electric cars.

The only US company currently providing batteries to production vehicles is Cobasys, which supplies batteries for the Saturn Vue and Saturn Aura hybrids, and the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. Mercedes recently sued Cobasys for failing to supply batteries for that company’s upcoming hybrids.

Other recent maneuvers in the global battery war:

Honda, which receives its nickel metal hydride batteries for its hybrids from Panasonic and Sanyo, announced a joint venture with GS Yuasa for developing lithium ion batteries.
Volkswagen and Sanyo are working on a joint venture for future lithium ion battery development.
Nissan is working with Japan’s NEC to produce lithium ion batteries for electric cars. NEC will also supply batteries for Subaru’s EV program.
Supplier Robert Bosch formed a joint venture with Samsung to develop lithium ion batteries.
Daimler established a joint venture for batteries with Evonik, but said it will use Johnson Controls-Saft batteries in its upcoming Mercedes S-Class hybrid.

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Mercedes Takes Swiss Army Knife Approach to Electric Cars

Brad Berman — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 19:51:36 +0000

The recently unveiled Mercedes-Benz BlueZero concept vehicles are built with the flexibility to insert electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel-cell technologies into the same exact vehicle design.

It’s easy to dismiss the BlueZero sketches as just another cool green concept car that will never see the light of day, but it could be a glimpse into a future lineup of small Mercedes cars with varying degrees of electric power.

Definition: B-Class

The term B-class refers to subcompacts about the size of the Ford Fiesta or Hyundai Accent. The A-class is slightly smaller, although not as small as a Smart car.

This is not the first time that Daimler, the maker of Mercedes and Smart cars, has taken a Swiss army knife approach. The first generation Smart car was built with a “sandwich” platform that can handle conventional gas engines as well as alternative powertrains. In addition, Daimler used the A-class as the basis for 60 F-Cell fuel cell vehicles running on the streets of Berlin and Los Angeles.

Flexible designs allow a Mercedes A-class to take a fuel-cell drivetrain, and the Smart ForTwo to go electric. These vehicles are running in pilot programs in Europe and California.

Daimler previously announced that its next generation FCV will be built on the B-class chassis in 2010. Migrating to the BlueZero should only be a minor adjustment. Daimler’s future electric cars could also shift to the BlueZero—because the guts of the electric cars already fit in the smaller Smart and A-Class.

General Motors adds steroids (and fantasy) to the idea of building in flexibility. Its “skateboard” design potentially allows consumers to swap out various car bodies, seating configurations and power systems. That’s also the core idea behind GM’s “e-flex” architecture—the underlying basis for the Chevy Volt. GM swapped out the Volt’s 1.0-liter three-cylinder gas engine with a 1.3-liter four-cylinder diesel engine, and modified the body style, to produce a plug-in hybrid concept for the European market: the Opel Flextreme.

The General Motors futuristic “skateboard” design, as described on The Discovery Channel.

Sharing platforms and technology architectures allows car companies to telescope development and production timelines, which can stretch out for years. And it helps to save money on rolling out advanced new models at a time when cost remains the biggest obstacle to introducing the latest whiz-bang auto technologies.

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Electric Car Darwinisim: Th!nk Falters

shamit — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:24:54 +0000

Electric carmaker Th!nk was denied its request to the Norwegian government for loan guarantees to weather the current economic crisis. The denial may have sealed the company’s fate.

Th!nk requested an estimated $15 to $30 million bailout. According to the company, those short-term guarantees, plus a temporary work stoppage and a layoff of 50 to 70 percent of the company’s 250 employees, was necessary to keep the business afloat. The government funding could have enabled Th!nk to stay on track for launching the Th!nk City, a zero-emission micro car, in European and US markets in the next year or two. The Th!nk City is capable of reaching 65 miles per hour and traveling up to 110 miles on a single charge.

“There are many companies that are in a demanding financial situation,” Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Rikke Lind told Reuters. “The government cannot go in on the ownership side or provide loans to specific companies in today’s situation.”

Th!nk requested the aid citing “urgent financial distress” due to a shortage of working capital. In the midst of the current global economic crisis, automotive start-ups are finding it increasingly difficult to secure private investment dollars.

“We are in a very serious situation.”

Richard Canny
chief executive officer,Th!nk

In a case of electric car Darwinism, niche players like Th!nk, Tesla and Miles Electric Vehicles could fall by the wayside—while major auto manufacturers pursuing full battery-electric vehicles, most notably Nissan, could assume a dominant role in the burgeoning electric car market.

Th!nk halted production on Monday with hopes to resume normal operations soon after the government loan was approved on Tuesday. Now there’s no telling when or if the plant will begin building cars again. “We are in a very serious situation,” said Richard Canny, chief executive officer, in a news conference this morning. He said the company will probably not survive without government intervention.

Just last week, Th!nk reported that it has been building eight to ten Th!nk City cars per day since October, with a full-scale production target of 44 vehicles per day by mid-2009. Those plans for growth—an oddly optimistic outlook coming one week before the company predicts its own demise—indicate a mismatch between high hopes and grim realities for today’s electric car companies.

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Toyota Kills US-Built Prius

Brad Berman — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:58:57 +0000

Even the mighty Toyota Prius has fallen victim to economic chaos and plunging gas prices: Toyota said today it was postponing its plans to build the Prius at a new factory under construction in Blue Springs, near Tupelo, Mississippi—indefinitely.

Just a few months ago, the Prius was on a roll as gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon. As sales soared, Toyota switched the $1.3 billion Mississippi plant’s output to the iconic hybrid from its original product: Highlander sport-utility vehicles. Toyota even announced it would make the battery packs in the US at some point.

Now, reports Automotive News, the Toyota board has decided to halt the project due to a “steep decline” in US sales. The building is almost complete, but the company hadn’t yet begun to fill it with machine tools and manufacturing equipment.

US auto sales have plummeted roughly 30 percent against last year’s numbers, from an annual sales level of roughly 15 million to a mere two-thirds of that level in October and November 2008. And while the Detroit Three have seen sales fall further than their Asian counterparts, Toyota suffered a 32-percent loss in November. With gasoline back under $2 a gallon in many states, Prius sales have fallen further than that, almost 50 percent in November 2008 against the monthly level from a year ago.

The Blue Springs plant was to have manufactured the new, third-generation 2010 Prius that will be formally introduced at the Detroit Auto Show on January 12. The inspiration for the new Prius, Toyota’s Hybrid X concept car, was larger than the current compact-to-midsize model. Internet rumors indicate the 2010 Prius will not only be larger inside, but have a larger and more powerful engine—and significantly higher fuel economy than the current model’s 48 / 45 mpg on the EPA’s city / highway cycles.

There’s a silver lining to every dark cloud, though. The Mississippi plant will remain dedicated to building Priuses, whenever the project is finally restarted.

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Tesla Bailout Request Spurs Class-Warfare Backlash

shamit — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:19:11 +0000

Critics argue that Tesla’s request to use taxpayer money to help a company making cars for wealthy patrons is elitist and wrong.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is drawing fire over his request for a $350 million loan from the federal government. Although the company receives widespread support for its leadership role in the burgeoning electric car industry, a growing number of observers believe that any funds given to Tesla, regardless of how the money would be used, are unwarranted. The Tesla Roadster sells for $109,000, but the company hopes to build a more affordable plug-in vehicle.

The backlash began with Randall Stross’s opinion piece in the New York Times, in which he wrote that Tesla’s “all-electric technology remains woefully immature and don’t-even-ask expensive.” Stross characterizes the Tesla Roadster and the company as elitist. He writes that many of the first vehicles “have gone to [Silicon] Valley’s billionaires and centimillionaires who are Tesla investors as well as early customers.”

Arnold Schwarzenneger is one of the first owners of a Tesla Roadster. He said, “It’s so nice when you sit in this sexy car and you drive from zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds, which is faster than a turbo Porsche. And no engine sound or greenhouse gas emissions.” Schwarzenneger chastised Detroit for not building electric cars. He said, “Arnold to Detroit: Get off your butt!”

Web Insiders Exchange Angry Arguments

At least one of those wealthy first customers, Jason Calacanis, the founder of Weblogs, Inc., came to Tesla’s defense in his blog, accusing Stross of demonstrating a “kill the wealthy ethos.” In the blog post (which was republished on Huffington Post), Calacanis wrote: “Tesla isn’t about rich Silicon Valley guys in sports cars: it’s about extracting ourselves from the environment-killing, human-rights violating, terrorist-supporting regimes in the Middle East. The only reason we deal with countries that suppress women and homosexuals and give money to terrorists who kill based on a religion is because we are dependent on their oil.”

CenterNetworks.com, an information resource about Web 2.0 and social media, later disclosed that Jason Calacanis’s new company Mahalo received funding from Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, and that Mr. Calacanis’s brother-in-law Ryan Scott is an investor in Tesla.

Another argument espoused by Tesla critics is that Tesla is unlike the Detroit Big Three, because it has an insufficient track record. The critics believe that $350 million is a lot of money to give a company that has delivered only approximately 100 vehicles. These critics, expressing opinions on the blogosphere, argue that Tesla needs to continue pursuing private investment capital, not taxpayer dollars. If it can’t survive by building itself up through private investment, the argument goes, it doesn’t deserve to survive.

Loren Feldman of 1938Media rants that Tesla “doesn’t deserve a nickel from the US government.”

Tesla’s Elon Musk has said that without the federal loan, the company will not be able to proceed with its next generation of all-electric cars, starting with the plug-in Model S sedan. (Loan funds would be applied to development of the Model S, not the Tesla Roadster.) However Allen Stern, CenterNetworks editor, questions the affordability of the Model S—a vehicle with a target price of approximately $60,000. He writes, “I haven’t seen anything from Tesla that speaks to the average American family.” Stern argues that “instead of dropping hundreds of millions into Tesla,” the country should invest in public transportation, efficient air travel, and university-level battery research programs. “Take the millions and billions of dollars and create better transit systems in cities across this country. There’s so much that can be done with transit to create real environmental and human savings.”

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Americans Return to the Pumps

Brad Berman — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:32:00 +0000

Cheap gas has drivers returning to the pumps, despite economic woes.

Consumers pumped 0.3% more gasoline last week than in the same period last year, according to gasoline station purchases compiled by MasterCard Advisors. That’s the first increase in gas consumption since April.

The US Energy Department confirmed this trend in a report this week showing gasoline demand up almost 1 percent last week from the previous week.

The national average price for a gallon of regular dropped to $1.68 a gallon this week from a peak of $4.11 a gallon in July, according AAA.

Confusion Reigns

Nobody seems to know how long the decline in gas prices will continue. Last month, the Energy Department pegged the 2009 average price at $2.37, but just this week reduced that average retail price to $2.03 a gallon for next year.

The agency estimates that crude oil prices will average $51 a barrel—down from $63.50 estimated a month ago. Oil prices hit a low of $40.81 last Friday, but jumped to nearly $50 this week based on news that Saudi Arabia will make good on promises to cut output.

The US government’s response to a pending auto industry collapse is wreaking additional havoc to oil markets. The prospect of a prolonged recession resulting from one or more Detroit automakers going bankrupt—and thus reducing consumption—sent oil prices lower. But just today, oil climbed more than $3 from the day’s lows after the Bush administration said it may tap the $700 billion bank-rescue fund to prevent an auto-industry collapse, easing concern about a prolonged recession that will cut fuel demand.

The only certainty during these times is uncertainty. With the fate of the American auto industry up in the air, the length of the economic recession unknown, and the direction of oil markets in disarray, American consumers can only respond to the real price of gasoline at the corner gas station at this exact moment. The response apparently is to fill ‘er up while the price is low.

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Car Wars: 10 Electric Car Lawsuits

Brad Berman — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:44:27 +0000

Electric car makers take to the courtroom more often than the highway.

While the goal of most automakers is to make money making cars, it appears that electric car companies have another side pursuit—suing competitors. Is this all about the massive ego necessary to launch a car company? Or is it just something about electric cars? You be the judge. Here’s a rap sheet of high-profile lawsuits regarding electric and hybrid cars.

Tesla vs. Fisker

Tesla and Fisker, two Western start-up electric car companies, are playing out a classic movie Western scene where one says, “This town’s not big enough for the both of us.” Here’s the synopsis: Tesla hires Fisker for design work on its second model. Fisker submits designs and is paid. Fisker starts its own electric vehicle company. Tesla sues Fisker for submitting a sub par design and stealing trade secrets. Pause for legal wrangling. Judge decides in favor of Fisker and arbiter awards Fisker $1.4 million in legal fees.

Vespremi, et al, vs. Tesla

David Vespremi.

Tesla’s former PR director, David Vespremi, filed a class-action lawsuit in July 2008, suing the company for “violating the terms of his employment, not acting in good faith, violating California labor codes, failing to pay wages owed, and practicing fraudulent business practices.” In addition, he sued for libel and slander because of remarks that Tesla execs made to the press after he was laid off. The suit doesn’t name the other members of the class. Claims will not exceed $75,000.

Magna vs. Tesla

Tesla Roadster’s single-speed transmission.

Magna, a Canadian-based component supplier and engineering subcontractor to many automakers around the world, charged that Tesla asked the company to build a transmission for its electric roadster, which it delivered. But Tesla walked away without paying. Meanwhile, Magna says it will roll out its own plug-in car in 2010—but only in markets where its customers don’t sell cars.

The People vs. Michael Papp

Michael Papp, the head of another electric car startup, Spark EV, went to jail after being charged with failing to deliver 14 electric vehicles for which he was paid $100,000. His retort was that he was filing for bankruptcy—for the fourth time—but that the cars will still be delivered.

ZAP vs. DaimlerChrysler (as it was known at the time)

Smart ForTwo Crash Testing.

California-based ZAP, a company that sells a variety of electric scooters, bikes and three-wheeled electric vehicles, wanted to be the first to bring Smart cars to the United States. Reuters reported in 2005 that ZAP ordered $1 billion worth of vehicles from Smart. DaimlerChrysler said it was unaware of the order. ZAP sued Daimler over what it termed “severe misconduct” and interference with ZAP’s business. The suit was initially thrown out of California’s lower courts, but Zap is appealing the case to the California Supreme Court.

Daimler vs. Ovonics vs. Japanese Battery Makers

Mercedes S400 Hybrid.

Ovonics Battery Company, a subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices that eventually became Cobasys, filed lawsuits in 2001 against Matsushita Battery Industrial Co., Ltd., Toyota Motor Corp., Panasonic EV Energy Co., Ltd., and several related entities for patent infringement on its nickel metal hydride battery technology. Ovonics won the settlement, but found itself back in legal trouble in 2008, when Daimler AG, maker of Mercedes-Benz luxury cars, sued Cobasys for failing to provide hybrid battery packs as agreed for a planned Mercedes-Benz hybrid.

Boshart Engineering vs. Phoenix Motorcars

Phoenix Motorcars all-electric Sport Utility Truck.

For years, Phoenix Motorcars has been planning to sell an all-electric “sport utility truck,” using a Korean-built Ssangyong chassis. The company promises to deliver an electric SUV soon afterward. The company cut its ties with its motor supplier and engineering firm, Boshart Engineering. Boshart then sued Phoenix for reneging on its contract.

Toyota vs. Paice LLC

Toyota Prius.

In May 2008, the US Supreme Court allowed a lower court’s ruling to stand which awards Paice LLC roughly $4.3 million in a patent lawsuit related to Toyota’s use of a microprocessor, which communicates information from the electric motor and internal combustion engine. Two other hybrid lawsuits with Toyota are pending, including one with Conrad Gardner, a 75-year-old Seattle-based engineer who filed a hybrid patent in the early 1990s. Gardner sued Toyota to, in his words, “to teach them a lesson to respect the patents of others.”

New York Taxicab Board vs. City of New York

Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid.

The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade filed a suit against the City of New York claiming that Ford Escapes Hybrids mandated for use as taxis in the city were “unsafe” because they aren’t designed to be used as cabs.

Detroit vs. California

Crushed EV1s.

The biggest and most consequential lawsuits have been, and continue to be, filed by the big auto companies. In 2003, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and Izusu Motors fought the State of California over its zero emission vehicle mandate, claiming it was an end run on the federal role of setting vehicle fuel economy standards. That one was settled out of court—but it led to the infamous “killing of the electric car.” Battles over emissions between Detroit, the State of California, and the federal government, continue to this day.

Lawsuits are so much a part of the landscape that the California Air Resources Board, the agency behind the zero emission vehicle mandate and many other regulations, has a standing item on its monthly agenda to discuss the status of various suits brought against it by the auto industry.

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Hollywood Pushes for Fuel Cell Cars

Brad Berman — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:53:06 +0000

Perhaps the only time you’ve heard about fuel cell vehicles is when Hollywood stars roll up to the red carpet. A star with a green streak is more than happy to lend his or her name to the cause of emission-free motoring, and car companies will do what’s necessary to promote their forward-thinking advanced technologies.

Top: Jamie Lee Curtis with Honda FCX Clarity.
Bottom: Brad Pitt with BMW Hydrogen 7.

Separating Hydrogen Truth and Fiction

Hydrogen Challenges

What is going to take to put more hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the road?

But there’s evidence that hydrogen fuel cell cars—largely dismissed as fantasy in recent years—might one day become more than just the stuff of science fiction movies. Ironically, Tinsel Town and Greater Los Angeles—a town where fiction and gritty realities collide—is becoming the location for real fuel cell cars, although still on a limited basis. Los Angeles enjoys the support of state and local government agencies and a budding infrastructure for refueling—including 20 hydrogen stations and another seven in the planning stages. The lack of a refueling network is perhaps the biggest obstacle to the deployment of hydrogen-powered cars.

And then there was the large showing of fuel cell cars at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show—demonstrating that fuel cell technology remains an important area of research and development focus for automakers, along with the hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and full electric vehicles that are likely to appear on the market sooner.

Hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars are essentially electric vehicles—producing their electricity onboard instead of having it supplied from the grid. Compressed hydrogen passes through a fuel cell membrane that produces electricity to power the car.

Fuel Cell Highlights from the Los Angeles Show

kia-borrego-fcv-610.jpg" alt="Kia Borrego FCEV" title="Kia Borrego FCEV" />

Kia unveiled its second-generation fuel cell vehicle, the Borrego FCEV at its press conference. This vehicle has a power stack that is almost 50 percent more powerful than the previous generation and uses a supercapacitor for energy storage, but also delivers an impressive 54 miles to the gallon.

Nissan had its fuel cell vehicle, the X-Trail FCV, in the ride-and-drive. The new fuel cell stack in the Nissan doubles the power density of the previous generation stack and also achieves a 35 percent cost reduction mainly due to using half the platinum of earlier versions.

General Motors also had its Chevy Equinox FCV in the ride-and-drive program, one of 100 being used in its Project Driveway program that has thousands of regular citizens as well as key influencers evaluating daily life with a fuel cell vehicle.

Fuel cell vehicles certainly face challenges before becoming a mainstream product, but many in the industry and government still see them as the “holy grail,” capable of delivering all of the convenience and performance of an internal combustion engine without the pollution and greenhouse gases, or dependence on fossil fuel.

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