Fuel Cell Most Likely "Clean Fuel" of the Future

02/05/97

Reuters reports that the Economist Intelligence Unit published a report saying that fuel cells and hybrid engines have become more likely to provide tomorrow's "clean fuel" for zero emission cars than batteries. The report also says that improvements to the gasoline engine will probably push diesel engines out to the margins.

Even with recent technological improvements, however, conventional gas engines will probably provide 90 percent of automotive power for the next 15 years, and fossil fuel will supply 80 percent of the world's energy needs for at least the next 50 years.

Jeff Daniels, author of the report, said, "there will not be a major switch to battery-powered electric cars within the foreseeable future. Battery-powered cars will always be too expensive and too limited in their performance. Research into advanced batteries is already being scaled back."

Never mind that GM has already released a battery powered car in the U.S., and that Toyota and Honda have done the same in Japan. GM only plans to build a small number of its EV1 because the car is too expensive and only has a range of about 90 miles. At this point the GM vehicles are only available for lease, and Honda has announced that it will follow suit when it introduces its electric vehicle in California.

The Economist Intelligence Unit's report says interest in fuel cell technology is now growing and will replace interest in batteries. Daniels said, "the new fuel-cell device which turns a liquid fuel into electricity without the need for combustion-is one reason why research teams have scaled down battery work."

He said, "there is a real possibility that vehicles with this power source will appear by 2010-2015. Mercedes-Benz has a fuel-cell powered vehicle based on its multi-purpose vehicle. Later in 1996 Toyota demonstrated a RAV-4 equipped not only with a fuel cell but also with a hybrid drivetrain."

Hybrid vehicles have two engines: generally a battery for in-town driving, and a conventional gas engine for longer range driving. Energy from the gas engine is used to charges the battery.

Much of the important fuel cell R&D work has been done for Mercedes and Volkswagen by Ballard Power Systems of Vancouver, Canada. Ballard will have fuel cells powering Chicago Transportation Authority buses by 1998. Ballard expects to see fuel cell-powered cars on the road by 2003 or 2005, and thinks clean-air laws in California, Massachusetts and New York will boost demand for their product early in the first part of the next decade.

Reuters says that other important points from the Economist Intelligence Unit report include:

* 20-30 percent more efficient gas and diesel engines based on Mitsubishi's new direct injection technology. Gas and diesel engines will not get much cleaner.

* Better gas engines will tend to push diesel out of the picture. Diesel power will be used in low-power small cars, and with high-economy direct-injection technology.

* Gas that has been reformulated to burn cleaner has already made its debut in California. It will soon emerge in Europe.

* Commercial use of compressed natural gas engines will lead to the development of liquefied natural gas engines.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel