DaimlerChrysler Vehicles Demonstrate Four Different Approaches To Fuel Cell Technology-Bye Bye OPEC

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Dec. 13 -- DaimlerChrysler today demonstrated fuel cell vehicles powered by four different fuels, as the company continues to investigate the best solutions to power the cars and trucks of the future.

Fuel cells combine oxygen from the air and hydrogen from a fuel source to produce electricity, which can be used to power electric motors and drive automobiles. DaimlerChrysler and other automakers are exploring a variety of fuels that can produce hydrogen onboard vehicles.

``The most important unresolved issue with fuel cell vehicles is not the fuel cell, it's the fuel,'' said Thomas Moore, Vice President and head of DaimlerChrysler's Liberty & Technical Affairs advanced technology development group.

The vehicles were gathered together for the first time at DaimlerChrysler's facility at the California Fuel Cell Partnership, a collaboration of automotive and energy companies and government agencies that is demonstrating and testing fuel cell vehicle technologies.

The vehicles shown were:

Chrysler Town & Country Natrium, which is fueled with sodium boro- hydride, a compound related to borax. The Natrium was introduced Wednesday at the Electric Transportation Industry Conference here. NECAR 4 which operates on liquid hydrogen. NECAR 4a fueled by compressed gaseous hydrogen. NECAR 5 which operates on methanol. NECAR 5 is being shown for the first time in North America. The three NECAR vehicles are based on the Mercedes A-class passenger car.

In 1999, DaimlerChrysler also unveiled a luxury sport utility concept vehicle called Jeep® Commander demonstrating gasoline-fueled fuel cell engine technology.

DaimlerChrysler will market the first fuel cell city buses in 2002 and fuel cell-powered passenger cars in 2004. To meet those ambitious goals, DaimlerChrysler is investing more than $1.4 billion in fuel cell technology research and development during the period 2001-2004.