Fuel Cell Development Makes Rapid Progress at Opel
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Fuel Cell Development Makes Rapid Progress at Opel
Hydrogen propulsion on the road to production readiness
- About 400 scientists and engineers at work at three GAPC research Centers
- GM "AUTOnomy" prototype with pioneering technological concept
- Based on the Zafira: "HydroGen3" experimental vehicle makes advances towards
day-to-day usability
Russelsheim - Invented more than 160 years ago by the Welshman Sir William Robert Grove, the fuel cell is only now beginning to carve out a career for itself. It is used to obtain electrical energy from hydrogen through an electro-chemical process which does not result in unwanted exhaust emissions. Worldwide, industry is working intensively on developing this energy conversion device as an alternative form of propulsion for the motor vehicle of the future. The scientists and engineers who work at the Global Alternative Propulsion Center (GAPC), founded jointly by Opel and General Motors (GM) in 1997, are among the leaders in this development race.
The center employs about 400 people to conduct research and development work on this key technology for the 21st century, which will protect the environment and help save scarce natural resources. They have already made considerable progress at the GAPC locations in Rochester in the U.S. state of New York, in Warren (Michigan) and in Mainz-Kastel (Germany). The 15 speed and distance records for fuel cell vehicles set last year by "HydroGen1", the experimental fuel cell vehicle based on the Opel Zafira Compact van, at the GM proving grounds in Mesa (Arizona) in extremely hot-weather conditions are evidence of this progress. The concept study vehicle's success in the "Michelin Challenge Bibendum", an international competition for environmentally acceptable vehicles, was equally impressive. It was the only passenger car to complete the full 350 kilometer route from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
Other examples of the GAPC experts' creativity and competence on both sides of the Atlantic are the "HydroGen3" experimental vehicle exhibited at the German "IAA" Motor Show in Frankfurt in the fall of last year and a recently announced fuel cell stack, with a power density of 1.75 kW per liter, which sets new performance standards.
"HydroGen3", which like its predecessor HydroGen1 is based on the Zafira and runs on pure hydrogen, is already clear evidence of the progress being made toward making this alternative propulsion system suitable for day-to-day use. The development team has succeeded in making the various components of the driveline, which includes a 60 kW
(82 hp) asynchronous three-phase traction motor, even more compact than before. Thus the vehicle now provides the same generous passenger- and load-carrying capacity as the standard five-seat version of the Zafira. In addition, the fuel cell system has been further optimized so that the high-performance buffer battery can now be omitted from the driveline. This battery was used in the earlier HydroGen1 vehicle to supply peak power to the traction motor when needed.
The GM "AUTOnomy", which is not based on a series production model, takes a further toward the future: This revolutionary concept vehicle, shown for the first time at the Detroit and Geneva Motor Shows, has been designed from the start to make full use of the fuel cell engine's advantages. Instead of the conventional mechanical linkages, it utilizes an advanced "drive by wire" control principle with electronic connections between the driver's area and the steering, brakes and other functions on the vehicle.
The key element in this revolutionary design concept is a totally new type of chassis on which all the main elements, such as the fuel cell stack and the hydrogen tank, are neatly laid out. This "skateboard" chassis is only about 15 centimeters high and, together with a central docking station for all the vehicle's electronic systems, it offers the designers a totally new degree of latitude for body design. As a result, future buyers will be able to choose from a large number of versions or, if the vehicle is leased, to exchange one body for another according to their changing needs.
In the course of their research on the emission-free automobile propulsion system of the future, scientists at the GAPC have drawn from GM's long experience with alternative driveline technologies. More than 30 years ago in Detroit GM demonstrated a road-worthy van, driven by a fuel cell, with a range of 200 kilometers and subjected it to an experimental program. This extensive know-how serves as a catalyst for the three GAPC centers as they push ahead with their fuel cell technology development work. A similar contribution is made by Opel's considerable experience with electric-motor propulsion and also by the cooperation taking place with a number of development partners in industry. In recent years, for instance, cooperation agreements have been signed and strategic alliances concluded with two Japanese automobile manufacturers - Toyota and Suzuki - and with Hydrogenics Corporation of Toronto, Canada.