Apr 30 2008

Hydrogen Vehicles Posted by Angela Baker in hydrogen vehicles

Hydrogen cars are becoming more and more popular as car manufacturers are heeding the call to become more energy efficient.  Last week there were a few posts regarding various initiatives, namely Norway's HyNor and California's Hydrogen Highway Network, which looked at how these two places were working on ways to bring the technologies of hydrogen to their locations.  Today, I thought we would end the month by looking at various hydrogen vehicles that are currently manufactured.

Audi A2H2

Audi's combines sports car features with hydrogen storage tanks and an electric motor.  The vehicle can operate up to 109 miles per hour, and can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under just 10 seconds.  The car uses regenerative braking, which means it is able to recharge the battery pack using kinetic energy.

BMW Hydrogen 7

This luxury car is different than other hydrogen vehicles in that it is not powered by fuel cells.  It instead incorporates a 12 cylinder internal combustion engine.  Like the Audi mentioned above, this BMW can also go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under just 10 seconds.  Rather than compressed hydrogen, this car uses liquid hydrogen.  It beats the Audi in speed, as its maximum speed tops out at 143 miles per hour.

Chrysler ecoVoyager

There is definitely a reason why "eco" is included in the name of this hydrogen vehicle from Chrysler.  Using fuel cells, plus the motor's "Range-extended Electric Vehicle technology," this car can go up to 300 miles before having to refuel.  Like the Audi above, the ecoVoyager is able to recharge itself using kinetic energy.  Surpassing the two previously mentioned hydrogen vehicles, this Chrysler hits 60 miles per hour in less than 8 seconds.

Ford F-250 Super Chief Tri-Flex Fuel Truck

Though not the only hydrogen vehicle manufactured and sold by Ford, it is worth adding this one to today's post simply for the fact that it is a truck.  In a world dominated by hydrogen cars, this truck utilizes a tri-flex fueling system, allowing the owner to use traditional gasoline, E85 ethanol, or hydrogen.  The driver can travel a total of 500 miles when using all three options during the trip. 

GM HydroGen3 Minivan

GM has quite a few hydrogen vehicles on the market already.  This minivan is used by FedEx in an attempt to test it out by driving them daily.  FedEx delivery is done throughout each day, so this is an ideal scenario to really see how the vehicle can operates under these conditions.  In comparison to the above vehicles, the HydroGen3 is definitely not a "speed racer" with its 16 second rate of going from 0 to 60 miles per hour. 

Suzuki Ionis

Another minivan, the Suzuki Ionis features the technology of hydrogen fuel cells.  Due to the fact that the smaller fuel cells are located beneath the cabin floor, the interior of the vehicle allows for more space.  It offers LED lighting, as well as a rounded design, making for a very futuristic look.