Archive for alternate fuel vehicles
Hyundai’s new electric vehicle shows that fuel cell range is improving
Posted by: | CommentsAs gasoline prices continue to increase further the interest in alternate fuel vehicles. This summer looks set to be the most expensive ever in most countries to fill up a traditional gas tank while simultaneously the demand for electric and hybrid vehicles is generally outstripping supply. As I’ve written before one of the consistent arguments against electric vehicles to date has been the lack of range offered by most options currently on the market, at least at the more affordable end of the market. There is very good news however coming from Hyundai Motor Company that could signal a major change to help overcome this not insignificant obstacle. I’m still trying to find official word on just how soon these vehicles might be ready for the commercial market.
To date most electric vehicles have offered a range per charge in the vicinity of 110-130 miles (177-209km ) which doesn’t fare well when compared with a normal gasoline powered sedan. The new Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) from Hyundai have just completed road tests which provided results of 211 miles (340 km) from a single charge. Still not quite on par with a 2.0 liter sedan powered by gas but almost double where the reluctantly accepted industry norm resides. For commuters it takes an electric vehicle away from the range of inconvenient to being far more practical. You could have a 15 mile each way commute starting with a fully charged car on Monday morning and still have battery power to burn on the way home Friday night. While this doesn’t resolve the issue with long range city to city journeys it does begin to level the playing field. Even a fuel efficient gasoline powered car needs to fill up from time to time with a long highway journey (typically after completing 275-375 miles).
Hyundai are offering two of their prototype 1x35FCEV electric vehicles for test conditions throughout northern Europe this summer as part of a campaign designed to make major inroads in the European market for electric vehicles, seen by automakers as the most responsive to the new technology. A season of public events has been booked to help market the vehicle and show consumers that the forthcoming electric vehicles are not only eco-friendly but also competitive.
Adding range to electric vehicles could make Hyundai a market leader in the field
The Hyundai ix35 FCEV only emits water vapour and offers very comparable stats to a similarly sized vehicle with an internal combustion engine. In addition to the great improvement in vehicle range it offers a maximum speed of 99 mph / 160 km/h and reasonable zero-to-60mph acceleration time of 12.6 seconds.
Final specifications, pricing and release schedule are still to follow but this should provide confidence that the issue of vehicle range for electric cars can and will be addressed.
Tags: 1x35FCEV, alternate fuel vehicles, electric vehicle news, electric vehicles, emissions, emissions reduction, Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles, fuel consumption, gas prices, hyundai, hyundai 1x35FCEV, hyundai electric car, hyundai fcev, hyundai Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles, hyundai improve range of electric car, hyundai motor company, hyundai test FCEV, planet forward, range of electric cars, renewable energy, stainless steel water bottles, sustainable ideasLiquid Hydrogen fuel looks to become a reality sooner than expected
Posted by: | CommentsUnless you’re incredibly optimistic or know something that I don’t, you’ll probably agree that gasoline prices aren’t going to be going down anytime soon if ever. I’ve long felt that rapid inflation in the cost of oil would be the single greatest catalyst for alternative energy vehicles and it seems that my theory will be tested in practice over the coming years. With few exceptions 2011 has seen the price to fill up your car reach record levels and a myriad of different reasons leave industry experts predicting that the worst is yet to come. While electric vehicles still face a number of obstacles which I’ve written about before such as range, ease of recharge, cost and variety there’s another viable alternate that might be arriving a little sooner than had previously been forecast.
Hydrogen has long been considered a potential market changer for vehicle fuel, although the technology required has always seemed to be too far over the horizon to be considered sensibly although that may well change. In the UK a team of scientists are hoping that a hydrogen-based fuel could be on the market much sooner than forecast. The pump price might be as low as a $1.10 per gallon / $0.29 per litre which is less than a third of what is being paid in North America for gasoline and about a fifth of current prices in Europe. Even if these projections are off by 25 percent such an option would completely change the playing field for the automotive industry, road transport costs and consumers/businesses.
Beyond the economic impacts and environmental ones, hydrogen is close to being the ideal fuel, cheaper to transport, provides more energy versus its weight and best of all when it burns the only byproduct is water.
The first road tests for this alternate fuel are scheduled to commence in 2012 and if everything proceeds as hoped it could be on sale just four or five years from now. The technology of engine power from hydrogen fuel is less of an obstacle than the storage of the fuel. To date storing hydrogen has required expensive high-pressure cylinders or supercooled liquids to keep the gas safe. A company called Cellar Energy have found a way that could solve this giant issue, they have developed microbeads that can be added to hydrogen to trap the compound and create synthetic fuel with the consistency of liquid. Hopefully you know far more about science than I do and it makes sense to you as I’ll just have to take their word.
What does this do for existing automobiles? This was the part that astounded me, it’s hoped that the current testing will demonstrate that an existing vehicle could use the new blend without any engine modification. That is simply remarkable, an engine designed for gasoline used to instead run upon hydrogen fuel with the only discharge from your exhaust pipe being water vapour. I’m hopeful that this will come to fruition.
Tags: alternate fuel, alternate fuel vehicles, automobile fuel, carbon emissions, Cellar Energy, clean air, cleaner fuel, eco friendly news, electric vehicles, environmental news, fuel prices, hydrogen based fuels, liquid hydrogen, microbeads, reusable water bottles, steel water bottles, storing liquid hydrogen, vehicle emissions2010 AltCar Expo this weekend was the largest yet
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2010 AltCar Expo sponsors
As much as I enjoy learning and writing about what I hope will be the next generation of personal transport, the actual appearance and ability to see and test out alternate fuel cars, electric vehicles and some of the more independent ideas on the fringes of the market is not as easy as perhaps it should be. That all changed this weekend however if you happened to be in Southern California as the Santa Monica Exposition Centre hosted the 2010 “AltCar Expo” on Friday and Saturday, October 1 and 2 for enthusiasts or those just wanting to learn more about alternate fuel vehicles. The event offered free admission and the best collection of both the car models earmarked for mainstream production and those from more unique sources.
The Expo offered far more than a chance to see the vehicles in person but also a detailed demonstration of the technologies at work and a host of guest speakers who are leaders in the technology which hopefully will continue to change the landscape of motoring in the years ahead. The list of exhibitors ranged from giants like Toyota and General Motors to the makers of limited-edition one seater commuter vehicles designed for a short charge and a short journey. There were also a host of companies that provide the technology behind alternate fuel, companies that will convert a gas powered car to electric, and different coalitions for public transport and for fleet transport being converted to hybrid technology.
In total more than 20 alternative fuel vehicles were on display but unlike most auto shows here you could do more than just look and touch, as there was a registration program which allows visitors to actually drive the cars. This is the fifth year of the Expo and was forecast be by far the largest, Christine Dzilvelis producer of the AltCar Expo explains:
“Interest in alternative technologies is intense and has remained intense despite the fluctuating prices of gasoline. There’s just this momentum with this technology that’s pushing forward, even more so because of the economy.”
The choice of Southern California for hosting the event makes perfect sense also as no single regional market has better supported the existing crop of hybrid vehicles already on the market. Strict environmental controls and regulations coupled with California’s recent history of experiencing all of the pitfalls of pollution from automobile traffic makes the state an ideal proving ground for many of the emerging technologies on display. A range of seminars, question-and-answer sessions and exhibitions will run concurrently at the Expo Center and review the immediate future of the industry and the full range of advanced automotive technologies. Information centres will provide additional knowledge on electrics, hybrids, fuel cells, natural gas, propane and biofuels. Options existed to to test electric motorcycles, bicycle hybrids and gather information from various environmental bodies, solar and wind companies and much more.
If visiting the Expo didn’t involve a 720 mile round trip I’d have been there myself, hopefully some of you were able to get along and if you did please write to the blog and share your thoughts. To learn much more about the 2010 AltCar Expo please visit their official website. Hopefully I can make it along to next years event.
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