Volkswagen Puts Fuel Cell Through Paces
Volkswagen AG has announced the successful completion of a long-range test drive of its hydrogen-powered “HY.POWER” fuel cell vehicle.
Volkswagen AG has announced the successful completion of a long-range test drive of its hydrogen-powered “HY.POWER” fuel cell vehicle.
HY.POWER features extra ultracapacitors that are capable of storing the engine's electrical energy for use during extra strenuous driving. This technology allowed engineers to remove heavy storage batteries, which present problems in other fuel cell vehicles, to improve the vehicle's performance.
The car was driven over the Simplon Pass, a mountainous road connecting Switzerland and Italy, in temperatures that dipped below freezing.
Instead of using a reformer to obtain hydrogen from other fuels, Volkswagen's Bora HY.POWER vehicle uses on-board hydrogen. The hydrogen enters the fuel cell, generating electricity from a chemical reaction with oxygen. The only emissions from the vehicle are water and heat. The Bora HY.POWER's electric motor, which is powered by the fuel cell, produces 75 kilowatts.
Two technical innovations featured on the Bora HY.POWER are the ultracapacitors, referred to as "supercaps," and a new membrane used in the fuel cell. The membrane is located between the anode and cathode, and is traditionally relatively expensive to manufacture. The supercaps, which store energy until needed for hard driving, such as acceleration up a mountain pass, can provide an additional 30 kW to the motor for brief periods.
Volkswagen also tested a new Jetta Turbo Direct Injection diesel vehicle with a synthetic diesel fuel called SunFuel on Simplon Pass. SunFuel is a low-sulfur fuel that can be manufactured from plants, waste products and a variety of other raw materials.
HY.POWER features extra ultracapacitors that are capable of storing the engine's electrical energy for use during extra strenuous driving. This technology allowed engineers to remove heavy storage batteries, which present problems in other fuel cell vehicles, to improve the vehicle's performance.
The car was driven over the Simplon Pass, a mountainous road connecting Switzerland and Italy, in temperatures that dipped below freezing.
Instead of using a reformer to obtain hydrogen from other fuels, Volkswagen's Bora HY.POWER vehicle uses on-board hydrogen. The hydrogen enters the fuel cell, generating electricity from a chemical reaction with oxygen. The only emissions from the vehicle are water and heat. The Bora HY.POWER's electric motor, which is powered by the fuel cell, produces 75 kilowatts.
Two technical innovations featured on the Bora HY.POWER are the ultracapacitors, referred to as "supercaps," and a new membrane used in the fuel cell. The membrane is located between the anode and cathode, and is traditionally relatively expensive to manufacture. The supercaps, which store energy until needed for hard driving, such as acceleration up a mountain pass, can provide an additional 30 kW to the motor for brief periods.
Volkswagen also tested a new Jetta Turbo Direct Injection diesel vehicle with a synthetic diesel fuel called SunFuel on Simplon Pass. SunFuel is a low-sulfur fuel that can be manufactured from plants, waste products and a variety of other raw materials.