A Glimpse into the Future

One of the most pressing issues facing the auto industry today is alternative fuels. I can’t remember attending any significant automotive event where the topic wasn’t brought up. After the song and dance number, a journalist will always ask, "So, what are your plans regarding alternative power choices? Have you got a Hybrid?" Or words to that effect. As if to anticipate, Daimler Chrysler, through their official distributor here, CATS Motors, held a technology symposium dedicated to the topic entitled Visions and Innovations at the Loft at Rockwell last April 4-5.

Daimler Chrysler, through its claims, is already the global leader in diesel technology, having pioneered the first diesel powered, mid-sized sport utility vehicle in the United States, the Jeep Liberty CRD. And although they have perhaps the broadest spectrum of technologies for a reduction of fuel consumption and emissions in passenger cars and commercial vehicles, today, the company has chosen to focus its attention and efforts on the Fuel Cell vehicle.

Currently, Daimler Chrysler has over 100 fuel cell vehicles in operation all around the world, the largest fleet of any automaker.

Unlike Hybrids and Ethanol capable vehicles, which are currently sold to consumers, Hydrogen powered vehicles do not use a combustion engine. This is perhaps its key selling point. Although it remains a more distant goal, the fuel cell offers the best long-term opportunities in offering an un-compromised solution to environmental issues surrounding the automobile.

To simplify, a Fuel Cell Vehicle operates on Hydrogen, either in pure form or bound in a hydrogenous compound, making it completely free of noxious emissions. By using a fairly simple process called electrosis, it creates a chemical reaction that converts the Hydrogen together with Oxygen into electrical energy, which then powers an electric motor. The only byproduct is water vapor, making it a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV).

Not just is it twice as efficient as an internal combustion engine, or that it produces absolutely zero emissions, it is also a pleasure to drive, too. An electric motor, by design, can produce far more torque than a conventional gasoline engine and is virtually silent. It would take some getting used to, of course, but think of it as an incredibly advanced golf cart and you’ll get the picture.

Sounds too good to be true? Well, it’s not. The only catch is that it is still prohibitively expensive. And while many real world tests have been conducted, like the recent cross-country jaunt from San Francisco to Washington DC, there are still many reliability issues to address. Engineers at Daimler Chrysler have been working tirelessly, of course, to perfect the technology and make it more affordable.

The automotive landscape is definitely changing; we once lived in an era where bigger is better, now it is more like less is best. The fuel cell is a key technology of the future. And although it doesn’t look like this technology will hit the mass market ’til 2010, it wasn’t too long ago when this was still a dream and fuel cells were being used for NASA on the space shuttle to provide electricity and water. Just last Wednesday, there was one driving guests around Rockwell. How much closer to home can you get?