| Shanghai aims
to become the first mainland city to put hydrogen-powered cars on its roads
on a large scale within the next five years as the government tries to
reduce air pollution, a company involved in the project said yesterday.
The Ministry of Science and Technology
and the Shanghai government are backing the project which envisions 1,000
of the "green" vehicles on the streets in time for the 2010 World Expo.
Privately owned Shanghai Shen Li
Hi-Tech would complete the development of its fourth generation of hydrogen
fuel cells next month, a key step in the project, a company spokesman said.
"There will be at least 1,000 hydrogen
vehicles in use in Shanghai during the 2010 World Expo for public transportation
and probably individual use," company spokesman Shi Tao said.
The company is co-operating with
carmaker Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp to design fuel cells to fit
the frames of two models, including the Passat, which the company produces
through a joint venture with Germany's Volkswagen. Shanghai's Tongji University
is supplying technical expertise.
The new generation of fuel cells
is lighter and provides enough power to almost reach the speed of cars
that use regular fuel. But the prohibitively high price of vehicles equipped
with the technology could be a turn-off for buyers.
Under a government plan, the partners
will produce 10 cars for testing by the end of this year. The estimated
price tag is 500,000 yuan, but the company believes mass production will
eventually bring down prices.
The Shanghai government, in co-operation
with Shen Li, hopes to boost production to 100 such vehicles by 2008 and
1,000 - including taxis and buses - by 2009.
The company has high hopes. It hopes
to ramp up production of fuel cells to 10,000 sets a year, which could
help bring down the price of a car to about 300,000 yuan, Mr Shi said.
Petrol-powered Passats sell for 200,000 to 300,000 yuan.
"If Shanghai realises mass production
and individual use, it could lead the world since hydrogen-powered cars
are still in the testing or conceptual phase in most foreign countries,"
Mr Shi said.
Some foreign experts say hydrogen
is not economically feasible for use in transportation.
A hydrogen fuel cell produces electricity
through a reaction with hydrogen and oxygen. The only byproduct is water,
which means the vehicles emit zero pollutants. However, the production
of hydrogen usually involves fossil fuels that produce upstream emissions.
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