FuelCellsWorks

Electric vehicles with battery and fuel cell: Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL and smart fortwo electric drive.

As the first European car manufacturers smart and Mercedes-Benz are entering the age of electric mobility with vehicles that are fully suitable for everyday use. The new smart fortwo electric drive has taken on a pioneering role among battery-powered electric vehicles. With a range of up to 135 kilometres the two-seater car is the ideal solution for zero-emission motoring in towns and cities. The Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL is the perfect complement. As an electric vehicle with a fuel cell it combines driving without any local emissions with the advantage of a large range of up to 400 kilometres which makes it suitable for longer trips as well. Both vehicles are now being handed over to customers.

Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Daimler CEO and Head of Mercedes-Benz cars says “As a global supplier of premium cars we want to meet the mobility requirements of our customers all over the world. This is why we are broadly positioned and have developed a modular drive mix to suit different requirements. The smart fortwo electric drive and the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL are already demonstrating the contribution that electric cars can make to sustainable mobility.

Experts are unanimous in their belief that the “coexistence” of different drive technologies will shape the face of road traffic for years to come. This is why Daimler’s approach is to develop vehicle concepts with modular drive technologies which ensure that the focus is always on both customer benefits and environmental compatibility. In addition to the optimisation of vehicles with state-of-the-art combustion engines and further efficiency increases with hybridisation tailored to customer needs, the third central focus of development is on fuel cell and battery-powered vehicles that do not produce any local emissions.

Dr. Thomas Weber, Daimler AG board member responsible for Group Research and Development at Mercedes-Benz Cars says “Each of these technologies demonstrates its advantages with regard to optimum consumption and emission figures in specific fields of application. We are the only manufacturer worldwide to offer our customers appropriate solutions for all fields of application – from personal mobility to local public transport and goods transport on the roads.”

Electric cars are now being delivered to customers

With the electric cars from smart and Mercedes-Benz that are fully suitable for everyday use, zero-emission driving is already a reality. The new smart fortwo electric drive is a pioneer among battery electric vehicles which are primarily suited to use in urban areas.

The second generation is already being built and now boasts a highly efficient lithium-ion battery which enables a range of 135 kilometres and impressive performance. Following the start of series production in Hambach, France in mid November 2009, the first small series of 1000 vehicles will be handed over to customers in Berlin on 17 December. The two-seater car will initially be delivered to selected customers in six European countries plus the USA and Canada within the framework of a leasing or rental model. Volume production will start in 2012 and the smart fortwo electric drive will then be available to anyone interested.

Thanks to its range of around 400 kilometres, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL is suitable for both zero-emission driving in city traffic and also for travelling longer distances. Small series production of this electric car has also started.

Next year the first of approximately 200 vehicles will be delivered to customers in Europe and the USA.

Both electric cars are fully suitable for everyday use. All the main components are housed in a space-saving position between the axles where they are optimally protected, and this means that the interior space is not compromised in the electric versions of the standard cars. Furthermore, the smart – the ultimate city car – has an extremely comfortable range for city driving and it can be charged at any household socket. The B-Class F-CELL offers a large range and is suitable for travelling longer distances as well. As its hydrogen tanks can be fully refuelled in around three minutes it is also the electric car with the shortest charging time.

Infrastructure is essential

An appropriate refuelling and electricity charging infrastructure is essential for wide customer acceptance and quick widespread use of electric vehicles. This is why Daimler is committed to setting up a comprehensive network of electricity charging stations and hydrogen filling stations. In September 2009 together with the Federal Ministry of Transport and partners from the energy sector the company presented a plan for establishing a hydrogen infrastructure in Germany. At the same time Daimler reached an agreement with other leading car manufacturers to bring several hundred thousand fuel cell cars to the roads from 2015.

Parallel to this, together with various partners in Europe the Stuttgart car manufacturer is advancing the expansion of a public electricity charging infrastructure. This is because although electric vehicles like the smart fortwo electric drive can easily be charged at a domestic garage socket, around 40 percent of European vehicle owners do not have a parking space of their own. Publicly accessible charging stations are therefore needed. To enable this to be realised Europe-wide as far as possible with standardised framework conditions, Daimler is developing corresponding standards together with other car manufacturers and utility companies.

Electric mobility – an affordable alternative?

New technologies generally entail high investments and costs. This means that at the current stage of development electric cars are still more expensive than comparable models with combustion engines. Daimler is applying all available levers to reduce the costs to a level that is economically acceptable and attractive to customers. For example, by industrialising lithium-ion technology with the company Deutsche Accumotive GmbH and the economies of scale resulting from this. Furthermore, in product development Daimler is systematically using a modular E-drive system. This enables synergies to be ideally used between the different vehicle segments.

There are also numerous other factors that make electric mobility attractive for customers. Tax relief and other government subsidies are an important aspect. For example, the state of Monaco offers tax relief of up to €9,000 to electric car owners. Other countries have also set up funding programmes for sustainable mobility. France offers a “super environment incentive” of €5000 for vehicles that emit less than 60 grams of CO2 per kilometre. China and Japan have announced subsidies of €6,500 and €11,000 respectively.

Customers benefit from lower running costs

In addition, owners of electric cars can benefit from lower running costs. For example, in Germany the electricity costs for a distance of 100 kilometres currently stand at between two and three euros. And many experts believe that in the long-term the costs for hydrogen will level out at a price that makes it an inexpensive alternative to fossil fuels.

However, the question of the future taxation of new fuels has not yet been clarified. Dr. Thomas Weber says “It would make sense to find a solution that supports the introduction of new drives during the transitional period – for example with temporary tax exemption for electricity and hydrogen, just as various countries offer tax relief today for natural gas used to power vehicles.”

For example, electric cars like the smart fortwo electric drive are exempted from the city congestion charge in London, enabling their owners to save considerable sums of money.

Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Head of Sales and Marketing at Mercedes-Benz Cars says “All things considered we see good prospects for electric mobility with fuel cells and batteries. Whilst other companies are still presenting electric show cars, we at smart and Mercedes-Benz are already bringing two vehicles that are fully suitable for everyday use to the roads.”

An SOFC power generation system using kerosene available on the market.
It has successfully generated electric power of 3 kW (at DC terminal).
It is designed mainly for small business applications.
It is co-developed by the following three companies:
1) Japan Energy Corporation (JOMO)
2) Sumitomo Precision Products Co., Ltd.
3) NGK Insulators, Ltd. (NGK)

Rough specifications
Rated output power: 3 kW
Primary fuel: kerosene sold on the market
Operating temperature: 750 deg. centigrade
Cell stack: passage-contained cell stack (manufactured by NGK)
Features
1) Start-up kerosene burner (developed by JOMO)
2) Efficient kerosene reforming process (developed anew by JOMO)
3) Cell stack of high power generation efficiency (developed anew by NGK)
4) Sophisticated heat management (developed anew by Sumitomo Precision)

The companies will evaluate the performances such as power generation efficiency, further increase the power generation efficiency, and reduce the size of the SOFC system, and has a plan to demonstrate the SOFC system in a real-load environment, aiming at commercializing the kerosene type SOFC system
(written based on press release from Japan Energy Corporation)

Israeli entrepreneur Moshe Stern admits he didn’t know much about alternative energy when Russian scientist Evgeny Velikhov first approached him in 2005 about a novel technology for safely storing hydrogen gas. But four years later, the 62-year-old Stern has become an expert—and a believer. He is convinced that the Russian invention could play a major role in helping scientific institutions and industrial giants harness the commercial potential of hydrogen as a green energy source.

Now, Stern’s conviction has just gotten a big outside boost. The hydrogen storage technology, being developed by Stern’s Swiss-based startup, C.En, has been endorsed for its safety by a top German institute—an important vote of confidence, given that hydrogen is highly explosive and that safety has long been a major stumbling block to its commercialization.

On Nov. 25, Germany’s Federal Institute for Materials Research & Testing (known by its German acronym, BAM) released results of nearly two years of tests on C.En’s technology, which involves the storage of compressed hydrogen inside bundles of thin, strong tubes of glass, known as capillary arrays. “The lightweight storage and safety factors give the technology a huge commercial potential for a whole range of industries,” says Kai Holtappels, who heads up the working group at BAM that has been testing the technology since February 2008.

The timing couldn’t me more fitting, as hundreds of delegates, scientists, and world leaders gather in Copenhagen for the U.N.Conference on Climate Change to discuss how to reduce carbon emissions and support eco-friendly technology.

Batteries for Electronics

A team of scientists first invented the capillary array technology at Moscow’s Kurchatov Institute for use in the Soviet space program. Stern thinks his system can be adopted by the electronics industry to replace conventional batteries in portable devices such as laptops and mobile phones. He and C.En’s chief scientist, Dan Eliezer, already have begun meeting with potential corporate customers. “We’re planning to license out the technology on a company-by-company basis, with the first agreement during 2010,” says Stern.

The automotive and aerospace industries could offer even bigger opportunities. Hydrogen-powered vehicles have long been explored as a means to reduce pollution and curb Western dependence on imported oil. Germany’s BMW (BMW:GR) and Japan’s Honda Motors (HMC) have poured hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years into developing hydrogen-fueled cars.

The challenges of using hydrogen, though, have always been the size of containers needed to store the volatile gas and the risk of explosion. C.En claims to have overcome those problems with its leakproof capillary arrays. “Glass has proven to have three times the storage capacity at only a third of the weight of steel containers that are now commonly used for hydrogen storage, and it’s far cheaper,” says Eliezer.

Outside experts are impressed at the potential, but are taking a wait-and-see attitude. “If C.En’s capillaries can withstand the external pressure, the technology could be practical in vehicles and electrical devices,” says Yoel Sasson, a professor of applied chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who notes that another critical factor will be the cost of producing the capillary arrays.

Worldwide Investors

C.En was founded in 2006 by Stern, who serves as its chief executive. The Kurchatov Institute will be paid royalties as the original creator of the technology and Velikhov has been appointed honorary president of the company. Over the last two years, the company has raised $25 million from investors in Israel, the U.S., Russia, South Korea, Japan, and most recently from Italian insurance giant Assicurazioni Generali (G:IM)—all of whom are betting that Stern can turn Velikhov’s original idea into a winner.

Their optimism is based in part on the conviction of C.En’s team. Eliezer—a materials engineering professor at Israel’s Ben Gurion University at Beersheba, former adviser to NASA and the U.S. Air Force, and renowned expert on hydrogen storage—confesses that he was skeptical at first. It took a trip to Moscow in 2007, followed by a month of crunching numbers, before he was convinced the Russians were onto something. Eliezer has since gone on sabbatical to work full time on adapting the technology to commercial use.

Of course, the issue remains how users will obtain cheap sources of hydrogen, which despite being the most plentiful element in the universe is frustratingly rare as an available gas. Some progress is being made on that score. In March of this year, German engineering and gases giant Linde (LIN:GR) revealed that it had developed a process for sustainable production of hydrogen from glycerin, a by-product of biodiesel refining. And startups such as Silicon Valley-based Bloom Energy are working on fuel cells that can create hydrogen from water and solar energy.

Developments like these could boost C.En’s prospects. If Stern and Eliezer’s technology proves viable in commercial applications, the entrepreneurs would be on their way to transforming the global energy picture—and finally harnessing the potential for hydrogen as a major fuel source.

Sandler is a correspondent for BusinessWeek in Jerusalem.

Humboldt State University’s Schatz Energy Research Center is road testing a smog-free, hydrogen-powered Toyota fuel cell hybrid vehicle as part of an effort to commercialize the smog-free car in five years.

The Schatz Energy Research Center operates a hydrogen fueling station on campus that is the northernmost link in California’s emerging Hydrogen Highway, a network of such stations that could eventually allow hydrogen-powered vehicles to travel across the state, according to an HSU press release.

Known officially as the Toyota Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle and built on the Highlander’s mid-sized sport utility vehicle platform, the car uses the same hybrid technology as the Toyota Prius, which the Schatz Center also operates. The car — known as the FCHV-adv — is designed to provide extended driving range when compared with previous generations, according to the press release. The Schatz Energy Research Center is collaborating with the University of California, Berkeley, and Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing, North America, to test and demonstrate the vehicle.

The FCHV-adv’s fuel cell system consists of a 100-kilowatt fuel cell, four hydrogen fuel tanks, an electric motor, a nickel-metal hydride battery and a power control unit. The latter governs the division of energy between the battery and the fuel cell stack to power the vehicle.

The longer driving range stems from higher pressure and improved fuel cell efficiency, according to Berkeley’s Tim Lipman.

Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell hybrid vehicles have been subjected to 300,000 miles of road and test track evaluation and rigorous crash testing, according to HSU.