TOKYO - DaimlerChrysler AG will early
in the new year field-test eight of its
proprietary hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles on Japan's public
roads, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported.
Until
now, the US-German auto maker has been working on
prototype vehicles powered by direct-methanol fuel cells, which
extract hydrogen by triggering a chemical reaction in
methanol.
DaimlerChrysler's F-Cell vehicle
is based on Mercedes-Benz A-class subcompact cars. It
runs at a speed of up to 140 km/h and has a cruising
range of 150 kilometers. Its tanks can contain 1.8
kilograms of compressed hydrogen.
The auto
maker has decided to work on hydrogen-powered fuel-cell
vehicles because such rivals as Toyota Motor Corp and
Honda Motor Co have developed prototypes of this type.
DaimlerChrysler believes that it will be able to
cooperate more easily with other auto makers by
sharing hydrogen stations, for example, if it adopts
the hydrogen-powered fuel-cell model, a company official
said.
But DaimlerChrysler also plans
to continue developing direct-methanol fuel-cell vehicles as well.
The hydrogen models require expensive hydrogen
production and are difficult to handle, so it is not a
good idea to limit research and development to
hydrogen-powered fuel cells at this point, the official
said.
