Asia Times: Automotive giants on drive to new fuel technology


	October 27, 2001	atimes.com

Japan

Automotive giants on drive to new fuel technology

TOKYO - Automotive giants General Motors (GM) and Toyota are showcasing their visions for alternative-fuel vehicles here. GM last week presented its latest, benchmark-setting fuel-cell vehicles and other cutting-edge fuel-cell technology at a technical seminar. And at the 35th Tokyo Motor Show this week, Toyota Motor Corp has presented both production and concept vehicles designed to conserve resources and minimize damage to the environment.

"The car is facing great changes in the 21st century, with the development of environmental technologies such as hybrid technology, and the continuing evolution of IT," Toyota president Fujio Cho said. "To change the car into a more environmentally friendly tool, and to make the car a more attractive item, it is very important to reach consensus in society."

Toyota displayed a prototype diesel sedan that can go 100 kilometers on just 2.7 liters of diesel fuel. The company's Prius is being joined in the Japanese market by two more gasoline-electric hybrids, the Estima Hybrid minivan and Crown Royal mild-hybrid luxury sedan.

Toyota said its fuel-cell hybrid vehicles run on pure hydrogen (such as in the FCHV-4) or an intermediate fuel such as clean hydrocarbon fuel (CHF) that is reformed to hydrogen on board the vehicle (FCHV-5). Toyota plans a limited introduction of an improved FCHV-4 - now in public road tests in California and Japan - to the Japanese market in 2003.

GM says it believes hydrogen-powered, energy-efficient fuel-cell vehicles will be the future choice of transportation to meet the environmental goals society seeks. Hydrogen can be produced from renewable resources and can reduce overall emissions to harmless water vapor. However, GM noted that it and other auto companies cannot develop a global hydrogen economy without the help of some key stakeholders such as governments and energy companies.

At the Tokyo seminar, GM showed its new, state-of-the-art prototype fuel-cell vehicle, the HydroGen3, the first fuel-cell vehicle to operate without a buffer battery. Compared with its predecessor HydroGen1, which set a total of 15 international records for fuel-cell vehicles in high-temperature tests in Arizona this year, the drivetrain of this new fuel-cell vehicle has been improved to allow optimum packaging, easier day-to-day use and better performance.

To introduce fuel-cell technology to the marketplace while the hydrogen economy is evolving, GM believes a clean hydrocarbon fuel is the answer for a bridging period of time. The existing gasoline infrastructure can thus be used by both internal-combustion and fuel-cell vehicles.

In Tokyo, GM showed the world's first fuel-cell vehicle with an on-board hydrocarbon fuel processor. The vehicle is based on the Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck. GM's Gen III processor, fueled with a clean hydrocarbon fuel, already reaches a peak efficiency of 80 percent.

The centerpiece of a fuel-cell vehicle is the fuel-cell stack. GM is developing its own stack technology and showcased the world's most powerful fuel-cell stack. Its extraordinarily high-power density enables excellent packaging opportunities for vehicles and stationary power units, because more power can be packed into a smaller, lighter stack.

GM is pursuing a wide range of hydrogen storage systems, covering storage of hydrogen in liquid and compressed forms as well as solid-state material for hydrogen adsorption such as carbon in sodium-aluminium-hydride and nano-structure morphology.

In addition to vehicles, GM also has applied its state-of-the art fuel-cell stack and fuel-processing technology into a stationary unit to demonstrate a new way to generate electricity using such widely available fuels as natural gas.

GM's achievements also are based on partnerships and alliances with leading companies in the fuel-cell industry and in the energy sector. At the same time, GM is ready to share its expertise and education with its partners in the automotive industry as well as with companies in other sectors.

The latest members of GM's ever-expanding global team of partners announced here are Suzuki Motor Corp and Hydrogenics, who join strategic and cooperation partners Quantum Technologies, General Hydrogen, Giner Electrochemical Systems, Toyota, Exxon-Mobil and others.

The alliance between GM and Suzuki to develop fuel-cell technology will be aimed at developing small and affordable fuel-cell cars, GM's Global Alternative Propulsion Center Chief Byron McCormick told the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

GM's alliance with Toyota covers a broad range of fuel-cell technology. In contrast, the latest tie-up with Suzuki is aimed at a specific, future business opportunity, said McCormick, who added that Suzuki has expertise in producing low-priced small cars.

The GM official declined to comment on whether the firm will pursue fuel-cell vehicle development with Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd and Isuzu Motors Ltd, automakers in which GM has a sizable stake. He did, however, express interest in participating in next year's test-run of fuel-cell vehicles planned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Suzuki will provide technical development staff for GM and invest 5 billion yen (US$41 million) over the next two to three years.

(Asia Pulse/Nikkei)