GM puts fuel cell vehicles to test in Europe

General Motors has kicked off the European leg of its test programme for fuel cell vehicles. Dubbed as a real-world road test, the programme will run under the umbrella of the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP), a German Federal Department for Transport, Building and Urban Development funded project focused on proving the day-to-day suitability of hydrogen as a fuel for road transport.
Reportedly, as many as nine companies will be the first to operate GM’s HydroGen4 zero-emission vehicles in Germany’s Berlin. The companies listed are ADAC, Allianz, Coca-Cola, Hilton, Linde, Schindler, Axel Springer, Total and Veolia. According to the automaker, the companies chosen are high profile business partners who have joined the automotive company as it takes zero emission fuel cell technology forward with the HydroGen4 programme.

The GM fuel cell vehicles are equipped with a wireless data transfer system that assists engineers by uploading vehicle performance data to a company server. Maintenance of the fuel cell vehicles deployed in Berlin will be done at a regular Opel dealer equipped with the personnel and tools necessary for servicing fuel cell vehicles. This apart, the engineers consider feedback from drivers to improve upon various levels, the company said.

HydroGen4′s fuel cell pack 440 single cells which combine hydrogen and oxygen from the air to produce electricity, with water vapour as the only by-product, and therefore zero emissions. The fuel cell stack provides the electric energy for the 73kW-synchronous electric motor, delivering acceleration of 0-62mph in around 12 seconds and a top speed of 100mph.

It is said that this experiment is GM’s overall advanced technology strategy towards further electrification of the car. GM has said that this fourth generation fuel cell vehicle is the culmination of more than 10 years development work with hydrogen and fuel cell technology. The HydroGen4 features improvements in everyday usability, such as performance and durability. The HydroGen4 is fitted with a 1.8 kWh buffer battery to store energy from the vehicle’s regenerative braking system and cover peak electrical loads. The three carbon-fibre composite tanks hold 4.2 kg of hydrogen at a pressure of 700 bars, sufficient for an operating range of up to 320 kilometres.

Equipped to start and run in sub-zero temperatures, the HydroGen4 has a considerable advance over the previous generation technology and an important benefit for everyday usability, said the company.

The car maker is currently in the process of deploying more than 100 vehicles of this type in its testing programme in countries such as US, Japan, Korea, China, and Germany. More than 100,000 people have applied as mainstream drivers for the market test in the US, it has been reported. According to the industry statistics, as of today, around 3,400 people have driven the vehicles and 30 families have used the vehicle on a daily basis over a period of around three months. In total, the vehicles were driven almost 435,000 miles.