Green Report: Ford of Europe Focuses on Hydrogen Powered C-Max H2 ICE
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Ford Modifies a Conventional Internal Combustion Engine to Hydrogen Power
On the road to finding a greener alternative to gasoline, engineers and scientists have come up with a variety of power sources. Surprisingly diesel is one of these fuels, despite being used worldwide for over a century.
It seems that diesel is Europes answer to a greener world, and the more technically advanced hybrid-electric powertrains are Japan and North Americas solution. Both have their positive and negative attributes, of course, the positive being excellent fuel consumption, a reduction in emissions over conventional gasoline and reduced cost. On the negative side is a higher cost than comparative gasoline engines, and the fact that both technologies still burn fossil fuels (with the exception of bio-diesel).
Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) offer a combination of high-torque, zero-emission electric motors and a small, frugal internal combustion engines (ICEs), most often gasoline powered but diesel is starting to show up among HEVs too. The unorthodox approach is proving to be quite popular, demonstrated by Toyotas Prius which has projected sales of 50,000 worldwide for this year while also racking up Motor Trends Car of the Year award, the only hybrid car to do so.
Ford has its own HEV, the much anticipated Escape Hybrid. The auto company announced in Seattle on Friday, July 16, 2004, that it plans to sell upwards of 20,000 eco-friendly compact SUVs in 2005. Still, it wont be a profit making venture, at least at first. Ford stated it plans on absorbing much of the additional cost of adding the battery, electric motor and various HEV parts, along with the conventional gasoline engine, which is estimated to add an additional $5,000 to $7,000 to each Escape. Ford will only be increasing the regular price by $3,400.
As good as the new HEVs are, some industry analysts consider the technology to be nothing less than a stopgap bridging the implementation of another, even cleaner fuel solution. The goal is zero emissions, and electric has proven too inconvenient to become widely accepted. Enter the H factor, more commonly known as hydrogen.
The idea of a vehicle being powered by hydrogen, the first element on the periodic table and a major component of most molecular compounds on this earth including the H2O we drink, sounds a bit like science fiction. Still, engineers from most automobile manufacturers have found various ways to harness the power within and put it to work powering cars. Some of the first modern examples that come to mind are Mazdas HRX-1 and HRX-2, both dowdy looking futuristic concept cars that go way back to 1996.
Of course, despite Ballards recent slide in share value, it is still an important contributor to fuel cell research, development and manufacture. DaimlerChryslers NeCar fuel cell vehicle (FCV), which is based off the European-market Mercedes-Benz A-Class, uses the Canadian companys technology.
Even the “Ultimate Drive Machine” company, BMW is playing the hydrogen game, having developed fleets of hydrogen-powered 7-Series and MINIs to demonstrate the efficiencies of its unique hydrogen powered ICE in large- and small -sizes vehicles.
Others, such as General Motors, are using hydrogen powered vehicles to prove a point. Opel, GMs European division took a fuel cell powered Zafira minivan on a 6,000-plus mile journey across Europe to demonstrate reliability and longevity.
But perhaps one of the best examples of hydrogen technology focused towards everyday use by everyday people is from Ford. Recent efforts have resulted in a snowball-effect of development with the recent news of third-generation Focus FCV and now the Focus C-Max H2 ICE, based on the Focus C-Max, a European-model mini-minivan.
The name H2 ICE designates two things. H2 is, of course, the atomic symbol for molecular hydrogen, while the ICE part once again stands for Internal Combustion Engine. Just like the BMW and MINI hydrogen powered cars, the H2 ICE doesnt require a complex fuel cell to develop electrical power. The fuel cell also compromises performance due to added weight and interior space because of its size.
Instead the H2 ICE was developed off of an existing gasoline-powered engine. Fords 2.3-liter inline-four, as found in the conventional C-Max and Focus, has received a full on conversion which enables it to burn gaseous hydrogen. The result is a very tractable 110 horsepower engine, hardly off the pace of the gasoline powered version.
Do such positive results mean the FCV (Ford favors Ballards 902 fuel cell stack) is a thing of the past when it comes to automotive applications? Not necessarily. Theres still the question of efficiencies. Which powertrain, the fuel cell-electric or hydrogen ICE, uses less expensive hydrogen and is the complexity of the former worth the expense of producing it. This is just one question of many that needs to be answered.
For the time being, research and development work, plus the practical application of selling limited production runs of each type of hydrogen powered vehicle to government and large corporate fleets continues, with automakers carefully monitoring each car. Honda, for instance, had to remove all of its first generation FCVs from the Los Angeles area due to teething problems. While embarrassing, the Japanese automaker has not been alone.
With regards to Fords C-Max H2 ICE, large components required for the adaptation to hydrogen, such as the fuel compressor (for storage purposes), have been specially fitted to help maintain a normal exterior appearance and to preserve the type of versatility most of us expect in a vehicle. To keep things simple and easy for the consumer, Ford has also improved refueling systems to mimic that of a regular gas pump nozzle, and three separate hydrogen storage containers which total 31.4 gallons in capacity have been added. This equates to about 5.5 pounds of hydrogen, at 5,076 psi pressure. With a total range of around 125 miles the C-Max H2 ICE is a totally capable daily driver, but it doesnt match the Focus FCV which has a range between 155 to 200 miles. This point once again raises the question of efficiencies, and which technology best makes use of hydrogen resources.
While Ford is doing its part in showing the world it can produce zero-emissions vehicles, governments around the world and fuel supply companies are also anteing up to the table. In Europe, where the Focus C-Max H2 ICE was developed, Germany is a leader among the Economic Union by giving the green light towards the development of a hydrogen infrastructure, without which hydrogen powered FCVs and ICEs will never see any mass acceptance. The development of refueling technologies, construction of refueling sites, manufacture of hydrogen production facilities, as well as the continual research into producing the expensive fuel for much less than is currently possible, are each instrumental hurdles needed to be jumped prior to hydrogen becoming a viable alternative to gasoline or diesel.
Similar efforts are being made closer to home. Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has put forth a plan to create a “Hydrogen Highway,” which will feature 200 hydrogen refueling stations throughout the state by 2010. Oil giants such as BP and Shell have bought into the future of hydrogen power too, and have shown this by developing refueling stations and systems.
While Ford has announced no plans to sell the Focus C-Max in North America, hopefully the hydrogen powered version of the vehicle will progress in the development of reliable, efficient hydrogen ICE vehicles that will find their way over to our shores within the next decade. Many automakers are focused on accomplishing similar goals, and with this kind of cooperation cars like the H2 ICE are bound to show up driving around our neighborhoods sooner than later.
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