November 2004

E-Mail This Article Printer-Friendly Version The Swiss-French Michelin-PSI fuel cell hybrid underway on Shanghai’s brand-new Formula 1 track where the Bibendum Challenge was held.

SHANGHAI - A snappy French-Swiss fuel cell lightweight prototype with a 250-mile range, a Ford hydrogen i.c. engine with lean NOX Trap aftertreatment; Peugeot-Citroen’s quirky Quark, and a futuristic Chinese three-wheeler running on hydrogen peroxide were among the highlights of this year’s Challenge Bibendum, the first time the event was run in Asia.

A total of 18 of the 152 vehicles on the entry list were running on hydrogen, almost all on compressed gas and all fuel cell-powered except for two hybrids (Ford’s Focus and a Chinese entry, the Yongfeng made by Feici (Beijing) Green Energy Co. Ltd.). The lonely liquid hydrogen entry was General Motors’ HydroGen3.

Chinese entries included the modified VW Santana built jointly by Shanghai Fuel Cell Vehicle Powertrain Co., Ltd., and Tongji University that was shown earlier at Beijing’s HYFORUM (H&FCL June 04); another fuel cell car by Tongji University, Start Two; a fuel cell bus by Tsinghua University; and two other fuel cell vehicles, SLFC-Tourist 1 and 2, by Shenli (Shanghai) Technical Co., Ltd.

Looking somewhat like a rectangular flying saucer on streamlined stilts - three fairing-covered wheels - the hydrogen peroxide-fueled HABO-1single-seater was powered by a gas turbine.

Overall, China fielded 43 vehicles, about one third of the total Bibendum entries, including 20 two-wheelers and 15 buses.

Some serious business was conducted on the Bibendum sidelines. General Motors announced the first joint hybrid bus program with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Group (SAIC) to make hybrid buses for the Chinese market. The joint program will use a hybrid powertrain developed by GM’s Allison Transmission Division, utilizing dual electric drive motors and regenerative braking. The powertrain will be packaged in a bus manufactured by Sunwin, SAIC’s bus joint venture in Shanghai.

And Volkswagen announced it and another German organization, IAV (Ingenieurgesellschaft Auto und Verkehr), Berlin, signed an agreement with Tongji University to jointly develop a fuel cell vehicle. VW will provide the body, and Tongji will contribute fuel cells and high-performance batteries, according to media reports.

HY-LIGHT, the innovative lightweight concept fuel cell vehicle, was developed jointly by the Swiss Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Villingen, and the Michelin Group’s research center, located also in Switzerland near Fribourg. The partners chose to unveil the 850 kg four-seater here even before showing it publicly in Europe, an event scheduled for the end of this month in Switzerland, according to the PSI release.

Of all fuel cell vehicles developed to date, the HY-LIGHT apparently achieves the greatest range yet, about 400 km (250 miles). PSI didn’t release any output figures for the fuel cell power plant - presumably a PEM design - but the twin front wheel-mounted hub motors are designed for loads ranging from 30 kW (41 HP) to peaks of 75 kW (102 HP), providing respectable acceleration of 12 seconds from zero to 100 kmh (62 mph). Extra power is derived from supercapacitors, charged by regenerative braking. The fuel cell is said to operate at about 60% efficiency.

Because of its low weight, fuel consumption is claimed to be the equivalent to 2 liters gasoline/100 km, or, in U.S. terms, a terrific 117.6 miles/gallon, PSI said.

The Michelin-designed powertrain and electric chassis management system, based on an active electrical suspension appear to be equally advanced. PSI said the electrical suspension provides excellent stability going through curves and during braking.

Ford Motor Co. unveiled a new 2.3 liter hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine that incorporates a NOx aftertreatment system. The company said the new technology would meet stringent SULEV-Bin 2 emission standards, and engineers are currently optimizing its calibration to give performance similar to a gasoline powered engine and producing virtually no CO2.

The company said limited production of the new power plant for real-world demonstrations could come within one or two years. Contacts/Sources: Bibendum website, www.challengebibendum.com/challenge; Ford website, http://media.ford.com/; Paul Scherrer Institute website, www.psi.ch; www.psa-peugeot-citroen.com; www.tongji.edu.cn; http://news.xinhuanet.com.