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Hydrogen-powered car ends cross-country trip

A hydrogen-powered car completed a cross-country trip
yesterday, a first-of-its kind journey that promoters say proves the cleaner-burning
fuel can be a viable alternative to gasoline.

By NEDRA PICKLER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Fuel cell vehicles won’t be mass produced for at least eight years under optimistic
predictions, but DaimlerChrysler says the trip by its NECAR 5 vehicle shows the
promise of fuel cell engines.

"I will not tell anybody how much doubt we had when we started 16 days ago,"
Ferdinand Panik, head of DaimlerChrysler’s fuel cell group, said after the car
pulled up at the U.S. Capitol at the end of its journey. "It runs much, much better
than we believed. It’s a big, big step for a new idea, trying to look beyond the
capability of fossil fuels."

Fuel cells can run on hydrogen or other fuels, such as ethanol, methanol and
gasoline, that can be converted into hydrogen. Hydrogen is combined with oxygen
from the air in a chemical reaction that produces electricity that powers the
vehicle.

Pure hydrogen-fed fuel cells produce only water — no harmful emissions — but
hydrogen is a flammable gas that poses safety questions, especially when
crashes occur, and engineers continue work on safe onboard storage systems.
Those using other fuels pollute less than gasoline engines but have some
emissions and produce less power than pure hydrogen.

The NECAR 5 — "New Electric Car, Fifth Generation" — is a subcompact
Mercedes-Benz A-Class that ran on methanol converted to hydrogen. Methanol is
not available at the corner gas station but had to be delivered to points along the
route for refueling every 300 miles.

The trip began on May 20 at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and
spanned 3,262 miles, which DaimlerChrysler says is a record for a fuel cell
vehicle traveling on public roads. Traveling time was 85 hours over a span of 16
days, an average of about 38 mph, but the car reached speeds of more than 90
mph.

Converting the nation’s automobile refueling system to hydrogen or other
convertible fuels is among the largest hurdles for fuel cell technology. The Bush
administration launched a partnership with domestic automakers in January to
develop a system of hydrogen refueling stations and to spur the growth of
hydrogen fuel cells.

Other problems will keep the technology from reaching the mass market for at
least a decade, experts say, including onboard storage of flammable hydrogen,
reliability, durability and cost. The NECAR 5 is a concept car worth more than $1
million. Although costs are declining, the technology is far too expensive to sell
for a profit.

"Obviously there is more work to be done before the vehicle is in the mass
market, but this trip shows it can clear some of the customer needs hurdles,"
said David Friedman, senior analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ clean
vehicles program. "Now all they need to do is do it with a hydrogen version."

Most major automakers plan to begin making some fuel cell vehicles powered by
convertible fuels available for limited fleet sales within a year, such as to
government buyers who can carefully monitor performance.

The NECAR 5 got about 40 miles per gallon of fuel, less than some vehicles sold
today, but Panik said the emissions were a fraction of gasoline-powered cars. The
car was guided by a global positioning satellite system and accompanied by two
SUVs and a van carrying replacement parts and tools.

The car broke down once, as the team approached the Nevada border on the first
day. Water got into a connector that had to be replaced, which cost the team
about a day of traveling time. The team also replaced two belts, four fuel filters
and a plastic bottle that contains cooling water.

Team leader Wolfgang Weiss said the repairs could have been needed on a
similar trip with any other car. He said the NECAR 5 performed better than
expected, and the fuel cell remains in great shape.

"We can turn around and drive back, but I don’t want the fear that we won’t make
it," he said.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/73260_fuelcell05.shtml

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