Peugeot to Demonstrate Fuel Cell Extended-Range Electric Vehicle This Week
By Scott Doggett December 7, 2009
One of major complaints lodged against the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle is that, after about 40 miles of driving following a full charge, the car turns to gasoline or a gasoline-based flex fuel for the extended range.
Like the Volt, the ER-EV Peugeot will demonstrate later this week at a hydrogen technology conference in Lyon, France, packs an electric motor (instead of an internal combustion engine) for propulsion. But the source of its extended range isn't electricity from a gas-powered engine-generator, such as the Volt's, but rather a hydrogen fuel cell.
Peugeot's ER-EV research vehicle is a 307 CC convertible. Like the Volt, its primary battery is lithium-ion and the vehicle's entire range - achieved by battery-stored electricity as well as electricity generated onboard without refueling - is 310 miles, which is in the Volt's ballpark. But unlike the Volt, Peugeot isn't saying what its ER-EV's battery-electric range is.
Peugeot claims the modified 307 achieves hydrogen consumption on par with Honda's FCX Clarity.
That's impressive. Unfortunately, Peugeot said it doesn't expect a viable market for hydrogen vehicles to exist for another 10 or more years and therefore isn't rushing to offer a fuel-cell-packing ER-EV anytime soon.
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The problem with Hydrogen is that you lose a significant amount off-venting from the onboard tank, whether you use it or not. Say you use primarily electric everyday for a month, but then you require hydrogen for a particular long day of driving... you may be left in a lurch because your hydrogen tank is empty after off-venting for the past few weeks... not good.
Petrol/diesel/biofuel does not have that problem.
From Technologyreview.com, concerning BMW's hydrogen car and the hydrogen fuel tank:
'This tank confounded the BMW engineers more than anything else. They wanted very badly to show that hydrogen can be the next gasoline--just another liquid you can put in the tank. But hydrogen wants to be a gas. To make it a liquid, you need to chill it to a frosty -253 °C.
In fact, no one has fully solved the problem yet. What BMW did was design a double-walled stainless-steel tank weighing 129 kilograms. Unfortunately, put liquid hydrogen in the tank and it will start "boiling" in a matter of hours.
As the hydrogen becomes gaseous, pressure rises inside the tank. At a certain point, a pressure-relief valve opens.
If you aren't driving the car, it takes only 17 hours before this venting starts. A half-full tank will almost completely "boil off" in nine days. '
docrings: Mercedes-Benz claims you can park their F-Cell fuel cell car in the sun for a year and you won't lose a measurable amount of hydrogen from the tanks. Liquid hydrogen vents, but compressed hydrogen - per Daimler's best brains - stays put.
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