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Fuel cells: the energy source of the car of the future

DaimlerChrysler believes that the cars of the future, or at least some of them, will be powered by fuel cells

Benny Ran

Direct link to this page: https://www.hayadan.org.il/fcell210704.html

In a previous article, we explained why DaimlerChrysler believes that the hybrid cars, which the Minister of Finance recently approved to reduce the tax imposed on them, are not necessarily the ultimate solution for preserving the quality of the environment and the dwindling oil reserves. Dr. Leopold Mikolic, Vice President for Power Unit Development at the Mercedes division of DaimlerChrysler, at a recent conference held by the company in Stuttgart, Germany, listed several reasons for the lack of enthusiasm for hybrid engines that combine an internal combustion engine with an electric engine: First, since it is a combination of two engines, And heavy batteries are also needed, after all, the added weight largely offsets the fuel savings. Secondly, the production of the hybrid engines is complex and expensive, and in the end the car still consumes gasoline or diesel fuel - it is not clear if they will be available even in several decades. Therefore, DaimlerChrysler believes that fuel cell engines are the ones that will be a central and important solution in the future.

Visitors to the conference in Stuttgart were given the opportunity to travel in a Mercedes city bus powered by a fuel cell, and to drive a Mercedes A series model powered by a fuel cell. The car drives in a silent hum and only water vapor emanates from the exhaust, just like the spout of the kettle: there is no environmental pollution - neither harmful substances nor noise. No wonder that the hydrogen, on which the fuel cells are based, is considered by DaimlerChrysler to be the fuel of the future. However, two main challenges still remain - says Dr. Herbert Koehler, Vice President of Vehicle Research and Power Divisions and Chief Environmental Protection Officer at DaimlerChrysler: the economic viability of fuel cell production is currently unclear and no solution has yet been found to the infrastructure and storage problem (there is a need at gas stations, tankers, distribution centers, etc.).

To face these challenges, says Dr. Koehler, worldwide cooperation is needed on the part of the energy industry and politicians. Mercedes-Benz, now a division of DaimlerChrysler, has been conducting experiments with hydrogen-based fuel cells for ten years - since May 1994. Today, the company is conducting an experiment with a fleet of sixty vehicles with fuel cells in several cities in the USA, Japan, Singapore and Germany. The vehicles undergo tests every other day in order to bring the product to maturity. Over the years, the company managed to reduce the dimensions and weight of the fuel cells and significantly improve their performance and efficiency. For the problem of starting at low temperatures where the hydrogen freezes, Mercedes managed to find a solution, says Dr. Koehler, but there are other problems that have not yet been solved, such as the longevity of the components and the complexity of the system. Mercedes intends to conduct more extensive tests in the next five years with a fleet of several hundred vehicles powered by fuel cells, and the goal is to reach mass production in 2012.

So what car will we drive in the future? Dr. Mikolic says that if we had asked a similar question a hundred years ago, no one would have imagined that today cars would still be powered by the cumbersome, expensive internal combustion engine that consumes oil reserves and pollutes the air. For this reason, the company refrains from setting a firm forecast, and its working assumption, which - we must admit - sounds like the most likely possibility, is that in a few decades the global vehicle fleet will include a mix of the four main types of engines: gasoline, diesel, hybrid engines and fuel cell engines. Each of them will suit different purposes, and each customer will choose an engine according to his needs and preferences. Just like today - but the selection will be richer, and will include more economical and cleaner options.

They know alternative energy and transportation

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