3.12.2002
HydroGen3 takes a big step towards the production line

More than 200 journalists from around the world will meet over the next two weeks to test drive the HydroGen3 fuel cell prototype.

With its innovative propulsion concept, the HydroGen3 fuel cell prototype has brought the production of a hydrogen-powered car very much within reach. Its propulsion unit has been made so compact that it can be manufactured as a complete module. "This means," says Larry Burns, GM Vice President for Research, Development and Planning, "that the HydroGen3 could, in principle be assembled on existing production lines."

As Burns explained during the first HydroGen3 test drives by more than 200 motor industry journalists in Monaco and southern France, many validations for the individual components and for the complete vehicle are still needed. In addition to the comprehensive testing on all kinds of road surfaces in each of the globe's climatic zones, GM will also carry out fleet trials, starting in 2003 in Tokyo and Berlin. They will be performed by the German fuel cell development center in Mainz-Kastel, which, together with the GM sites in New York, Michigan and California, is responsible for the research and development of the groundbreaking technology within the GM FCA (GM Fuel Cell Activities).

According to estimates for an annual production of 100,000 units, the fuel cell costs would be ten times higher than those of a conventional propulsion concept. The higher cost is due to the use of expensive materials such as platinum for the fuel cell blocks, carbon fibers for the pressurized hydrogen tanks and the cost of individual components of the propulsion unit.

In an effort to improve the performance and day-to-day operation of the propulsion system, GM has succeeded in dispensing with a number of components that were essential in the HydroGen1. As a result, the vehicle weight has fallen considerably and 15 main subassemblies are very compact. The main advantage is that it can now be pre-assembled in the HydroGen3 as a complete module weighing around 300 kg and consisting of the electrical traction system, the fuel cell stack, the air compressor and additional units. It could now be supplied complete to the production line like a conventional engine and assembled on the existing bearing points of the Zafira in the conventional manner.

The biggest component the design team was able to dispense was the high power buffer battery that was needed by its predecessor to cope with peak power. Other important benefits to come from this development are the weight saving of nearly 100 kg and the fact that the full trunk capacity (600 liters) is now available. Previously indispensable external humidifying components for the fuel cell, the new air-conditioning unit and the complete diagnosis system are also no longer required.

The electrical energy needed to operate the 60 kW/82 hp asynchronous three-phase engine is produced on board the HydroGen3 by a fuel cell stack consisting of a total of 200 interconnected individual cells. With its virtually silent engine, the prototype accelerates from zero to 100 in around 16 seconds and has a top speed of 160 km/h. The fuel cell unit is supplied with hydrogen from tanks in which the power source is stored either in liquid form at a temperature of –253° C or compressed at a maximum pressure of 700 bar. This gives a range of 400 and 270 kilometers respectively.