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Affordable fuel-cell powered cars a decade or two away

Friday, January 03, 2003

By Donald I. Hammonds, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Chances are excellent that, by the year 2010, you will be able to buy an affordable car from General Motors that will be powered by fuel cells.

	GM's Hy-wire concept car is powered by hydrogen fuel-cell.

GM officials say they will still be making cars powered by internal combustion engines at the decade's end, but they also expect fuel cell-powered cars to be part of their lineup.

If your car is powered by fuel cells, you'll enjoy certain advantages: faster pickup, zoomier styling, a roomier interior and a power system that will be far friendlier to Mother Earth than anything you've ever driven.

If for some reason GM hasn't shifted to fuel cells by 2010, it almost surely will in the decade that follows, said Lawrence D. Burns, vice president of GM Research & Development and Planning. In other words, this isn't pie in the sky, Burns said, adding, "Boy, if it is I'd like to have a piece of that pie."

The best way to think of a fuel cell is to compare it with a battery. But while conventional batteries need to be recharged to restore their energy, fuel cells use hydrogen, which acts as a renewable fuel. Hydrogen can be used to create electricity -- and that's what creates the power to run the cars, Burns said.

Hydrogen can be obtained from coal, natural gas and petroleum, and those are the most likely sources that will be used when cars convert to fuel cells, Burns said. While that will result in some carbon dioxide emissions, "That will be far less than what we now get from internal combustion engines."

As an indicator of just how close GM is to shifting to fuel cells, Burns said the driving range with today's liquid hydrogen was about 200 miles, and that GM needs to get only the range up to 300 to 350 miles to make it practical to use the cells.

There are some issues related to storing hydrogen in the vehicle that must be solved. And the biggest obstacle continues to be making the technology affordable for consumers, he said. "What determines when we will have cars powered by fuel cells depends on how fast we can reduce the cost of technology."

The advantages of switching to fuel cells are tremendous for consumers, Burns said. "These cars will have better acceleration, and no other real emissions other than water.

"You also will have a lower center of gravity for better handling and more exciting styling designs because we have eliminated a lot of design constraints that our designers have had to worry about in the past -- mainly that big engine in the front of the car."

	The GM Hy-wire concept car uses electronic, rather than mechanical controls, which means no instrument panel or foot pedals cluttering up the interior.

To show just what is possible, GM recently unveiled the Hy-wire, an ultramodern concept car, at the Paris Auto Show. It is being billed as the first vehicle that combines hydrogen fuel cell use with "by-wire technology."

In the Hy-wire, all of the propulsion and control systems are contained within an 11-inch-thick skateboard-like chassis, maximizing space for five occupants and their cargo.

There's no engine to see over, no pedals to operate -- merely a single module called the driver control unit that is easily set to either a left or right driving position

The driver control unit allows steering, braking and other vehicle systems to be controlled electronically rather than mechanically -- hence, the term drive-by-wire.

You speed up by gently twisting either the right- or left-hand grip, and you brake the car by squeezing a brake actuator located on the handgrips. The handgrips glide up and down for steering rather than the revolving motion used by today's steering columns.

A look inside the Hy-wire shows just how dramatic the impact of the combination of fuel cells and by-wire technology is on the interior design, said Ed Wellburn, executive director of GM Design for Body-on-Frame Architectures.

"Imagine having no engine, instrument panel or foot pedals in front of you -- an open, yet secure cockpit with a floor to ceiling view. It's like being in my living room looking out my picture window," Wellburn said.

The fuel cells in the Hy-wire, by the way, are installed in the back of the chassis. While most of the chassis is 11 inches thick, it tapers down to 9 inches at the edges. The electrical motor that drives the front wheels is installed transversely between them.

GM feels that pursuing the use of fuel cells is an astute business decision that will help it maintain a competitive edge in the future.

"If somebody else beats us here, they have just made our asset base -- a significant asset base -- obsolete," Burns said. "Do unto yourself before others do unto you. If you're not trying to obsolete your own strongholds and technology base, be assured somebody else is out there trying to do that."

Donald I. Hammonds can be reached at dhammonds@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1538.