The world is changing and it's happening fast. So fast, in fact, it's difficult to predict the future. Just as one new technology comes along, its replacement is already waiting in the wings.We often take this for granted. Yet in our lifetime we've all seen and experienced major steps forward. Some of these include your first cellphone, iPod or in-car navigation. You might even remember your first email, internet browse or maybe your first DVD player. Sometimes we need to take stock of where we're heading and appreciate these major steps forward in terms of both our lifestyle and technology.
It wasn't long ago we drove our first hybrid vehicle. The technology is an adaptation of what's around us, and still relies on conventional fossil fuel back-up. So while it's an advance, it's not quite the future. However, the fuel cell is something we'd heard about for years and wondered if it was possible. In the future, we were told, cars would run on a harmless gas, and their only waste product would be water. Back then it seemed to good to be true. How could it be possible? Well, we've driven the future and it's a VW Passat!Like all major manufacturers, VW is working on several technologies, including clean diesel, bio-fuels, hybrid, diesel-hybrid CNG (compressed natural gas), electric and fuel cell. The problem is, nobody knows which technology will be accepted, and most researchers currently predict there won't be one solution. So companies around the world are working on different answers to the same problem in the hope of cracking the code.
Alternative fuels are needed for many reasons, but global warming, reliance on overseas oil, lower CAFE standards and California's zero-emissions standards are among the key contributors.
Fortunately, there's common ground such as fuel delivery systems. For example, most of the major manufacturers are working with the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) in association with energy providers, government agencies and fuel cell technology companies to coordinate standardization of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, filling stations, filling nozzles and regulations, etc.We visited the CaFCP headquarters in Sacramento, CA where VW had assembled its fleet of 20 Passat Lingyu fuel cell cars from China. They'd been used as course cars during the road events at the Beijing Olympics and were a collaboration between VW Shanghai, Tongji University and VW Research.
The Passats' fuel cells were created at the university and are a fourth generation unit. They work by introducing hydrogen into the negative anode side of the fuel cell, and oxygen into the positive cathode. The movement of protons through the exchange membrane is what creates electricity to power the motor.The Passats are driven by a 120hp, 155 lb-ft electric motor, with energy supplied by the 75hp fuel cell system mounted under the hood and a lithium-ion battery when extra acceleration is needed. The hydrogen fuel is transported in a carbon fiber-reinforced tank pressurized to 350bar. Regenerative braking technology is also employed, using the braking energy to charge the battery.The stark contrast of this cutting-edge technology to the Passat's mundane exterior was stark. Yet the idea is to illustrate how this incredible technology can be seamlessly integrated into our daily lives.
Unlike an electric hybrid, which is virtually silent at start-up, the fuel cells whizz and phissssh as the hydrogen is moved under incredible pressure. They also make a gurgling sound as any excess water is blown out of the tailpipe.
Once underway, the sounds are replaced by regular wind and tire noise as the cars glide almost silently along the road. Throttle response from these fourth-gen cars isn't what you'd call spritely. In fact, they're pretty slow and a warning buzzer would tell you to slow down when using more power than was being generated. But that's ok, we don't expect Ferrari speeds yet...