Get the cost down, and fuel-cell Equinox rocks
, , December 6th, 2007They are getting to be so good, so ordinary, so much like any other vehicle in the way they drive, that you start thinking you ought to just go get one. After all, they issue no pollutants, and they go about twice as far as gasoline vehicles do on the same amount of energy.
The vehicles themselves use no petroleum, though producing the hydrogen requires energy, some of which might come from petroleum fuels.
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Automakers’ grand design is that energy suppliers eventually will make hydrogen using renewable fuels such as biomass, hydroelectricity, solar, wind and others perhaps not yet conceived. Only then will a fuel-cell machine be petroleum-free — as long as you can get the hydrogen to the filling station without using petroleum fuel and power the pumps at the filling station without petroleum-generated energy.
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Car companies still are developing the technology. At its current stage, it works pretty well but is so expensive that you’d have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a fuel-cell vehicle. Even four years hence, when the first could be in ordinary auto showrooms, they’ll still probably be prohibitive. Automakers will market them with subsidized leases instead of selling them outright.
But let’s “be here now,” as a book title puts it.
Today, almost no fuel-cell vehicles are available. Which works well because almost no hydrogen filling stations are available.
The supply of fuel-cell vehicles is about to jump, however; 2008 is to be a watershed year.
Honda (HMC) has designed a hydrogen fuel-cell car from the ground up, a sleek, four-door, compact, front-drive sedan that it plans to lease to as many as 100 consumers in the USA next year. Honda hasn’t set a lease payment yet, but the two current-generation FCXs in the hands of individuals are leased for $500 a month. The FCXs, current and imminent, meet all U.S. safety and pollution regulations, Honda says.
General Motors (GM), trying to edge ahead, is distributing about 100 Chevrolet Equinox SUVs converted to fuel-cell operation to individuals for three months at a time over the next three years. They’ll be parceled out around Los Angles, New York City and Washington, D.C., places where there are hydrogen fueling stations. It’s called Project Driveway.
The Equinoxes meet all federal regulations except one written when battery power was the only kind of electric car envisioned. GM says it has an exemption from that one and expects it to be rewritten to accommodate fuel cells and says the Equinoxes would pass muster under the anticipated rewrite.
GM plans to market a vehicle designed from the ground up to be a fuel-cell machine in 2011. Meantime, the Driveway Equinox fuel-cell SUVs are supposed to gather feedback from real-world use of hydrogen-fueled vehicles and jump-start the notion that fuel cells are mainstream.
The Equinoxes will go to ordinary drivers, politicians and others who influence policy, celebrities and high-profile people whose opinions seem to count. And, by the way, to members of the media — who, not being included in the previous groups, presumably aren’t ordinary, don’t influence policy, don’t offer opinions valued by others and aren’t celebrities. Oh, well …
Here’s a look at one of the Project Driveway Equinox fuel-cell vehicles.
Reactions are based on an afternoon’s wanderings around Northern Virginia with four adults — about 700 pounds — aboard, in traffic ranging from unobstructed freeway to stop-go suburban, on a variety of roads.
• Performance. Good off the line, adequate at higher speed. A fuel-cell vehicle is an electric vehicle, the fuel cell doing the work of the battery powering the electric motor. And electric motors have a delightful trait. They deliver all the pounds-feet of torque, or low-speed grunt, that they have the instant they begin to turn. No revving required, the way you’d have to do in a gasoline engine.
Thus, leaping from stoplights, barreling onto the highway after stopping at the toll booth and getting started uphill all presented minimal challenge.
Horsepower is about 120, vs. 180 or more typical of similar gasoline vehicles. So the high-speed moves that rely on ponies more than pounds-feet weren’t as crisp. Still, passing and merging shouldn’t be the subject of many complaints from the Driveway drivers.
The transmission has but a single speed, relying on the electric motor’s low-speed oomph to take the place of low-ratio gearing to get the buggy motivated. No shifting. Just a continuing ramp of power. Smooth, if not exactly to everybody’s taste.
• Noise. Not much, and that’s a big deal. Most fuel-cell prototypes have lots of whine, mainly from the compressor that shoves air into the fuel cell, where it combines with the hydrogen in a process that produces electricity and, out the exhaust pipes, water vapor. The electric motors also are prone to whine.
GM has switched to a different type of air compressor, more like you’d find on a small turbocharger than in a big, gutsy supercharger. That has all but eliminated the howl.
Of course, the baffling and insulating and careful placement of things help.
The one place that could use considerable improvement is a combination of roar and whoosh produced by the system that cools the onboard battery. It’s about under the front seats, so it’s pretty close to the driver’s ear. GM is continuing to work on ducting, routing and positioning to slice that noise.
The battery collects electricity being produced but not immediately needed to run the motor and holds it for times you really, really need an extra shot of juice you can’t get from the fuel cell.
• Appearance. Similar to the conventional, gasoline-fueled, 2007 Equinox with a couple of notable exceptions.
Instead of round tailpipes out back, the fuel-cell version has four rectangular slots in what car folks call the rear fascia. That’s the part that looks like it’s the bumper but really is just a plastic covering.
Wanted to distinguish it from the gasoline vehicles, GM says.
Inside, trim and touches unique to the fuel-cell vehicles give it a premium look and feel compared with the gasoline Equinox, which is a bit disappointing inside in spite of the upgraded materials and controls.
• Function. About the same as a gasoline model. The rear cargo area is compromised a bit because the third of three hydrogen tanks sits higher than the two in front of it, putting a horizontal bulge behind the rear seats, about where you might want space for beach chairs or big bags.
• Safety. In most respects, same as the gasoline model. And in what might be contrary to popular belief, hydrogen almost certainly is a safer fuel than gasoline. If you spill gasoline at the filling station, for instance, it pools and the volatile vapors concentrate. If you spill hydrogen, it evaporates into the atmosphere at 40 mph because it’s lighter than air.
No pooling, no concentration of fumes that go boom. Too, the Equinox — common among fuel-cell cars — has fail-safe links between the vehicle and the fuel pump. If the hose isn’t hooked up right, the pump won’t start.
The Equinox fuel cell has passed the same 50-mph rear crash test that gasoline models must endure without a leak in their fuel systems, GM says.
What about all that water vapor, especially in winter in Northern states? GM says fuel-cell exhaust has only 7% more moisture than the exhaust of a gasoline engine. It’s possible to develop traps that hold the water temporarily, then let it evaporate as the vehicle is driven, to avoid concentrating water in one spot where it might freeze.
Getting the cost, and therefore the price, down to agreeable levels always taxes new technology. But judging by the Equinox Driveway fuel-cell vehicle, reducing the cost seems the only serious challenge. It’s smoother, mostly quieter and generally nicer to drive than a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle.
All the particulars for the special Equinox
• What is it? 2007 Chevrolet midsize, four-door Equinox SUV converted to run on electricity generated by a hydrogen fuel cell instead of being powered by a gasoline engine.
• How many? About 100 will be cycled through consumer hands three months at a time for three years, giving Chevy parent General Motors insight into real-world use of fuel-cell vehicles before launching a purpose-built fuel-cell model as soon as 2011.
• How soon? Being distributed right now to groups of journalists, celebrities, policymakers and regular ol’ folks who live in and around Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C., where there are hydrogen fueling stations.
• How much? Free. GM provides the vehicles without charge, insures them and covers the cost of the hydrogen fuel. Three months of such first-class treatment will make it a real shock to go back to your deductible-laden, high-maintenance, petroleum-chugging buggy.
• Who gets ‘em? The automaker picked the lucky ducks from a pool of volunteers at www.chevy.com, and whom GM specifically wants to see driving its fuel-cell vehicles to create a buzz.
• What’s the drivetrain? Electric motor driving the front wheels, rated 120 horsepower, 236 pounds-feet of torque, mated to a single-speed transmission.
GM says the rig will accelerate from standstill to 60 mph in 12 seconds, hit about 100 mph flat out and go 150 miles before running dry of the 4.2 kilograms of hydrogen stored in three under-floor tanks pressurized at 10,000 pounds per square inch. The gasoline engine and transmission are removed.
• What’s the rest? Better interior trim than gasoline model, and the navigation system screen will show energy flow among fuel cell, motor, battery.
Rear panel has water vapor vents instead of engine exhaust outlets. Otherwise deliberately similar to premium-level Equinox to make it familiar to users.
• How thirsty? GM says the fuel-cell vehicles would have government mileage ratings equivalent to 35 miles per gallon of gasoline in town, 45 mpg on the highway and 39 mpg in combined driving.
A kilogram of hydrogen has the energy of a gallon of gasoline — almost exactly so, GM says — so Equinox’s ratings in hydrogen terms are 35 miles per kilogram in town, 45 mpkg on the highway, 39 mpkg in combined driving.
Good for 150 miles per fill (4.2 kg in the three tanks), GM calculates.
Trip computer in the test vehicle showed the equivalent of 38.8 miles per gallon in a mix of suburban driving, from stop-go to high-speed freeway.
• Overall: A little quieter and, bingo; bring it on. Get busy on hydrogen stations, energy companies.
The bottom line on a nifty, green driving machine
• Quick. At least up to 30 mph or so, thanks to the instant-go electric motor.
• Quiet and noisy. None of the normal fuel-cell air-compressor whine, but disturbing roar from the battery-cooling fan.
• Regular. Goes, stops, turns in normal fashion. If that roar were gone, you’d think you were driving a conventional gasoline vehicle.
• Present. It’s here, now, on urban streets, a hint at a petroleum-free future.
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On 11/16/07, Scott Jenkins
Shelby: The Legend Grows
By Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief Email | Blog
Date posted: 04-07-2005
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Ford says the 2007 Shelby Cobra GT500 Mustang (this is not the 2006 Shelby GT500 Cobra Mustang) will be the most powerful factory-built Mustang in history, more powerful than the 1969 Mach 1 428 Super Cobra Jet or even the legendary 1969 Boss 429.
Think about that for a second. Let it sink in. Take a knee if you have to, but the reality is this: When this car hits the streets during the summer of 2006, it’ll have 450-plus horsepower, making it the most powerful Mustang ever.
Start saving your pennies now.
Shelby Approves
Ford is calling the car a unique collaboration between the legend Carroll Shelby and the Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT). “I’ve worked with the SVT guys for several years now,” says Shelby. “And I know they have the guts, the talent and the passion to deliver the best performance Mustangs ever.”
Shelby, who built the legendary Shelby Mustangs and Shelby Cobras in the 1960s, served as a senior advisor to the “Dream Team” that was assembled inside the Ford Motor Company to develop and build the 2005 Ford GT supercar.
“Carroll Shelby is truly a living automotive legend, a Ford performance legend,” says Phil Martens, Ford group vice president of Product Creation. “It’s a dream come true to be able to put the Shelby name on a Mustang again.”
Supercharged 5.4-Liter
The Shelby’s supercharged 5.4-liter, 32-valve V8 is similar to the engine in the GT. Ford started with the cast-iron 5.4-liter Triton V8 truck engine and added aluminum heads from the GT, specially calibrated camshafts, a Roots-type supercharger making 8.5 pounds of boost, and a water-to-air intercooler.
Under that blower is an all-new low-profile intake manifold, which allows the engine to fit under the GT500’s special air-extraction hood. Fuel comes from a dual-bore electronic throttle body borrowed from Ford’s 6.8-liter truck engine program, however, the larger radiator, increased-capacity cooling system and the exhaust manifolds are unique to this application.
The engine is also dressed with special “Powered by SVT” finned cam covers which are reminiscent of the “Cobra Powered By Ford” covers used by Shelby five decades ago, and it’s backed by the same T-56 six-speed that appeared in the supercharged 2003 SVT Mustang Cobra.
Solid Rear Axle
The GT500 chassis development started during the 2005 Mustang program. “We spent a lot of time at the track developing the new Mustang and ensuring it was capable of handling future performance derivatives,” says Hau Thai-Tang, director of Ford Advanced Product Creation and SVT.
The result, according to Ford, will be SVT’s signature chassis tuning with a balanced, performance-tuned ride that still maintains the compliance required for everyday driving. And Ford says it will accomplish these goals, with the GT500’s MacPherson-strut front suspension and three-link rear suspension, which locates a solid rear axle.
Although conventional wisdom says the antiquated rear-end design is in conflict with building a state-of-the-art performance car, Thai-Tang says it isn’t a problem. “In terms of performance, the Mustang’s solid-rear-axle setup in the GT500 has been proven in race competition this year with a Mustang FR500C taking the checkered flag at the season-opening Grand-Am Cup race at Daytona,” he points out.
The GT500’s suspension is lower than a Mustang GT’s, and uses recalibrated front and rear shocks, upgraded front and rear stabilizer bars and revised spring rates. The key to the GT500’s three-link architecture, according to Ford, is the Panhard rod that provides precise control over the rear axle. It’s centrally located and fastened to the upper front end of the differential, while trailing arms are located near each end of the axle.
It all rolls on 19-by-9.5-inch wheels wrapped in massive tires measuring 255/45ZR19. And the brakes are equally impressive. The Brembo front rotors are 14 inches in diameter, cross-drilled and clamped by four-piston aluminum calipers. In back, Thai-Tang and his crew chose 13-inch rotors and four-piston calipers.
A New Performance Era?
According to Ford, the GT500 show car, which debuted at the New York auto show in March, points to a brand-new era in Ford Motor Company’s performance future.
A company press release said, “By bringing together Carroll Shelby and Ford SVT, the company’s commitment to performance becomes as powerful as at any time in its history — including the famed ‘Total Performance’ days of the 1960s.”
Think about that for a second. Let it sink in. Take a knee if you have to.
Vehicle Type
Model Year: 2007
Make: Ford
Model: Mustang
Style GT500
Base Price: $39,000 (est.)
Drive Type: RWD
Transmission Type: T-56 6-speed manual
Displacement (liters): 5.4
Engine Type: Supercharged V8
Bore x Stroke: 3.552 x 4.165 inches / 90.22 x 105.8 mm
Valvetrain: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Induction: Cast aluminum screw-type supercharger with air-to-water intercooler
Horsepower: 450+
Torque: 450+
Braking System: Front: Brembo 14-inch cross-drilled disc w/ four-piston calipers; Rear: Brembo 13-inch cross-drilled disc w/ two-piston calipers
Steering System: Power rack and pinion
Body Construction: Unitized welded steel body; aluminum hood
Suspension Type (front): Reverse-L independent MacPherson strut, 34-mm tubular stabilizer bar
Suspension Type (rear): Three-link solid axle with coil springs, Panhard rod, 24-mm solid stabilizer bar.
Tire Size: P255/45ZR19
Wheel Size: 19×9.5 in. machined aluminum
Curb Weight (lbs): 3,600 (est.)
Recommended Fuel: Premimum Unleaded
Specifications
Ford Mustang SVT Cobra
Length, in. 188.0
Width, in. 73.9
Height, in. 55.7
Wheelbase, in. 107.1
Legroom (front): 42.7
Legroom (rear): 30.3
Headroom (front): 38.8
Headroom (rear): 36.3
Maximum Seating Capacity: 4
Cargo Volume 9.7 cu. ft.
Maximum Cargo Volume
(rear seats down): 9.7 cu. ft.
Safety Information
Front Airbags: Standard
Side Airbags: N/A
Head Airbags: N/A
Antilock Brakes: Standard
Electronic Brake Enhancements: Standard
Traction Control: Standard
Stability Control: N/A
Rollover Protection: N/A
Emergency Assistance System: N/A
On 11/16/07, Scott Jenkins < scottjenkins.vmg@gmail.com> wrote:
peace
On 11/16/07, Webmaster - Max Motors
Very cool. I’ll try to post some of this later tonight (worst case it might be Monday). L8r
From: Scott Jenkins [mailto: scottjenkins.vmg@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 3:38 PM
To: Webmaster - Max Motors
Subject: Re: speeding
this link
http://www.caranddriver.com/shortroadtests/14293/tested-2008-chevrolet-malibu-lt.html?al=157
for blogging
On 11/16/07, Webmaster - Max Motors
This bloke bought a new Mercedes sports coupe and took it out on the highway to enjoy his new purchase. The top was down, the breeze was blowing through his hair and he decided to open her up.
As the needle jumped up to 160 kph he suddenly saw a flashing blue and red light behind him. “There ain’t no way they can catch my Mercedes,” he thought to himself and pressed the peddle to the floor. The needle hit 190 but still the cop stayed on his tail. “What in hell am I doing?” the driver thought and wisely pulled over.
The cop came up to him, took his licence without a word then examined it and the car. “I’ve had a tough shift and this is my last booking,” he said. I don’t feel like any more paperwork so if you can give me an excuse for your driving that I’ve never heard before, I’ll let you off!”
The driver thought a moment, then said, “Last week my wife ran off with a cop….and I was afraid you were trying to give her back!”
“Have a nice night and tone down your speed”, said the officer.
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