New Hydrogen Tank Moves Fuel Cell Vehicles Closer to Reality

HONEOYE FALLS, N.Y. Ed Garsten writing for the AP submitted this story. An arbiter of certain auto industy standards has certified a high-pressure hydrogen storage tank large enough to make fuel cells a viable power source for vehicles, General Motors Corp. said Tuesday.

Creating storage tanks that can hold enough hydrogen to provide a sufficient driving range while being lightweight and safe enough to withstand collisions has been a key challenge to bringing hydrogen-fed fuel cell vehicles to market. The lure of fuel cells is they produce almost no pollution.

The tank approved by Germany's Technical Inspection Association holds 10,000 psi -- enough of the gas to provide a range of nearly 300 miles before refueling. Previously certified hydrogen tanks were half that size.

The Technical Inspection Association validates such high-pressure storage tanks in accordance with industry standards in Europe and North America.

GM and QUANTUM Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc., formed a partnership last year to develop hydrogen storage and handling systems for the automaker's fuel cell applications. QUANTUM developed a key breakthrough in hydrogen storage called the TriShield design.

GM has set a goal of being the first automaker to sell 1 million fuel cell vehicles.

"These collaborative efforts with QUANTUM represent another step toward understanding how fuel cell vehicles will be capable of a range equal to or greater than today's vehicles powered by internal combustion engines," Frank Colvin, GM vice president for fuel cell commercialization, said in a statement.

The system also has been validated by the European Integrated Hydrogen Project, which develops global regulatory standards for hydrogen storage testing and certification.

On July 23, Impco Technologies Inc. spun off QUANTUM and GM then acquired a 19.9 percent equity stake in the new company.

Fuel cells produce electricity through a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen.