Power of the Future: Volkswagen Van With Fuel Cell

LOS ANGELES, California, September 17 -- A current European best-seller driven by the power of the future will be lining up to take part in the third CaFCP Road Rally: the new Volkswagen Touran HyMotion. Its high-torque electric motor draws its power from a fuel cell. Car drivers in the US Federal state of California will be able to test the most recent generation of this absolutely emission-free van for themselves for the very first time. The CaFCP Road Rally has been initiated to allow them to experience the status quo of fuel cell technology and therefore give them a taste of the future.

The tour, which runs from Los Angeles to San Diego is being organised by the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP), which was founded in 1999 and which numbers Volkswagen AG amongst its members. The objective of this partnership is to test and further develop fuel cell passenger cars and to provide a corresponding service station infrastructure. The CaFCP is comprised of a network of co-operating fuel suppliers, fuel cell manufacturers, automobile manufacturers and US government representatives.

The Touran HyMotion prototype is one of the most modern fuel cell passenger cars participating in this year's CaFCP Road Rally. The standard version, driven by petrol and diesel engines which are as agile as they are economical, is by far the most successful van available in Germany. In the Touran HyMotion, an 80 kW electric motor provides vehement propulsion. Its current is supplied by a chemical reactor, the fuel cell.

The core element of this fuel cell is an extremely thin plastic film (membrane). This spatially separates the reagents, hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is broken down into positively and negatively charged particles (protons and electrons). The protons are able to pass directly through the membrane, whilst the electrons take a more indirect route via an external current circuit, driving the electric motor. On the other side of the membrane, the protons, electrons and oxygen combine to form water.

Whilst the ambient air supplies the necessary oxygen, the hydrogen is transported in gaseous form at 350 bar in a special tank fitted in the Touran. This currently has a capacity of 1.9 kg hydrogen. When converted, this quantity corresponds to the energy contained in 7.5 litres of petrol. In combination with the electric motor's high efficiency, this quantity of hydrogen provides the vehicle with a range of approximately 160 kilometres.

The motor, which is virtually noise and vibration-free, accelerates the Touran HyMotion to 100 km/h in 14 seconds from a standing start, reaching a top speed of 140 km/h. To enable a dynamic response to maximum power requirements, the Touran HyMotion is fitted with a nickel-metal hybrid battery with an energy content of around 1.9 kWh. It is "charged" via the fuel cell or brake energy.

On the long road towards implementing a fuel cell, Volkswagen is pursuing a multi-layered drive and fuel strategy to achieve further progress in ensuring mobility and reducing consumption and emissions in the short and medium term. This is being accomplished using the relevant, conventional drive types (diesel and petrol direct injection engines), currently applicable, conventional fuels and synthetic fuels which will be available in the future (SynFuel and SunFuel).