The Th!nk city car. Ford P2000 fuel cell installation Dr. William F. Powers, Ford Vice President, Research. Ford P2000 fuel cell car.

Ford's new European Advanced Research Center in Germany — the Ford Forschungszentrum Aachen (FFA) — has been officially opened. Company Chairman William Clay Ford Jr., and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, jointly performed a "virtual" ribbon-cutting ceremony. Mr. Ford said the $35 million center will embrace a wide range of work, with particular focus on environmental issues: "We want to help keep the world on wheels in the 21st century by providing environmentally friendly transportation for the masses, and the work being done here will play a key role in achieving that goal."

To make the point, Ford's P2000 hydrogen powered fuel cell car was driven by the Chancellor and also by this AEI editor. The P2000 uses gaseous hydrogen and proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology. Each fuel cell is composed of a number of smaller cells comprizing a polymer electrolyte compressed between two electrodes in contact with a thin catalyst layer, typically platinum, stated Ford. Single fuel cells are bundled into a fuel cell stack to drive an electric motor. Ford is working with DaimlerChrysler and the Canadian company, Ballard, in the development of the system. Although it currently uses compressed hydrogen gas fuel, Ford plans to change this to liquid hydrogen stored in a cryogenic tank.

A brief drive in the P2000, which weighs less than 1520 kg (3344 lb) showed it to be surprisingly responsive; Ford claims a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of about 14 seconds. Compressor noise is similar to a dentist's high-speed drill, but Ford explains that this is simply a prototype system. The car uses a third-generation Ballard fuel stack and the same Ecostar electric drive system (which includes a motor/transaxle and a traction inverter module) as the DaimlerChrysler Mercedes-Benz A-class-based NECAR 4 fuel cell car. The P2000 has a three-stack fuel cell fitted in the rear but an ideal layout would see a two-stack under the hood, with the fuel tank in the rear, says the company.

Ford plans to have an experimental fleet of fuel cell cars on the road by 2001, with the first fuel-cell-powered cars on sale in 2004. But there is no suggestion that fuel cell technology will sweep aside the internal combustion engine. Dr. William F. Powers, Ford's Vice President, Research, interviewed in Aachen by AEI, said the big question is in what year will more than 100,000 fuel cell cars be produced: "I believe that figure represents an initial market breakthrough. The next step will be to achieve a million — that will be the big break-through. We could see 100,000 achieved in anything from four to eight years from now and a million maybe within five years of that. So we could be looking at 2012. Some companies may say it will be at least 2010 before 100,000 is reached — that just means they don't know how to do it!"

Powers said that what the auto industry needs to achieve over the next decade is a shift from "the carbon end of the fuels spectrum to the hydrogen end." However, he added: "We may not get all the way to hydrogen but we'll get to natural gas derivatives—designer fuels like dimethyl ethylene (DME), a derivative of hydrogen. The difference between liquid and gaseous fuel is a major issue; that is why there is so much world-wide research into the subject."

Powers is cautious about the use of methanol allied to a reformer as a hydrogen source. "The reformer is really an on-board refinery, but we are miniaturizing it. We have a business relationship with Mobil (our partner DaimlerChrysler has one with Shell) because they know how to build refineries far better than we do. We are trying to work out how you take refinery technology and make it automobile-like. Another type of fuel cell is one which can be fed methanol directly with no need for a reformer. Currently, we are working in three particular areas with regard to fuel cells: firstly, the fuel cell itself, both hydrogen (gaseous and liquid) and methanol-fed; secondly, devices that transform liquid fuels into hydrogen — partial oxidation devices and reformers; and thirdly, we are working on the infrastructure. We need to decide whether the fuel cell car will use methanol; a 'designer' fuel or a natural gas derivative." Another target is the substitution of expensive materials for cheaper types that do not seriously degrade fuel cell efficiency.

While motor manufacturers struggle with the design and manufacturing aspects of fuel cells, the really big challenge is likely to be establishing a common re-fueling infrastructure. It would be absurd for drivers to enter the equivalent of today's gas stations and refuel at dedicated pumps for Ford, GM, DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Toyota, and others. At present, no company appears to have sufficient data to firmly indicate what fuel will be used for fuel cell cars, how it will be carried or how it will be retailed.

Ford also showed the Norwegian-built Th!nk electric city car at the Aachen Research Center. Ford has purchased a majority interest in the Norwegian TH!NK Nordic AS company. TH!NK is a two-seater. When leased in Norway, it will be delivered via Hertz, which allows a user to change it for a larger and longer-range vehicle when necessary. TH!NK has an aluminium space-frame chassis clad with thermoplastic panels. Top speed is about 90 km/h (56 mph) and range about 85 km (42 miles). Power comes from nickel-cadmium batteries with an estimated 10-year life. An 80% re-charge takes four to six hours. Ford says it plans to take TH!NK to North America next year and is exploring its potential for other markets. An important reason for Ford's acquisition of a majority interest in TH!NK Nordic was to support development of new concepts in the use of plastic body components, plus low-volume and flexible manufacturing. Total initial production capacity for TH!NK will be 5000 a year. Chairman of the TH!NK board is John Wallace, who is also Director of Ford's Environmental Vehicle Programs.

Ford is also launching three bi-fuel production vehicles in Europe this year: liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) versions of the Transit will be joined by an LPG Mondeo and LPG and CNG versions of the Focus. The company is also aiming to reach very low emissions levels well before they become a legal requirement. Mr. Ford said in Aachen that the company would begin a progressive roll-out of more sophisticated low-emissions powertrains in Europe from next January; the powertrains are said to meet the European Union's (EU) Stage IV emissions standards five years ahead of the legislation. This means that the vehicles are at least 50% cleaner in terms of CO, HC, and NOx emissions than those that meet EU Stage III, which comes into force for new cars next January.

Stuart Birch