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 The Bochum University of Applied Sciences (Germany) has recently presented a new solar car, the "BOcruiser". A team of around 30 engineering students has displayed a new concept: This latest solar car drives on four wheels rather than three, as was the case for the predecessor "Solar World No. 1". A project that started in the mid 90’s at the London South Bank University (LSBU), partner of the Bochum University of Applied Sciences, it turned into a co-operative venture with joint research and teaching thrown in.
Fuel cells have been an area of interest for automakers for more than a de-cade now. GM’s first attempt at fuel cell was in 1966 in the form of a van called Electrovan. It was also the automotive industry's first attempt to power an automobile with a hydrogen fuel cell. The Electrovan, which weighed more than twice as much as a normal van, could travel up to 70 mph for 30 seconds. Working relentlessly on fuel cell technology when others spoke of giving up, GM went to the extent of establishing extensive hydrogen fuel cell research and development facilities both in the US and Europe. In early 2008, Chevy under the GM umbrella, launched a test fleet of hydrogen-powered Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles. The Equinox Fuel Cell vehicle is powered by GM’s fuel cell system, arguably the most advanced fuel cell propulsion system to date. The electric motor traction system on the Equinox provides the vehicle with instantaneous torque, smooth acceleration and quiet performance. This fleet hit the streets of New York City, Washington D.C. and Southern California.
A step further, and GM has developed a new fuel cell system that is half the size, is 220 pounds lighter and uses less than half the precious metal of the current generation Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle. The production intent fuel cell powertrain can be packaged under the hood in about the same space as a four-cylinder engine. It contains GM’s fifth-generation fuel cell stack, which could be commercialized in the 2015 time frame. Says Charles Freese, executive director of GM Fuel Cell Activities, “The improvements the team has been able to achieve are remarkable. Hardware mechanisation has been dramatically simplified, which will help reduce cost, simplify manufacturing and improve durability.” Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are a few years away from widespread commercial use because of the need for additional investment and partnership, along with expanded availability of hydrogen fueling stations.
Freese adds, “GM has invested more than $1.5 billion in fuel cell technology and we are committed to continuing to invest, but we no longer can go it alone. As we approach a costly part of the program, we will require government and industry partnerships to install a hydrogen infrastructure and help create a customer pull for the products.” Through Project Driveway, a demonstration fleet of more than 100 hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric Chevrolet Equinox midsize crossovers has amassed more than 1 million miles of every-day driving by ordinary citizens, celebrities and others since late 2007. In recent weeks, a consortium of the German government and leading industrial companies has announced plans to build up to 1,000 hydrogen fueling stations by 2015, about the time several automakers expect to have hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for sale. Earlier, a group of 13 oil and gas companies in Japan announced similar plans.
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