Who Will Be the First to Offer a Mass-Market FCV?
Ballard Power Systems of Vancouver, Canada is not the only major fuel cell player with the attention of the automotive industry. UTC Fuel Cells, a unit of United Technologies Corp.'s UTC Power unit, and Hyundai Motor Co. have signed an agreement to jointly develop a new automotive fuel cell power plant capable of operating in freezing conditions, one of the remaining hurdles in the development of fuel cells for automobiles.
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| With a new freeze-capable engine from UTC Fuel Cells, Hyundai plans to have its fuel cell Santa Fe available to fleets by 2004. (Photo: www.utcfuelcells.com) |
Manufacturing fuel cells since 1960, UTC Fuel Cells is currently partnered with Nissan, Hyundai and BMW to develop fuel cells for automobiles, while also developing fuel cells for the bus and fleet vehicle market.
The agreement calls for Hyundai and UTC Fuel Cells to work jointly to develop a freeze-capable fuel cell power plant and integrate it into a Hyundai sport utility vehicle platform. Hyundai plans to make fuel cell vehicles available for lease to fleet operators by 2004. This news means UTC powered vehicles could be on North American roads within the next 12 months.
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| "Hyundai is dedicated to developing commercially viable, zero-emission vehicles and our agreement with UTC Fuel Cells brings us one step closer to our goal," said Dong Jin Kim, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. (Photo: Hyundai) |
Fuel cell power plants, which combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity without environmentally harmful emissions, produce and consume water. One key challenge in developing fuel cells for transportation applications is starting the fuel cell after the water in the system has frozen.
"Hyundai is dedicated to developing commercially viable, zero-emission vehicles and our agreement with UTC Fuel Cells brings us one step closer to our goal," said Dong Jin Kim, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company. "By 2004, Hyundai will be testing and evaluating the performance of fuel cell vehicles in fleet applications, allowing us to further refine the application of fuel cells for every-day transportation."