The future for plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles just got a bit closer to a reality, courtesy of Ford.
The company recently unveiled the worlds first driveable, fuel-cell / hybrid / electric plug-in car at the Washington auto show. It was housed within the body of a Ford Edge.
Housed within the Edge are a variety of complicated systems which work together in sync with one another.
Here's how it works.
The first 25 miles driven each day are solely powered by the vehicles battery pack. After 25 miles, the fuel cell activates to create electricity to restore the battery- which is a 336 volt lithium ion unit. The battery pack provides propulsion at all times.
Drivers can even recharge the battery by plugging the Edge Hybrid into an outlet at home or work- negating the need to use any fuel to recharge the battery if their commute is a short one.
Otherwise, the 4.5 kilograms of usable hydrogen stored in the fuel tank can boast a range of up to 400 miles.
It's a long way from a reality though- as there is no infrastructure for fueling hydrogen vehicles. Additionally, the required lithium ion batteries are very expensive.
"This vehicle offers Ford the ultimate in flexibility in researching advanced propulsion technology," says Gerhard Schmidt, vice president of research and advanced engineering for Ford Motor Company. "We could take the fuel cell power system out and replace it with a down-sized diesel, gasoline engine or any other powertrain connected to a small electric generator to make electricity like the fuel cell does now."
photo:Ford
The company recently unveiled the worlds first driveable, fuel-cell / hybrid / electric plug-in car at the Washington auto show. It was housed within the body of a Ford Edge.
Housed within the Edge are a variety of complicated systems which work together in sync with one another.
 |
| The Ford Edge with HySeries Drive is the world's first drivable fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle with plug-in capability. |
Here's how it works.
The first 25 miles driven each day are solely powered by the vehicles battery pack. After 25 miles, the fuel cell activates to create electricity to restore the battery- which is a 336 volt lithium ion unit. The battery pack provides propulsion at all times.
Drivers can even recharge the battery by plugging the Edge Hybrid into an outlet at home or work- negating the need to use any fuel to recharge the battery if their commute is a short one.
Otherwise, the 4.5 kilograms of usable hydrogen stored in the fuel tank can boast a range of up to 400 miles.
It's a long way from a reality though- as there is no infrastructure for fueling hydrogen vehicles. Additionally, the required lithium ion batteries are very expensive.
 |
| The compressed Hydrogen fuel is delivered via the fueling port at 350 bar in under 5 minutes. |
"This vehicle offers Ford the ultimate in flexibility in researching advanced propulsion technology," says Gerhard Schmidt, vice president of research and advanced engineering for Ford Motor Company. "We could take the fuel cell power system out and replace it with a down-sized diesel, gasoline engine or any other powertrain connected to a small electric generator to make electricity like the fuel cell does now."
photo:Ford
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