Fuel Cell
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Building a fueling network turns out to be more of a challenge than many advocates, regulators, and drivers may have anticipated. The attempt to boost passenger vehicles fueled by cheap, abundant U.S. natural gas is now essentially over, with a mere 942 public natural-gas fueling stations throughout the 50 states. E85 ethanol, the biofuel that's largely derived from corn in the U.S., is in slightly better shape: there are roughly 3,000 U.S. gas stations that now offer it. DON'T MISS: When fueling stations shut down for your natural-gas car: one reader's experience That's still only a tiny...
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Fiat Chrysler seeks Hyundai partnership for hydrogen fuel-cell vehiclesFiat Chrysler is looking to partner with Hyundai to develop hydrogen fuel-cell technology, its CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed on Saturday. The revelation came after a presentation on Alfa Romeo's planned return to Formula 1 racing, held at the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese, Italy. “There is the...
Mark Stevenson -
Which alternative fuels will survive long-term? Take our Twitter pollYou just don't hear the phrase "alternative fuels" as much as you did, say, 10 years ago. With a couple of million plug-in electric cars now on the world's roads, the idea of swapping in one hydrocarbon fuel for another may have passed its time. Admittedly biodiesel continues to make quiet inroads...
John Voelcker -
Toyota to build megawatt electric and hydrogen plant fueled by California bio-wasteToyota today is the world's most ardent proponent of using hydrogen fuel cells for zero-emission vehicles rather than large battery packs. The huge Japanese carmaker, one of the world's four largest, now sells its Toyota Mirai fuel-cell sedan around the world, and has more hydrogen-powered vehicles...
John Voelcker -
Eight crossovers, four powertrains, two years; Hyundai outlines new SUV planHyundai announced in Detroit on Wednesday that it would bring to market eight new or redesigned crossovers by the end of the decade. The new utility vehicles will sport a wide range of powertrains including battery-electric, diesel, hydrogen fuel-cell, and gasoline. The first crossover to arrive on...
Aaron Cole -
A Tesla Model S that runs on hydrogen fuel cells? Dutch firm claims it built oneTesla has never built anything but battery-electric cars. Now a Dutch gasoline company believes it's improved upon the Silicon Valley automaker's design with a hydrogen fuel cell—so much so that it wants to sell its solution to the general public. The Holthausen Group, a Dutch gasoline...
Sean Szymkowski -
Although electric cars offer numerous benefits in engineering, design, and zero-emission operation, their overall weight remains a hurdle for automakers, especially as bigger batteries with longer ranges become more important. It now appears that Toyota may look to airless tires as a way to cut weight in its future electric cars: It debuted the conceptual tires in its Fine-Comfort Ride fuel-cell concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show last week. While airless tires are years away from commercial availability, and weigh roughly the same as traditional tires, Toyota hopes further development will...
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Toyota Fine-Comfort Ride fuel-cell concept targets 600 miles of rangeToyota continues to experiment with and develop various types of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles despite not yet offering a single production battery-electric car. The Japanese automaker now sells the Mirai, has announced it will begin studies of the Project Portal fuel-cell semi truck, and reportedly...
Sean Szymkowski -
Toyota to study Mirai-derived fuel-cell tech for heavy-duty trucksToyota announced on Thursday that it will begin testing in two California ports a hydrogen fuel-cell heavy-duty truck adapted from the Toyota Mirai's powertrain for drayage use. Initially, Toyota is looking at how it can use hydrogen fuel-cell-powered vehicles to significantly reduce vehicle...
Andrew Ganz -
GM's view of hydrogen fuel cells: great for military useGeneral Motors thinks there's a future for hydrogen fuel cells, but it's not in your driveway. Unless you're a member of the armed forces and your driveway is, say, Fort Bliss. The Detroit automaker is and the U.S. Army are collaborating on a modular experimental light- and medium-duty fuel-cell...
Andrew Ganz -
GM to launch two new electric vehicles within 18 months, 20 by 2023General Motors said on Monday it will unveil two new battery-electric vehicles within the next 18 months, and will offer 20 electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles globally by 2023. The news came in a conference call for reporters with Mark Reuss, GM's executive vice president of global product...
John Voelcker -
Mercedes-Benz GLC F-Cell EQ Power plug-in hydrogen crossover launches at FrankfurtIt's a plug-in hybrid crossover, but it doesn't have an engine. It's a hydrogen fuel-cell SUV, but it has a feature no other hydrogen-powered car offers. It's the Mercedes-Benz GLC F-Cell EQ Power, launched Tuesday at the Frankfurt motor show. DON'T MISS: Mercedes-Benz GLC to offer world's first...
John Voelcker -
Hyundai arrived first to market with the world's first production hydrogen fuel-cell crossover utility in 2013 with the Tucson Fuel Cell, and we have a good idea of what to expect from the brand's follow-up act. The Korean brand unveiled a lightly-disguised concept this week that previews its next fuel-cell SUV to come in 2018, which remains unnamed so far. Hyundai has simply referred to this conceptual fuel-cell SUV as its ... "Next-Generation Fuel Cell SUV." DON'TMISS: Hyundai FE Fuel Cell Concept previews hydrogen-powered SUV coming in 2018 The brand made it clear, however, that the...
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Hawaii to get hydrogen fueling station; Toyota Mirai leases to followTropical islands are some of the best places on earth to pioneer carbon-free energy and zero-emission vehicles. Within the United States, the eight islands of Hawaii are blessed with a temperate climate, abundant sunshine, few high-speed highways, and a statewide speed limit of 60 mph, achievable...
John Voelcker -
How do you service a hydrogen fuel-cell car at a dealer?Over the past century, gasoline-powered vehicles have gotten simultaneously more complex and more reliable. Service intervals have lengthened, drivers no longer check a car's fluids daily or weekly, and many new-car owners will never once open the hood. Reliability data shows that some of them...
John Voelcker -
Chevrolet Colorado ZH2: first ride in hydrogen fuel-cell Army truckOlive drab isn't the only green thing in the U.S. Army. Currently undergoing testing at Fort Carson in Colorado, the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle illustrates the unlikely intersection between eco-friendly powertrains and the demanding needs of a vehicle that may be deployed to...
Andrew Ganz -
Hyundai targets 1,400 units a year of next-gen fuel-cell vehicle: reportIt's public knowledge that Hyundai plans to replace its aging Tucson Fuel Cell utility vehicle with an all-new hydrogen-powered vehicle, and that it has big plans for the future. The Korean automaker showcased the FE Fuel Cell concept in March to provide a glimpse of what to expect when the...
Sean Szymkowski -
How California and China plan to push for millions of zero-emission vehiclesCalifornia has long been the nation's leader in zero-emission vehicles, with initiatives dating more than two decades. Now the Golden State is partnering with China, the world's largest car market, to accelerate that country's zero-emission goals. The state announced a new initiative with China, in...
Sean Szymkowski -
In March, we spent most of a day with the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, the first of three variants of the Clarity mid-size sedan to go on sale in the U.S. Leases of the hydrogen-powered Clarity will be limited for the foreseeable future to residents of those areas of California near to hydrogen fueling stations, but two more versions are on their way. The 2017 Honda Clarity Electric, a battery-powered sedan with an expected EPA range of 89 miles, will join the U.S. lineup within several weeks—"it's right around the corner," we were told—and a plug-in hybrid version will arrive very...
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Toyota, Honda, Nissan, other Japan firms to fund hydrogen fuelingEarlier this year in Europe, 13 companies joined forces to create the Hydrogen Council, a global initiative to discuss and promote the use of hydrogen as a renewable source of energy. In the United States, GM and Honda have partnered up to build a production plant in Michigan that will roll out...
John Voelcker -
GM fuel-cell chief talks about military truck, Honda deal to build hydrogen powertrainsInnovation has no secret for GM and after tapping into hybrid and electric engine technologies, fuel-cell is its next target. In an interview with Trucks.com, GM’s global fuel-cell business director Charles Freese seemed confident that hydrogen will become a next big step in transportation...
Green Car Reports -
Assessing the Honda Clarity range: how electric cars fit in, and whyThe 2017 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell is the only model of Honda's newest sedan presently on sale, though an all-electric version will arrive later this year. The hydrogen-powered mid-size sedan with a rated 366 miles of range is the one that's gotten by far the most publicity from Honda, as its...
John Voelcker -
Mercedes denies CEO said it will turn away from hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (updated)Large global automakers customarily pursue research into multiple types of technologies and future powertrains at the same time. Sometimes they pan out, sometimes they don't. German automakers have only really come around to devoting their efforts to plug-in electric cars in the last five or six...
John Voelcker -
Energy use for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles: higher than electrics, even hybrids (analysis)It's now clear that the zero-emission vehicles of the future will be powered by electric motors. The electricity to power those motors, however, will come from one of two competing technologies: high-capacity batteries or hydrogen fuel cells. The debate over which technology is superior, which has...
John Voelcker