Mygreenwheels

OK, so the giants of Detroit are stirring. This announcement from Ford today is not for an affordable Plug-in EV with a Hydrogen fuel-cell hybrid power pack, but it's a step forward from what was unveiled as a concept car at the Detroit show in January this year.

I am going to share key sections from the official Ford release below as I feel it is pertinent to our readers and most of you, unless a journo, will not be able to access this but there will be media coverage and interpretation coming on sites such as electriccarsUK@yahoogroups.com

The text that follows is unedited by me, so you can see for your self what was revealed today. What is important here, is that if you can add economies of manufacturing scale, and provide access to a safe hyrogen fuel source...two big "if's," then we are another step nearer the holy grail of range and performance linked to clean emissions. For now, however you can hook up this pack to today's fuel options...so we do have range! The last para from Ford is revealing. It says to me, that
the pure electric plug-ins coming to the market this year will have a clear run at the market for quite some time!

"The Ford Edge with HySeries Drive™ is the world's first drivable fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle with plug-in capability.

Ford's flexible powertrain architecture enables the use of new fuel and propulsion technologies as they develop without redesigning the vehicle and its control systems. The HySeries Drive technology is able to operate using a fuel cell, small gasoline or diesel engine connected to an electric generator to make electricity. The vehicle combines an onboard hydrogen fuel cell generator with lithium-ion batteries to deliver more than 41 mpg with zero emissions. It is built on a flexible powertrain architecture that
will enable Ford to use new fuel and propulsion technologies as they develop without redesigning the vehicle. The new HySeries Drive™ powertrain featured in a Ford Edge uses a real-world version of the
powerplant envisioned in the Ford Airstream concept unveiled in January at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The HySeries Drive powertrain delivers a combined city/highway gasoline equivalent fuel economy rating of 41 mpg. For those who drive less than 50 miles each day, the average jumps to more than 80 mpg.
The plug-in hybrid is powered by a 336-volt lithium-ion battery pack at all times. The vehicle drives the first 25 miles each day on stored electricity alone, after which the fuel cell begins operating to keep
the battery pack charged. This provides another 200 miles of range for a total of 225 miles with zero emissions. Individual experiences will vary widely and can stretch out the time between fill-ups to more than 400 miles: drivers with modest daily needs would need to refuel only rarely, drivers who travel less than 50 miles each day will see fuel economy well over 80 mpg, while those with long daily commutes will see somewhat lower numbers as the fuel cell must run a larger fraction of the time.

The Ford Edge with HySeries Drive can travel at speeds of up to 85 mph. An on-board charger (110/220 VAC) can refresh the battery pack when a standard home outlet is available, making the concept a true plug-in hybrid.

When the battery pack is depleted to approximately 40 percent, the hydrogen fuel cell – supplied by Ford partner Ballard – automatically turns on and begins generating electricity to recharge the batteries. Like a conventional automobile, the Ford Edge with HySeries Drive will go until it runs out of fuel – in this case via a 350-bar hydrogen tank that supplies 4.5 kg of useable hydrogen.

The HySeries Drive name is derived from the powertrain's structure: a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered series hybrid drivetrain. This highly innovative approach reduces the size, weight, cost and complexity of a
conventional fuel cell system by more than 50 percent. It also promises to more than double the lifetime of the fuel cell stack.

This flexible powertrain architecture enables the use of new fuel and propulsion technologies as they develop and become available without the need to redesign the vehicle and its control systems.
Certainly, many significant technical hurdles need to be overcome before a vehicle such as the Edge with HySeries Drive can become a reality.

Fuel cell vehicles remain expensive, costing millions of dollars each. And the single biggest hurdle to plug-ins remains the cost of lithium-ion batteries. Much work also needs to be done to make fuel cells more durable and to create a hydrogen infrastructure. "