In 2005, the Suzuki Ionis hydrogen car prototype was rolled out at the Tokyo Motor Show. In 2006, Intelligent Energy started showing off its prototype ENV motorcycle which was supposed to have rolled out in production that same year. As this time-frame lapsed it was apparent to Intelligent Energy that they needed to partner with an established, well-branded vehicle manufacturer such as Suzuki (with mass production techniques and a supply chain already in place) which could put the Intelligent Energy fuel cells into a range of vehicles such as scooters, motorcycles, cars and trucks.

Now, fast forward to today. Suzuki and Intelligent Energy have formally announced a joint venture of a company they will each have a 50/50 stake in called SMILE FC System Corporation. Like in their past partnership Intelligent Energy will get access to a well-known and branded vehicle manufacturer and Suzuki will have access to world class and leading edge hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Going forward the SMILE FC System Corporation plans to put production fuel cell cars and other vehicles on the road. This will make them another manufacturer committed to the long game of selling hydrogen vehicles for profit starting sometime in the near future and continuing this trend for the long haul.

HyAlfa

I first talked about the Hy-Alfa (at that time it was hyphenated) in August 2009. Back then it was something that was being worked on in India, but there were no guarantees that it would ever make it to the testing phase.

Now, a fleet of HyAlfa (no hyphen) three-wheel vehicles have been rolled out to be tested in everyday use. The HyAlfa uses an internal combustion engine which has been converted from running CNG to running compressed hydrogen gas.

According to The Hindu, “The project took three years and over $1 million. Part of a development project dubbed DelHy 3w, a fleet of 15 HyAlfa three-wheelers will run on an experimental basis at Pragati Maidan, where a hydrogen refueling station has also been set up.

“The India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), which organizes trade fairs at Pragati Maidan, will use the vehicles on an experimental basis.”

The HyAlfa gets around 48 miles per gallon equivalent and will help develop the untapped sector of three-wheel hydrogen vehicles.

EcoMotion Truck

The Danish have done it again. They’ve identified a problem and solved it using high tech. At the low tech Holstebro Cemeteries there is a need for quiet machinery and transportation so that the staff can go about the gardening and beautification duties.

So, in steps the EcoMotion Truck, which is fueled by liquid methanol and reforms this into a hydrogen-rich gas, which then runs this through a fuel cell for power. According to the press release, “The EcoMotion Truck is a mobile power station, powered by two HT-PEM systems (High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membranes) that run on methanol. As a result of not needing a humidifier, compressor and radiator as in LT-PEMs (Low Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane), the HT-PEMs have a very simple internal architecture.

“This both reduces costs and broadens the application scope and effectiveness of the fuel cell systems in terms of lower parasitic power consumption, improved CO tolerance and a broader operating window temperature-wise. The higher CO tolerance compared to LT-PEM makes it possible to use the liquid methanol as fuel, which is reformed into a hydrogen rich gas internally in the system. The fuel cell system developed by Serenergy is the first commercially available mobile-RMFC (reformed methanol fuel cell) system in the world, based on the HT-PEM technology.”

But, the EcoMotion Truck not only serves as transportation for the cemetery crew, it is also used as a power generator as well. The gardeners simply plug-in their electrical trimmers into the EcoMotion Truck and perform their duties quietly and efficiently. Plus the EcoMotion Truck can run for around a week under normal conditions before the tank needs to be refilled.

Just like fuel cell forklifts and lift trucks in the warehouse, these fuel cell powered gardening machines provide another opportunity to benefit from fuel cell power over battery electric power (or especially fossil fuel power). Just wait and see as more cemeteries and gardening companies turn to clean, green fuel cells to get their work done, in a quiet, efficient and eco-friendly manner.

New Holland NH2

In February 2009, I had talked about how the New Holland NH2 fuel cell farm tractor won the gold medal in the SIMA Innovation Awards. The farm tractor easily pulled away from its combination, not only being the best in category but the only in category in regard to hydrogen fuel cell powered tractors.

Well, now the New Holland NH2 has been seriously upgraded and is ready to go into action. Ironically enough, the first fuel cell vehicle was not the 1966 GM Electrovan as many people believe. Instead the first fuel cell vehicle was actually a 1959 Allis-Chalmers farm tractor. So, it’s not odd at all that New Holland would pick up where Allis-Chalmers left off over half a century ago.

The upgraded New Holland NH2 has twice the power and torque as the 2009 version. The fuel cells have gone from putting out 67 hp to 135 hp.

According to New Holland, “… the new model has fuel cells that deliver double the power, increased from 67 hp to 135 engine horsepower, as there are now three stacks developing a total of 384 units (the first model had two stacks providing a total of 256 units) … Each of the new electric motors has a power output of 135 hp, with continuous torque of 700 lb.ft. and maximum torque of 887 lb. ft. Top crankshaft speed is 3000 rpm, and efficiency at maximum power output is a staggering 96% …

“Other new features include a 12kWh, 300V battery, with peak power output of 50kW, the new Continuously Variable Transmission, replacing the conventional manual gearbox, a suspended front axle, and the inclusion of front loader mounting points as standard. Performance levels of the new NH2 are more than equal to those of a tractor similar size with a conventional engine. However, it offers one enormous advantage: the tractor produces zero harmful exhaust emissions, only heat and water vapor.”

So, you see this version of the New Holland NH2 fuel cell farm tractor is not just built for show but is built for go. And starting in the summer of 2012, the NH2 will be deployed to the La Bellotta farm in Italy. Bellissimo!

It’s way too easy to miss really important events in the history of hydrogen railroading if they don’t contain the magic searchable word “hydrail”. I missed a huge one last month: the demonstration of Europe’s (and perhaps the world’s) first hydrail train—or maybe the first hydrolley—now planned for regular passenger service in 2012.

The honors go to FEVE—“Ferrocarriles Españoles de Via Estrecha” (“Spanish Narrow-Gauge Railways” in English)—and a primary design contractor, CIDAUT—“Centro para la Investigación y Desarrollo en Transporte y Energía” (Center for Research and Development in Transportation and Energy).

On the 23 of September, 2011, FEVE issued a press release describing an event which, if it wasn’t as flashy as the famous driving of the Golden Spike marking the completion of the Union Pacific, was at least the European Green Spike equivalent.

That was the day when the FEVE’s President, Sr. Ángel Villarba, and Sr. Antonio de Luis Solar, Mayor of Pravia, Asturias, waited with several members of the FEVE and CIDAUT project team at the Pravia Station for the arrival of a hydrail-converted, Series 3400 railcar  on its narrow-gauge (one meter) track.

The H2 Series 3400 railcar (or tram or “tranvía”) is designed for the hilly terrain of the Principality of Asturias—Northern Spain’s ancient Kingdom of Asturias, back in the Middle Ages.

Its four traction motors are powered by lithium ion batteries, topped-up by two 12 kilowatt hydrogen fuel cells fed by a rack of twelve hydrogen tanks.

Stopping energy is recovered in the batteries via regenerative braking and reacceleration is boosted by supercapacitors, also charged during braking.

Although Taiwan’s hydrail museum train was the first by several years to haul passengers around its grounds on a regular basis, FEVE’s narrow-gauge line in Spain will be the world’s first to sell tickets on a real live hydrail passenger line.

CIDAUT’s Alberto Montes, a key member of the design team, tipped me off about FEVE’s September press release (in Spanish):

http://www.feve.es/es/sala-de-prensa/feve-informa/feve-presenta-el-tranvia-de-hidrogeno-que-entrara-en-circulacion-en-2012.html?texto=&idCategoria=0&fechaDesde=&fechaHasta

Sr. Montes has been invited to tell the story of the H2 3400 railcar conversion at the Seventh International Hydrail Conference, hosted by the Birmingham [UK] Centre for Railway Research and Education at the University of Birmingham on June 26 and 27, 2012.

And in this time, I’ve seen technology come and go while others just sort of creep along. The Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter, a hybrid vehicle, comes under the category in my book regarding technology that continues to creep along. On a positive note Suzuki and Intelligent energy have made the announcement that the Suzuki Burgman is now engaging in field trials in Japan.

The fuel cell vehicle has a range of around 217 miles which is not bad for any motorcycle let along one that runs on hydrogen. On March 9, 2011 I had talked about how the Suzuki Burgman has received Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) by the European Union clearing a roadblock to commercialization.

Now, Suzuki and Intelligent Energy are reporting that this same fuel cell scooter is starting to undergo field trials in Japan. My question is that couldn’t this have been done concurrently with the field trials in Great Britain? I mean, what happens next. Do these companies have to clear the red tape in Japan before they can conduct field trials in the U. S., Australia, China, India and other countries or can they do this concurrently?

Anyway, I’m all for seeing progress. I would just prefer the pace to be picked up sooner rather than later. And hydrogen fuel cell scooters in Japan, especially around Tokyo, is such a natural fit that I’m glad these two companies are at least getting started now rather than later.

According to Intelligent Energy, “Intelligent Energy, the global clean power systems company, and Suzuki Motor Corporation, have today announced that the jointly developed Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter has obtained Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA) – the first time any fuel cell vehicle has achieved this level of certification. WVTA qualifies the Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter design as safe to use on public roads without having to be inspected and tested individually, and brings zero emission motorcycles a step closer to becoming commercially available.”

I first mentioned the details of the Suzuki Burgman in October 2009. At that time the word from both Suzuki and Intelligent Energy was that the Burgman would rollout commercially within a matter of months. Fast forward a couple of years.

Intelligent Energy also has another vehicle called the ENV fuel cell motorbike that they’ve been showing off a different trade shows for the past couple of years as well without a hint of commercialization. So, on January 27, 2011 I called for Intelligent Energy to stop talking about commercialization and actually do it.

The Suzuki Burgman / Intelligent Energy scooter has now taken a major step towards commercialization for city driving. Now, if they would just that last step I would be one very happy camper (and I venture to guess I would not be alone in this excitement).

They have been showing off the ENV for 6 years now. Intelligent Energy partnered with Suzuki to show off their Crosscage fuel cell motorcycle in October 2007. In May 2008, Intelligent Energy announced that it was providing the fuel cells for a number of British Black Cabs that would roll out in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Suzuki and Intelligent Energy also partnered to show off their fuel cell motor scooter, the Burgman in October 2009. But, what I would like to see is Intelligent Energy getting off the demonstration train and making one small leap for mankind in the area of commercialization.

I would like to see Intelligent Energy join the ranks of Honda and Mercedes and at least lease some of their vehicles or better yet, do what some of the forklift makers are doing right now and actually SELL their vehicles.

In January 2011, I had talked about the first swappable hydrogen canister station for fuel cell motor scooters being setup in Taiwan. Intelligent Energy should be all over this. And they could be all over the worldwide marketplace where motor scooters are frequently used such as tourist locations.

In fact, why not build a small hydrogen fueling infrastructure that coincides with where the refueling stations for cars are being built? Places like Taiwan, Hawaii, Japan, Los Angeles, Germany and yes even in Intelligent Energy’s own backyard of London would be good candidates for a small scale rollout of their products.

Sell the vehicles, lease the vehicles, hold a lottery for the vehicles, but get them in the hands of consumers and out of the halls of the convention centers. The public doesn’t want 6 years of prototypes and press releases. Instead they want commercial vehicles released for sale. Intelligent Energy why not live up to being as smart as your name implies and put your products in the hands of the people?

The AVL FCC is basically a battery electric car that uses a hydrogen fuel cell range extender. AVL had the help of Tongji University in China in building this commuter car.

The AVL FCC looks similar to a golf cart. But, as a small, low speed commuter car it may be able to compete with and beat similar all battery electric vehicles currently used at golf courses, corporate campuses, educational campuses, airports, and Hollywood studio lots.

The advantage of this vehicle (as in hydrogen fuel cell forklifts that I like to talk about) will be short refueling times and extended range. Only one small hydrogen fueling station may be required to fuel up several of these vehicles.

I see this AVL FCC in a similar fashion to the commercial fuel cell forklifts that are now available. Both will work in a contained area and generally will not stray from this geography. Both will only need one centralized hydrogen fueling station to support it. And both compete well with their all-battery counterparts.

Like fuel cell forklifts, the AVL Fuel Cell Commuter may not be the sexiest beast on the block. But, it is a vehicle that will cut down on pollution and increase awareness of fuel cell vehicles. And, it may just give one a comfortable ride into the future.

At The Hague, the Netherlands, the Technical University Delft’s Greenchoice Forze hydrogen fuel cell race team won, beating a gasoline powered go-kart. And not only did it win, but it did so with zero emissions.

The Dutch students who built the Greenchoice Forze set a record time for the last lap of 22.91 seconds. The demonstration of the racing go-karts shows that hydrogen can be used in a wide range of vehicles, ranging from ultra high mile cars such as the ETH Zurich Pac Car II to other hydrogen race cars which have more oomph to everything in-between such as hydrogen powered go-karts.

Formula Zero is a fun event that gets hydrogen fuel vehicles out before the public eye. And the fact that they can kick the butts of gasoline powered vehicles is just icing on the cake.