G.M.âs Fuel-Cell Car Makes a Statement
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General Motors is using C.E.S. to promote prototype vehicles that lack conventional elements -- like gasoline or a driver.
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While plug-in hybrids and hydrogen  fuel cells are likely one day to help cut U.S. gasoline  consumption, major fuel savings can be achieved now if  automakers put existing technologies to work under one hood.
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Environmentally friendly tech and hybrids dominate this year's Geneva Motor Show, making fuel efficiency the top theme in a climate of global warming concerns. By the Associated Press.
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(InfoWorld) - MTI MicroFuel Cells has demonstrated a prototype direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) to the U.S. military, the company's president said Monday. The Albany, New York, company demonstrated its 30-watt fuel cell to officials from the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate, it said. MTI received an order for fuel cell evaluation kits earlier this year for use in satellite communication terminals. "They loved it," said Peng Lim, president and chief executive officer of MTI MicroFuel Cells, in an interview in Tokyo on Monday. Lim is in Tokyo to talk with Japanese companies regarding potential use of his fuel cells in their devices. "We partnered with The Air Force Research Lab and U.S. Army. We will be producing field testing units towards the end of the year for the testing to begin next year. Assuming the tests are successful the next stage is producing the product," he said. The military deal is one of two that the company has signed as it continues development of the fuel cells. The company's other deal is with Samsung Electronics and covers use of DMFCs in cell phones. MTI is on track to deliver a prototype to Samsung by the end of this month, he said. MTI's fuel cells use undiluted methanol as their fuel while DMFCs from rival companies require the methanol be diluted with water. This translates into a higher power output from the cell, said Lim. Compared to current lithium-ion rechargeable batteries the DMFCs also have a higher power density, so can deliver more power for the same size device. That's an advantage for the military and other users. "Nowadays they have a so-called 24-hour mission so they go out and come back within a day, but going forward the U.S. military wants to have a 72-hour mission. Typically for a 72-hour mission the soldier would carry between 24 and 36 pounds of batteries. With our technology we cut the weight by a third and the size by half," said Lim. Commercialization depends on success of the upcoming field tests and also the company's partners, said Lim. Once testing is successfully completed the fuel cells will be ready for first-stage commercialization but the speed with which they come to market depends on the eagerness of the customer to launch DMFC as a technology. However, with successful testing and a quick launch the DMFCs could be appearing on store shelves in 2008. MTI has also set up a deal with Procter & Gamble's Gillette division, which produces the Duracell battery, for the distribution of methanol fuel cartridges to stores.
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General Motors Corp. will unveil a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered Cadillac crossover concept vehicle at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
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GM realizes that without hydrogen from renewable resources, its dream of fuel-cell vehicles will remain a fantasy. In Autopia.
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Never mind the fuel-sipping,  gas-electric hybrid vehicles. Detroit wants to send power to  the people.
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An engine accessory coming out next month claims to increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions by 85 percent. In Autopia.
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Car makers at the Paris Motor Show this week competed for best green credentials, unveiling environmentally-friendly cars designed to attract consumers on grounds of cost as well as conscience.
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Eager to ensure a supply of fuel for the fleet of flex-fuel ethanol-capable vehicles it is building, G.M. has invested in a start-up bio-fuel producer,  Coskata Inc.
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The energy bill President Bush signed last week mandating tougher fuel-economy standards sent a simple message to automakers: lighten up.
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Glaskowsky runs the numbers on a new fuel-cell power supply from IdaTech.
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General Motors Corp. GM.N said on   Wednesday it extended an agreement with the United States   Postal Service to test fuel cell vehicles for mail delivery.
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Hot air now figuring prominently in debate The struggle among motor-industry biggies regarding who can seem the greenest (while simultaneously not actually doing very much about carbon emissions) continues. Toyota and GM are vying for supremacy in the plug-in hybrid stakes, Ferrari has dipped a toe in biofuel, and out of left field come French and Indian contenders with a car powered by compressed air.â¦
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General Motors yesterday became the first automaker to announce plans to build a plug-in hybrid vehicle, improving the chances that cars of the future would go much farther on a gallon of gas.
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By The Sacramento Bee, Calif.  Jun. 16--If California hopes to clean up its air and remain a leader in the fight against global warming. It will need to develop new fuels and vehicles to complement the laws it has enacted.
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Cars that drive themselves, park themselves and run on hydrogen. What a great year for car technology.