Hydrogen car manufacturers and prices

Hydrogen Car Manufacturers and Prices is an article that examines the current state of the hydrogen fuel cell powered car industry, who the major players are, and when you can expect to see affordable versions of your favorite hydrogen powered cars at your local car dealership.

Hydrogen Car Manufacturers and Prices

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are now available, with many automobile manufacturers revealing models this year in their showrooms, but affordable styles are still about five to 10 years away.

General Motors, which currently has a fleet of six HydroGen3 vehicles in Washington, D.C., announced in October that by 2010 it will widely develop economically viable models of the hydrogen-powered vehicle.

The largest automobile manufacture is already in the process of building a New York fleet of 40 cars under the U.S. Department of Energy's Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project. General Motors puts a price tag of $1 million on each HydroGen3 vehicle it will produce.

The developing technology and limited quantity of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles makes them very pricey right now. The fuel cell energy in these vehicles operates like a battery. Fuel cells take in hydrogen and oxygen, and give off pure water and electricity. This electricity runs the motor. The vehicles run smoothly, handle well and can accelerate to speeds of more than 100 miles per hour.

Not until 2004 had scientists been able to develop material that can safely store and release hydrogen, and limit the storage capacity to allow for maximum seating. Other hurdles toward mass production: The availability of hydrogen stations with only a handful in the world, and a fuel cell vehicle can only travel 150 miles on average before running out of hydrogen.

If the buyer takes this under consideration and has about $1 million to spend, the current hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that are available come from top manufacturers such as Ford, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota and DaimlerChrysler.

Ford delivered 30 Focus Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV) in Florida in September as part of a real-world testing program. The FCV looks and drives like other Focus sedans, but under the hood of is a sophisticated hybrid electric engine called a powertrain. Ford is also developing the “Model U” SUV with a hydrogen internal-combustion engine that as of yet does not have a release date.

Ford also features the E-450 shuttle bus that is to hit the industrial market next year. The State of Florida will debut its fleet of six shuttle buses, and the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport plans to use V-10, hydrogen-powered buses next year.

BMW unveiled its first hydrogen car – the BMW 750hl – in 2000 and has since released the MINI in 2001 and the 745h last year. The 745h produces 184 horsepower and can achieve a top speed of 133 mph. The cruising range is 190 miles. It is also more reliable for longer distances before fill-ups.

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled 60 A-Class “F-Cell” automobiles since the end of last year in Germany, the US, Japan and Singapore as part of an initial test phase.

DamilerChrysler produced the first fuel-cell vehicle in 1994 with the NECAR 1, which has been followed by 20 research vehicles and prototypes. DaimlerChrysler was also the first to conduct world-wide trial phases of its fuel-cell vehicles. The manufacturer has approximately 100 vehicles in service around the world.

Honda has the only fuel cell vehicle in regular daily operation with customers in the U.S. and Japan. It has 14 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (called the Honda FCX) in America. The Honda FCX is the world’s first and only fuel cell vehicle to be certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB).

Hyundai’s fleet of fuel-cell vehicles is particularly small with only five produced as the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs). But the Korean automobile manufacturer is looking to be a major player in the hydrogen-car industry. They paired with ChevronTexaco to build a Hydrogen energy station at the Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center in Chino, Calif., sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Since the Toyota’s fuel cell hybrid passenger vehicle FCHV began in Japan and the U.S. in December 2002, 11 FCHVs have been leased in Japan and five in the U.S.

In the last year, Toyota has conducted real-world verification tests with a fuel cell bus prototype within Tokyo's metropolitan public bus system. Toyota now has eight units of its FCHV-BUS transporting visitors between the Nagakute and Seto areas of the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan.

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