Hydrogen Car plans talks about car manufacturers plans to expand their hydrogen fuel cell technology. It talks about hydrogen cars in general but has a focus on the DaimlerChrysler Mercedes F600 Hygenius and the Kia Borrego FCEV. Please scroll down.

Hydrogen Car Plans

Hydrogen Car Plans, the Future of the Auto Industry

The auto industry worldwide is facing unprecedented challenges. In addition to the financial hits taken recently, the auto industry has also been perceived as stagnant and out of touch. Some blame the current financial crisis of the auto industry on a lack of true innovation. Yet, innovation is taking place, and a whole new breed of cars is on the horizon. Hydrogen powered cars are the next new thing, and they’re coming sooner than you may think.

Hydrogen fuel cells work much like a regular battery, except for one major difference. A battery is totally self-contained, while a fuel cell needs a flow of hydrogen and oxygen coming in to it in order to create the charge. Just as a battery only holds a charge for so long, the same is true with hydrogen powered fuel cells. Current fuel cell technology only gives hydrogen-powered cars a range of about 200 miles. This limitation has been the greatest disadvantage to creating a public demand for hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Auto manufacturers are determined to break through the barriers that limit the range of Hydrogen powered cars. The list of manufacturers working toward the future of Hydrogen fuel cell technology is really quite impressive and shows just how rapidly the auto industry is changing and adapting. Ford, GM, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, BMW, Toyota, and Volkswagon are just some of the manufacturers looking to hydrogen power as the future of the industry.

Already available for lease in limited markets is Honda’s new FCX Clarity. Unveiled in 2007 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the Honda FCX Clarity is a new breed of auto. Featuring a plush, yet, eco friendly interior made from Honda’s own natural plant based bio-fabric, zero emissions and plans for a home fueling station package which will allow customers to produce fuel at home, the Honda FCX Clarity is a sign of things to come. The only drawback to this impressive auto is its short range of around 300 miles.

Not to be outdone in the lucrative hydrogen fuel cell race, Ford released its own hydrogen-powered version of the popular Ford Focus model in September of 2006. The Ford Focus FCV features a paltry 150 mile driving range. Not satisfied with the results, just two months later in November, 2006 Ford released the hydrogen-fuel cell version of its Explorer model. The Ford Explorer FCV SUB debuted in Los Angeles boasting an impressive, and unprecedented 350 mile range. Still, for all the praise Ford received for this improvement, the vehicle’s fuel cell still holds only enough charge to make it half the way to San Fransisco from LA.

Yet to come, are the newer longer driving range models expected within the next five years from other major auto companies that have hydrogen car plans. DaimlerChrysler has long been known for quality, luxury and uncompromising style, while relative newcomer Kia is seen as a reliable, yet, “budget conscious” company. Surprisingly, these two companies are focused in similar directions, pursuing the same concept… to continue to push the limits of hydrogen capabilities.

Kia is in the lead for now regarding its hydrogen car plans. They plan to introduce a longer range hydrogen vehicle for commercial production by 2010. The Kia Borrego FCEV will have a range of around 426 miles. Kia plans to open full scale production centers in South Korea as early as 2009, just in time for the 2010 rollout. While the Kia Borrego FCEV does improve current fuel cell range by over 100 miles per charge, it’s still working toward even longer range, and is continuously experimenting with innovations in fuel cell technology.

DaimlerChrysler has also announced hydrogen car plans to commercially produce the next generation of hydrogen fuel celled cars by the year 2012. Currently in the mid prototype stage, the DaimlerChrysler Mercedes F600 Hygenius Hydrogen Concept Car is expected to have serious advantages over the current line of fuel cell vehicles. Its range is expected to more triple from current market limitations of around 200 miles to over 650 miles. The Mercedes F600 Hygenius could likely be the first hydrogen-powered vehicle to actually make the 615 mile trip from LA to San Fransisco, without having to stop and recharge the fuel cell.

One thing is certain, the auto industry is looking forward, pushing the boundaries, and branching out into new territory. If the industry continues to view this time of challenge as an opportunity for innovation and technological development, the future may not be as bleak as it may seem. As our fossil fuel powered lifestyles change to suit the growing demand for eco-friendly alternatives, the auto industry is working hard to keep pace. By 2012, fuel cell advances could see the majority of people driving hydrogen-powered cars with a 1000 mile range, or more. The future’s looking bright indeed.

Thank you to Catie Quiroga for this "Hydrogen Car Plans" article.

Recently posted hydrogen car articles:

Hydrogen Car Conversion (NEW!) - Hydrogen fuel burns up to eight times more efficiently than petroleum and there are hydrogen cars which are now for sale to the general public so the concept isn’t just a dream anymore. Unfortunately most hydrogen cars are really expensive and out of reach of many car consumers. If you can’t afford something in the 150K price range than a conversion is probably your best bet...

Scorpion Hydrogen Car - The V-6 Engine takes this sleek original from 0 to 200mph fast enough to make Lightening McQueen’s tires spin. For those readers without kids, that’s another way of saying fast, really fast. The Scorpion hydrogen hybrid can move, it’s unbelievably sexy and it’s green. Environmentally green that is, with zero emission proprietary technology unlike any other car in the world...

FCX Clarity Hydrogen Car - Greener roads are ahead with the Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen car. This zero emissions car uses domestic fuel to help slow the increase in greenhouse gases. With a hydrogen tank, high performance and superior safety, the Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen car promises to be the choice vehicle of the future...

X7 Hydrogen Car - Hydrogen fuel is one of the most compelling innovations of the 21st Century, with countless possible future applications. We are starting to finally see hydrogen powered fuel cells used in mainstream technology, although as of yet, many designers and manufacturers still do not realise the potential of this technology. Thames and Kosmos, the company famous for their science kits, have recently unveiled their latest innovation, the X7 Hydrogen car...

Do Hydrogen Cars Work - Do hydrogen cars really work? The answer is definitely “yes”. Because fossil fuels are destined to run out eventually, hydrogen was introduced as a fuel source in a combustion engine rather than gasoline. There are also innovators using hydrogen to create electric energy to power up a vehicle instead of using gas. As research and development continues, hydrogen cars promise to be the green wave of the future...

First Hydrogen Car - Hydrogen, the first element on the periodic table and the most abundant element in the universe, has powered the fusion reactions of stars for billions of years. On Earth, attempts to use it as a fuel date back over 200 years, when Swiss inventor Francois Isaac de Rivaz used both hydrogen and oxygen gas to power the first internal combustion engine in 1806. While Rivaz’s vehicle was commercially unsuccessful, additional attempts were made to harness hydrogen as a fuel over the next 150 years, meeting with limited success. In 1966 the world’s first hydrogen Car, the 1966 GM Electrovan, was built, and the age of hydrogen cars as we know them was born...

Hydrogen Car Plans - The auto industry worldwide is facing unprecedented challenges. In addition to the financial hits taken recently, the auto industry has also been perceived as stagnant and out of touch. Some blame the current financial crisis of the auto industry on a lack of true innovation. Yet, innovation is taking place, and a whole new breed of cars is on the horizon. Hydrogen powered cars are the next new thing, and they’re coming sooner than you may think...

Honda Hydrogen Car - After years of evolution, Honda hydrogen cars are on the road. Committed to pursuing clean energy sources, Honda put the first dedicated platform hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the market so everyday people have the opportunity to drive them...

Hydrogen car conversion - Hydrogen-powered cars are likely a decade away from mass production, but can the consumer really wait that long, especially in light of record gas-price increases in 2005? In what has become the “Now Generation,” scientists and consumers alike are anxious to experience this very moment the opportunities hydrogen-powered vehicles have to offer. They can not wait to eliminate the dependability on gasoline. They hunger to use a fuel cell to run an electric motor, leaving the nightmares of spending more than $3 a gallon of gasoline behind....

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...

Oldies but Goodies:

Hydrogen Water Car - Gas prices are soaring. People are scrambling to make ends meet. In this difficult economy, can you really fuel your car with water...

Ford Hydrogen Car - Like almost all of the major car manufacturers, Ford has been researching alternative fuels and energy sources for many years...

Honda Hybrid Car - Anyone watching the recent Honda Civic hybrid television commercial is likely to want more information...

BMW Hydrogen Car - Question: How is BMW’s new Hydrogen 7 like the hard-earned cash flocks of people are spending to own one? Answer: It’s green!...

Electrolysis Hydrogen - As consumers and automobile drivers, we all can see and feel the horrid crunch of the continually rising gas prices...

GM Hydrogen Car - There is a GM hydrogen car called the Sequel that is tantalizingly close to full scale production for the many people (im)patiently waiting for a hydrogen powered vehicle...

Hybrid Cars - With fuel prices spiralling, deciding on purchasing hybrid cars has become a major discussion point. However, although the term may indicate what a ‘hybrid car’ is, not many persons know enough about hybrids...

Buy Hydrogen Car - Hydrogen-powered cars are catching on with major automobile manufacturers, but will attempts to gain uneducated consumers in this new technology dissolve into thin air?...

How Hydrogen Cars Work - A Car That Runs on Water? No Longer Science Fiction! With gas now in some places in the US over $5 a gallon, and even higher in other locations in the world, a gasoline-free car is now becoming a holy grail for car manufacturers...

Fuel Efficiency - Gas prices are down, some argue because it’s an election year, but odds are they will be on the rise again soon...

Archives

Hydrogen Car Info Table of Contents

Hydrogen car - Introduction and home page of Going green with hydrogen fuel cell powered cars. Page 1 of this article will introduce you to the environmental toll fossil fules are putting on our environment.

Hydrogen Powered Car - Page two of Going green with hydrogen fuel cell powered cars gives you a basic introduction to the alternatives available to fossil fuels.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car - Page three of Going green with hydrogen fuel cell powered cars gets to a great possible solution to our environmental issues caused by fossil fuels, and to weather hydrogen fuel cell powered cars are efficient and clean.

Hydrogen Fuel Car - Page four of Going green with hydrogen fuel cell powered cars provides you with some basic technical information to how this energy works, and also includes our conclusion to this article.