Ford Motor Company’s fleet of 30 Focus Fuel Cell vehicles has exceeded the expectations of the company’s hydrogen research engineers by accumulating more than 865,000 real world miles without significant maintenance issues since the fleet’s launch in 2005.
Encouraged by the program’s success, Ford recently reached an agreement with program co-sponsor, the U.S. Department of Energy, to extend its hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle program for up to 24 months, until the next generation system is ready for deployment in 2010.
Fleet Customers ‘Charged Up’ by Fuel Cell Cars
The Ford Focus Fuel Cell vehicles have earned accolades from Ford’s fleet partners in the U.S., Germany, Canada and Iceland. Customer surveys indicate that Ford’s fuel cell vehicles have outperformed those of other automakers in areas of acceleration, comfort (air conditioning), durability, reliability and mileage.
Next Generation in the Works
Ford researchers are developing the next generation of fuel cell technology. The team is expecting significantly increased fuel cell life, better mileage, more efficient use of platinum (a key catalyst), more power from a smaller fuel cell stack, improved reliability, and the ability to start under frozen conditions (thanks to cold climate testing in Iceland).
How Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Work
An H2 fuel cell vehicle produces electricity through an electro-chemical process in the fuel cell stack. There are zero tailpipe emissions when using this technology, with only drops of water coming from the tailpipe. Experts maintain that widespread use of H2-fueled vehicles could help eliminate CO2 emissions that contribute to global climate change.
Hydrogen Buses Serving Commuter Needs
Ford recently introduced a hydrogen shuttle bus service for military commuters between Fort Leonard Wood and Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Mo. Additional Ford hydrogen bus users include the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, SeaWorld Orlando, the City of Las Vegas, San Mateo County Transportation Authority, Ottawa Parliament Hill, Prince Edward Island, the City of Toronto, and the City of Vancouver.
Hydrogen and Beyond
Additional Ford hydrogen projects have included the Fusion Hydrogen 999 that set a land speed record in 2007, a Fuel Cell Explorer and a Plug-in Hybrid Edge that uses a fuel cell-powered HySeries DriveTM. H2-fueled technologies are part of Ford’s long term strategy to implement a variety of alternative technologies to increase fuel efficiency and reduce CO2.
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