The fuel cell car is here

The car is a Mercedes-Benz B-class F-Cell, with a 380 km driving range. Ten vehicles of this kind are now in Norway for a three-year test period. The fuel cell cars have zero local emission (e.g. NO_x), and are climate change neutral, if the hydrogen comes from production with zero greenhouse gas emissions (e.g. via water electrolysis based on renewable energy). The only “exhaust” is pure water.

The previous generation of hydrogen cars in Norway, among these Toyota Prius and Mazda RX-8, are equipped with a combustion engine, which produce NO_x.

- The car is fantastic to drive, says Head of Information, Viktor A. Wikstrøm jr. at IFE. He feels that IFE, with its strong position on hydrogen research, is obliged to support the realisation of the new technology, and make sure it is taken into everyday use.

Expertise

IFE has for more than 50 years conducted research in the area of hydrogen as energy carrier and hydrogen storage, and has expertise in this technology. The Institute is currently among the leading research communities in the field, and has a central position in a range of projects in hydrogen technology.

- With this car we now have an exciting proof that the technology works, affirms Wikstrøm.

IFE’s Mercedes-Benz F-Cell hydrogen car. The car will be tested on Norwegian roads in a three year period. From left: Head of Information Viktor A. Wikstrøm jr. (IFE), Asbjørn Leknes (IFE) and Michael Justiniano (Mercedes).

The car will be part of a car pool that IFE’s employees may use. In addition to the Mercedes F-Cell, IFE has a Think City hydrogen car, a Toyota Prius Hybrid and a Renault electric car, as well as four petrol cars. CEO Eva S. Dugstad has already tried the new fuel cell car, and was very pleased with the comfort.

Two Hyundai ix35 FCEVs and five Think City electric cars equipped with fuel cells to increase the driving range, will also be tested in the Oslo-region. A total number of 17 new generation hydrogen cars are to be tested in Norway as part of an EU-project, “H2moves Scandinavia”.

More fuel stations

In order to make it feasible to drive hydrogen cars, the infrastructure needs to be developed. In the Oslo-region the second hydrogen fuel station opened on Monday November 21^st at Gaustad. A main driving force for the development of this infrastructure is the Hynor project, with its vision of the “Hydrogen Road” from Stavanger in the West, through the Norwegian South Coast, to Lillestrøm in the East. See more at http://hynor.no/en/about-hynor

Not all stations have made it from the drawing board to real life, and it is unclear who will operate the stations in the years ahead. Despite the uncertainty, the efforts have resulted in international attention for Norway in the area of environment-friendly hydrogen technology.

- Norway and Oslo have been placed at the global map with these efforts, states Bjørn Simonsen, Secretary in Norwegian Hydrogen Forum. – We are a pioneering country and in the same league as places like California, Tokyo, Berlin and Hamburg, something we can be proud of.

Fuel station in Lillestrøm

At the Akershus Energy Park in Lillestrøm a new hydrogen station is under construction. Hynor Lillestrøm is projected to open in spring 2012. Besides hydrogen production the station will be a test centre for environmental technology. The hydrogen will be produced via a new, IFE-developed reforming technology, and hydrogen compression will be handled by a metal hydride compressor delivered by HYSTORSYS, a spin-off company from IFE.

The Institute for Energy Technology initiated this project a few years ago and is still active in the project, says Project Manager Øystein Ulleberg at IFE. He is satisfied with the Institute’s leading role in the project, and the opportunity to demonstrate IFE-technology on a larger scale, outside the laboratories.

- This will be a place where we are going to demonstrate new, Norwegian technology, states Ulleberg. – We are now entering a critical test phase for several new and promising technologies.

The hydrogen will be produced locally from renewable sources such as solar and hydro power, as well as biogas. The centre will accommodate for visits from schools and other interested groups that wish to learn about new technology development.

A step closer to the hydrogen society

With the new, hydrogen-powered cars on the road and a network of hydrogen stations in the region, the hydrogen society is no longer an unrealistic Utopian idea. The car manufacturers do not produce hydrogen cars out of charity, but because they believe that hydrogen will be a part of the future, and that the customer will increasingly demand zero emission cars.

- With these new fuel cell cars, we are writing a new chapter. We must let people try the technology and see the potential, concludes Bjørn Simonsen.

Akershus Energy Park will demonstrate new, Norwegian environment-friendly technology. The plant will produce 150 GWh yearly, equal to the heating demand of 15 000 households. The hydrogen station is an integrated part of the energy park.

This illustration describes the Lillestrøm hydrogen station concept. Energy sources include solar and hydro power, as well as biogas. Hydrogen is produced through water electrolysis, or from biogas, by means of an IFE-developed reformer process. The hydrogen is compressed in the next stage, and stored under high pressure before it is supplied to a high pressure hydrogen dispenser.