Ford Unveils Hydrogen Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle

Sue Cischke, Ford's vice president of environmental and safety engineering, unveils the Ford Edge with HySeries Drive at the 2007 Washington (D.C.) Auto Show. Ford says the vehicle delivers an equivalent fuel economy rating of more than 80 mpg, says Ford.
(Photo: Ford Motor Co.)

“We could take the fuel cell power system out and replace it with a down-sized diesel, gasoline engine or any other powertrain connected to a small electric generator to make electricity like the fuel cell does now,” says Gerhard Schmidt, vice president of research and advanced engineering for Ford.

The new HySeries Drive powertrain featured in a Ford Edge uses a real-world version of the powerplant envisioned in the Ford Airstream concept unveiled earlier this month at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The HySeries Drive powertrain delivers a combined city/highway gasoline equivalent fuel economy rating of 41 mpg. For those who drive less than 50 miles each day, the average jumps to more than 80 mpg.

“We wanted to take what was in a ‘gee whiz’ vehicle like the Airstream and connect it with something people are driving on the road today, something that wasn’t just a futuristic concept vehicle,” Schmidt says.

Two LCD screens in the Edge provide the driver with an instant view of energy use by the lithium-ion battery pack and fuel cell.
(Photo: Ford Motor Co.)

The plug-in hybrid is powered by a 336-volt lithium-ion battery pack at all times. The vehicle drives the first 25 miles each day on stored electricity alone, after which the fuel cell begins operating to keep the battery pack charged. This provides another 200 miles of range, for a total of 225 miles with zero emissions. Ford says individual experiences will vary widely and can stretch out the time between fill-ups to more than 400 miles:

* Drivers with modest daily needs would need to refuel only rarely.

* Drivers who travel less than 50 miles each day will see fuel economy well over 80 mpg.

* Drivers with long daily commutes will see somewhat lower numbers, as the fuel cell must run a larger fraction of the time.

The vehicle can travel at speeds of up to 85 mph. An on-board charger (110/220 VAC) can refresh the battery pack when a standard home outlet is available, making the concept a true plug-in hybrid.

When the battery pack is depleted to approximately 40 percent, the hydrogen fuel cell – supplied by Ford partner Ballard – automatically turns on and begins generating electricity to recharge the batteries. Like a conventional automobile, the HySeries Drive Edge will go until it runs out of fuel – in this case via a 350-bar hydrogen tank that supplies 4.5 kg of useable hydrogen.

Ford acknowledges that many significant technical hurdles need to be overcome before the vehicle can move beyond the concept stage. Fuel cell vehicles remain expensive, costing millions of dollars each. And the single biggest hurdle to plug-ins remains the cost of lithium-ion batteries. Much work also needs to be done to make fuel cells more durable and to create a hydrogen infrastructure.

Ford currently has a fleet of 30 hydrogen-powered Focus fuel cell vehicles on the road as part of a worldwide, seven-city program to conduct real-world testing of fuel cell technology. The fleet has accumulated more than 300,000 miles since its inception

(Source: Ford Motor Co.)