VW Continues Fuel Cell Technology

Pretty much everyone in the auto industry has drunk the electric Kool-Aid, but some are still betting on hydrogen. Volkswagen is right there with them, and it brought the fuel cell Ling Yu Passat to California to show it still believes the most plentiful element in the universe is the fuel of the future.

Make that the distant future. VW’s “Future Mobility Roadmap” makes it pretty clear hydrogen fuel cell technology is being pursued as a long-term energy solution — in this case, “long-term” means it falls in line behind internal combustion, hybrids, range-extended hybrids and pure electric vehicles.

Still, like Honda, Mazda and fellow German automakers Mercedes and BMW, Volkswagen isn’t putting all its eggs into the battery-electric basket. The automaker - which recently joined Chinese automaker BYD in developing cars with cords - says it is “actively looking in depth at both battery electric and fuel cell vehicle technologies. And taking advantage of all the new discoveries we make in the process.”

We hope they discover some hydrogen filling stations along the way, or even some funding now that the Obama administration cut $100 million from the Department of Energy’s budget for fuel cell technology.

Volkswagen has been working on hydrogen cars since 2000 and says fuel cell technology is “one possible solution to give the consumer both long ranges and the short refueling times they currently enjoy, both of which at present are still a challenge with pure battery electric vehicles. ”

With collaboration from China’s FAW, Volkswagen refined its fuel cell technology to build 22 Passat Ling Yu sedans just in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Ling Yu recently made it to Sacramento, and the folks who drove them reported a perfectly normal driving experience — albeit one with the unmistakable whine of a fuel cell and the characteristic hiccups of a prototype that is a long way from production.

No matter what energy-efficient solution powers the cars of the future, we’ve got to hand it to Volkswagen for keeping so many irons in the fire. We admire its longstanding support of clean diesel technology, even if they won’t bring the Scirocco GT TDi to America. It also is working on battery-electric hybrids and even pushing the limits of fuel efficiency with wild experiments like the One-Liter Car concept.

With Volkswagen at the helm, even hydrogen might have a chance.

Obama pulled the 100 million out of the fuel cell research but VW soldiers on, in the belief that fuel cell technology is THE energy answer in the long run. They may be right but right now we need much better mileage sooner, so he seems to be looking for immediate help. This seems to be a prudent path- focus on here and now while putting SOME monies toward a possible longterm solution. We need relief from energy prices NOW, and down the road. Wonder if VW's diesel ehgine would run on veggie oil?

A 45 MPG Minivan with Turbocharging and Direct Injection that Runs on CNG and Gasoline

A 45 MPG Minivan with Turbocharging and Direct Injection that Runs on CNG and Gasoline
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 05.11.09
Cars & Transportation

VW Touran Minivan gets Dual-Fuel TSI EcoFuel Powertrain (CNG & Gasoline)
Volkswagen has decided to put its 1.4-liter TSI EcoFuel engine in its Touran Minivan/MPV. This means that it can run on both gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG), giving it cleaner emissions and reducing the amount of CO2 produced per kilometer (more technical details below). Of course, natural gas is still a fossil fuel (well, unless it is methane reclaimed from a landfill or something like that), but it greener than gasoline (The 2009 Honda Civic GX was recognized by the EPA as the "cleanest-internal combustion vehicle on Earth") and most people could refuel from their home, so it's surprising that CNG vehicles haven't caught on.

Touran TSI EcoFuel Technical Specifications
The first thing to note - and it's visible at a glance when you look at the first picture above - is the dual fuel system.

When the engine is running on gasoline, it gets 5.2l/100km (45 mpg U.S.) and the fuel is stored in a small 11-liter tank (3 gallons US). But the main fuel source is the 4 CNG tanks that can store 18 kilograms of natural gas, giving the Touran TSI a CNG range of 370 kilometers (240 miles), or 520 kilometers (325 miles) if you count both the CNG and gasoline tanks. On CNG it gets 4.7 kg/100 km, and CO2 emissions are 126 g/km.

The 1.4-liter engine might seem small, but it has both a turbocharger and direct injection, making it generate 150 hp and get from 0 to 62 mph in 10.1 seconds.

If VW was bringing the Touran TSI EcoFuel to North-America, we think it could probably make the fuel tanks a bit bigger since drivers here probably drive long distances on average. But even if that increased weight a bit, the Touran would probably still get better MPG and CO2 emissions than the vast majority of cars on the road here (even smaller vehicles). What are you waiting for, VW?