Some say that a hydrogen economy is a non-starter, but Kia is readying its cars for the possibility, reports Shane O'Donoghue
SOME 10 YEARS ago, as I was starting a doctorate on automotive engineering, I excitedly approached my supervisor clutching claims from General Motors and Ford that they'd have fuel cell vehicles in mass production in under a decade. All he did was smile, and quietly tell me that it's important for carmakers to be seen to be working on such technology.
Fast forward to September 2008, and I'm sitting in Kia's European RD headquarters near Frankfurt listening to a presentation of the Korean company's plans to reduce fuel consumption and emissions from its cars in the coming years. The strategy stretches as far as 2025, when Kia foresees fuel cell vehicle (FCV) adoption reaching nearly a million buyers per year. The prediction sounds awfully familiar to those of the late 1990s.
Backing up Kia's words is a Sportage parked outside emblazoned with FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) decals. Unlike most technology demonstrations, it turns out that we can take this prized prototype on to the public road for a drive in real world conditions. The Sportage is impressively finished, and its SUV body houses the components of the fuel cell system with no reduction in practicality.
Driving the prototype is simple too, thanks to a conventional automatic gearbox selector. Other than steering bereft of any feedback or resistance, the only obvious clue to the car's propulsion method is the distant whirring of a pump while at a standstill and the sound of a high pitched electric motor when on the move.
Between the front wheels sits a 100kW electric motor powered by the electricity produced by an onboard fuel cell. Power and torque figures are in line with the 2.0-litre turbodiesel Sportage and though the FCEV is likely to be heavier, it has plenty of urge, even with four people on board.
A cross-country route revealed that this car is ready for the showroom in terms of drivability.
We're accompanied on the drive by one of Kia's bright young engineers, and when questioned about the supply of hydrogen to fuel such vehicles he jokingly told us "that isn't Kia's problem; we make cars, not fuel". Unwittingly, our friend drew attention to one of the highest hurdles the so-called "hydrogen economy" has to get over. There is a notable lack of initiative from all sides with regard to putting in place the necessary infrastructure to support hydrogen-fuelled cars.
Various recent reports estimate that it will cost between $10 billion and $55 billion (about €6.8 billion to €38 billion) of investment to make fuel cell cars competitive with conventional offerings within the next 15 years. Though US and European governments have pledged large sums of money to the development of the technology, their cash amounts are insignificant in relation to what is needed.
Production of fuel cell cars is still prohibitively expensive, but it's thought that the biggest problem facing the industry is the sustainable creation, transport and storage of the hydrogen fuel itself.
Extracting hydrogen from water, using a renewable source such as wind, wave or solar power is one potential solution, though unless this is done on a small scale, and locally, it doesn't solve the transport and storage issues.
For those reasons, electric cars are currently being favoured as a short-term fix, and with such high-profile arrivals as the new Tesla Roadster, it's not surprising.
However, electric cars currently are handicapped by their range and though new battery technology is extending this, there will always be only so much energy a battery can store and unless you swap the battery in a "refuelling" station, it will take time to recharge.
In a lightweight two-seat sportscar that's not too much of an issue, but if the amount of energy required to drive a large family car towing a trailer filled to capacity is considered, then the limitations are brought into focus.
General Motors calls its new Volt an "extended range" electric vehicle, thanks to the fitment of a petrol engine that generates electricity when the battery runs low on charge. This idea certainly will reduce the car's emissions and overall fuel consumption, but it is still not entirely CO2-free.
The Volt is a big step forward though, and GM admits that future iterations of its new car could even feature a fuel cell to generate the electricity rather than an internal combustion engine.
Nonetheless, the Volt is still at least two years away from production, and even then only if GM can secure a government subsidy. In the meanwhile, sales of hybrid cars, particularly in the US, are reaching new heights. Nearly 350,000 were sold last year in the States alone, which explains why Kia has a hybrid version of the cee'd hatchback ready for introduction into its home market and the US.
It works in a similar manner to the Honda Civic Hybrid, which is termed a mild hybrid due to no electric-only mode, and should reduce the car's CO2 from 152g/km to just 114g/km.
Such relatively small improvements are likely to characterise the development of the car over the next decade, though with new legislation looming it's possible that the car makers will have to do more than just talk about fuel cells and hydrogen power.
Although Kia is a relatively new brand on the scene, parent company Hyundai wants it to be seen as among the technology leaders. We'll see more at the Paris Motor Show next week.