Ford unveils interchangeable plug-in hydrogen fuel cell hybrid vehicle

Ford Motor Company will unveil a hydrogen-fueled, battery-powered plug-in in the new Airstream concept vehicle. The system, installed in a Ford Edge prototype will be displayed at the Washington DC Auto Show on 23 January, 2007.

Ford Motor says it is committed to exploring alternative powertrains.

The powertrain is said to offer fuel, engine and energy-conversion flexibility. Called HySeries Drive, the system is powered by a 336-volt lithium-ion battery pack at all times, that gives it a range of 40km on full electric power.

Once the battery pack is depleted by about 40 per cent, the hydrogen-powered fuel cell begins generating electricity to recharge the batteries, increasing the range another 448km, for a total driving range of more than 480km.

The battery pack can be recharged by plugging it into a standard power outlet. The HySeries Drive powertrain delivers a combined city - highway gasoline equivalent fuel economy rating of 65km per gallon and can travel up to 136km an hour.

Ford's engineers feel the time between hydrogen fill-ups by plugging in to recharge the batteries can be extended. Moreover, the power train allows interchangeability — the fuel cell can be replaced with a hydrogen internal combustion engine or the hydrogen tank and fuel cell with a diesel tank and a diesel engine

The powertrain also reduces the size, weight and of a conventional fuel cell system by more than 50 per cent. It also promises to more than double the lifetime of the fuel-cell stack.