Hydrogen Fuel Cars 2008 – 2009

The year 2008 featured several hydrogen concept cars shown only at the auto shows, one custom-build hydrogen ICE vehicle and two fuel cell cars open to consumers on a limited basis for testing. The year 2008 premiered both GM’s Project Driveway and the Honda FCX Clarity lease vehicle. The year 2009 featured two hydrogen cars setting land-speed records, two city vehicles and one very high mileage vehicle.

2009

		The 2009 Peugeot 307 CC FiSyPAC FCV hybrid was shown off in France. The Peugeot 307 CC FiSyPAC has an upgrade fuel cell from the ePure and has a range of over 300 miles and is rated at 62 mpge.
		The 2009 Mercedes-Benz F-Cell Hybrid Roadster was a design challenge for 150 trainees of Daimler AG. The design paid homage to the 1886 Benz Patent Motor Car while going futuristic with a 1.2 kw fuel cell.

The 2009 Mercedes BlueZero F-Cell was first introduced at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The BlueZero F-cell has a B-class body style and was built with modular design. Acceleration from 0 to 60 mph is around 11 seconds.

The 2009 Riversimple is an open source fuel cell vehicle first unveiled in the UK. The Riversimple urban car is a 2-seater with a 6 kw fuel cell and a top speed of around 50 mph.

The 2009 Hy-Alpha is a three-seat hydrogen cargo vehicle that uses an internal combustion engine and achieves a top speed of around 42 mph.

The Turkish SAHIMO won third place in the 26th Shell Eco Marathon in Europe. The hydrogen car used just one liter of H2 for 355 miles. The prototype cost $170,000 to make.

The Ohio State University Buckeye Bullet 2 sets a land speed record at the Utah Bonneville Salt flats of over 300 mph for a hydrogen fuel cell car.

Jesse James set a land speed record for hydrogen internal combustion vehicles in his 2009 Streamliner of 199.7 mph in California’s Mojave Desert.

The 2009 ZeroFuel vehicle is powered by urea (urine) it takes this chemical compound, then reforms it into hydrogen and ammonia and injects these into the internal combustion engine for a clean burn.

The Vision Industries Tyrano truck makes its debut in May 2009. The Tyrano is a heavy duty class A hydrogen plug-in hybrid truck. It has been developed to help cut down smog around the ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA.

2008

		The Chrysler ecoVoyager first appeared at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show with a 45 kw fuel cell stack and 200 kw electric motor. With a 0 to 60 mph speed of 8 seconds the ecoVoyager also has a range of 300 miles.
		Unlike other hydrogen concept vehicles, GM decide to premier the Cadillac Provoq at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cadillac Provoq combines an EFlex hybrid system with a hydrogen fuel cell.
		General Motors started rolling out the Equinox Fuel Cell SUV in early 2008 as part of its “Project Driveway” program. Under this program 100 hydrogen vehicles are being build and test driven by consumers in the Los Angeles, New York and Washington DC areas.
		First unveiled in 2007 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the FCX Clarity started leasing to select customers summer 2008. For around $600 per month both celebrities and average consumers in the Los Angeles area have been part of the leasing program.
		Build by famed hydrogen and green car customizer, Tai Robinson, the Intergalactic Space Cruiser is a converted 2008 Chevy Suburban. This tri-fuel vehicle could run on hydrogen, CNG or ethanol.
		The Kia Borrego FCEV was first unveiled at the 2008 Los Angeles International Auto Show as an upgrade to the Kia Sportage FCEV. The Borrego FCEV uses both fuel cell and supercapacitor plus have over a 400 mile range.
		Peugeot Citroen and British fuel cell maker Intelligent Energy decided to team up to build the Peugeot H2Origin demonstrator delivery vehicle. One of the unique features of the Peugeot H2Origin is that it has swappable tanks for quick refueling.
		With an Italian racecar design, the Pininfarina Sintesi is one of the few hydrogen fuel cell cars that can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 7.5 seconds. The vehicle is also enabled with wireless “smart car” technology for futuristic communication with traffic signals and other vehicles.
		The Renault Scenic ZEV H2 was developed in collaboration with Nissan. The Scenic ZEV H2 supplements its power with lithium ion batteries and has a range of up to 330 miles.
		The Volkswagen Passat Lingyu FCV was first rollout out in China for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. VW produced 20 vehicles, 16 of which came to Sacramento, CA for road testing.