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 At auto shows on two continents Wednesday, three automakers were
unveiling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to be delivered to the general
public as early as spring of next year.
Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. will be the first to the mass market in
the U.S. with a hydrogen-powered Tucson small SUV for lease next
spring. Details were to come later Wednesday at the Los Angeles Auto
Show. Honda also revealed plans in Los Angeles for a car due out in
2015. Earlier, at the Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota promised a
mass-produced fuel cell car by 2015 in Japan and 2016 in the U.S.
Hydrogen cars are appealing because unlike electric vehicles, they
have the range of a typical gasoline car and can be refueled
quickly. Experts say the industry also has overcome safety and
reliability concerns that have hindered distribution in the past.
But hydrogen cars still have a glaring downside — refueling stations
are scarce, and costly to build. Critics say the cars are still a
long way from mass production.
Consumers can expect costs in line with some luxury models. In
Tokyo, Toyota promised a price of 5 million yen ($50,000) to 10
million yen ($100,000), and as close to the lower figure as
possible. That's comparable to its Lexus sedans, but a range that
makes the once space-age experiment with fuel cells more credible.
Even as battery-powered and hybrid-electric cars took on
conventional gasoline models in the past decade, automakers
continued research into hydrogen fuel cells, said Paul Mutolo,
director of external partnerships for the Cornell University Energy
Materials Center. Manufacturers now are limited only by costs and
the lack of filling stations, he said.
Hydrogen cars, Mutolo said, have an advantage over battery-powered
electric cars because drivers don't have to worry about running out
of electricity and having to wait hours for recharging. "It's very
similar to the kind of behavior that drivers have come to expect
from their gasoline cars," he said.
Hydrogen fuel cells use a complex chemical process to separate
electrons and protons in hydrogen gas molecules. The electrons move
toward a positive pole, and the movement creates electricity. That
powers a car's electric motor, which turns the wheels. "You're
literally ripping the electrons from inside the molecule, generating
electricity," Mutolo said.
Since the hydrogen isn't burned, there's no pollution. Instead,
oxygen also is pumped into the system, and when it meets the
hydrogen ions and electrons, that creates water and heat. The only
byproduct is water. A fuel cell produces only about one volt of
electricity, so many are stacked to create enough juice.
Hydrogen costs as little as $3 for an amount needed to power a car
the same distance as a gallon of gasoline, Mutolo said.
Hyundai's plan includes leasing the hydrogen SUVs starting in the
Los Angeles area, where most of the state's nine refueling stations
are located. California lawmakers have allocated $100 million to
build 100 more.
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Mutolo estimates it will take at least 10 years for stations to
spread nationwide.
Manufacturers likely will lose money on hydrogen cars at first, but
costs will decrease as precious metals are reduced in the fuel
cells, he said.
Toyota said its new fuel cell vehicle will be for ordinary
customers, not just officials and celebrities. The car will go on
sale in Japan in 2015 and within a year later in Europe and U.S.
Toyota's fuel cell car is on display as a "concept" model called FCV
at the Tokyo show, where alternative fuel is grabbing the spotlight.
The FCV looks ready to hit the streets, similar to the Prius
gas-electric hybrid.
Honda, which has leased about two-dozen fuel cell cars since 2005,
took the wraps off a futuristic-looking FCEV concept vehicle in Los
Angeles. The concept vehicle shows the style of a 300-mile range
fuel cell car that will be marketed in the U.S. and Japan in 2015
and in Europe after that. Honda wouldn't say if it will be offered
for lease or purchase.
All major automakers, including General Motors Co. and Daimler, have
been working on fuel cells for decades. But the prospect of reaching
showrooms was not very real until recently.
Skeptics say hydrogen-fueling stations are more expensive than
electric car charging stations, partly because electricity is almost
everywhere and new and safe ways for producing, storing and
transferring hydrogen will be needed.
Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Nissan Motor Co., which has bet
heavily on electric vehicles for its future, is one vocal skeptic.
"Having a prototype is easy. The challenge is mass-marketing," he
told reporters. He said he did not see a mass-market fuel cell as
viable before 2020.
[Associated
Press; TOM KRISHER and YURI KAGEYAMA, AP Business Writers]
Kageyama reported from
Tokyo. Follow her on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/yurikageyama.
Copyright 2013 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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