UP FRONT

By Richard Mandel
Editor in Chief

Lighter than E'er

Is this to be the dash panel of your next car?

Look closely, and you’ll see fine print on the fuel gauge that reads, “Hydrogen fuel only.” So declares the prototype, and its engineers, from a combined effort at Ballard and Ford Motor Company. I visited Ballard in August as they rolled out their latest efforts in alternative power. The star, introduced by an impressive phalanx of state and local politicians and corporate execs, was an 80 kW standby generator packing a 6.8-liter, hydrogen-fueled Ford V-10, turbocharged to help the hydrogen achieve an appropriate power-to-volume ratio. When the key was finally turned, the unit roared to life, with a lack of dark exhaust plume. Among several vehicles outside the tent was, most notably, a Ford Focus sporting a hydrogen-powered 2-liter ZETEC engine, and a fuel-cell-equipped Ford P-2000 test platform (about the configuration of the Contour model of a few years past), both of which were offered to us media types for test drives.

I won’t detail here all the vehicle specs — these were test mules. The H2 Focus has a different pitch to the exhaust rumble, the cooling fans on the P-2000 sounded like a Garrett mini-turbojet, both vehicles had more fuel storage tank than trunk space under the rear deck. No matter, the point was made — cars can be made on familiar, comfortable platforms with power sources other than gasoline. The next step is refinement.

And supply. Obviously, the corner fuel station doesn’t have a hydrogen pump — not yet, anyway. However, the purpose of the hydrogen car is to encourage the creation of the supporting infrastructure, for it and the fuel cells that will closely follow. Both Japan and, of all places, Iceland, are establishing their first hydrogen fuel stations within the next 24 months — Iceland even describes their becoming a hydrogen economy. What, then, happens to the petroleum companies? European-owned Shell has an entire hydrogen division supporting infrastructure projects, while the American-based companies are represented in the highest office of our government by people who deny there’s a global-warming problem, who are themselves oil-people.

After returning to my desk, I spoke with writer Bruce Sterling, who has accumulated a great deal of data about energy politics. He reminded me that, when our President was a Governor, the Texas statehouse was run on renewable energy. In fact, Texas produces more renewable energy than any other state in the union. And what of Middle-Eastern countries whose economies are based almost entirely on oil? Suggests Sterling, the leaders will just pack their things, head west and clip coupons, as the Kuwati princes were preparing to do during the Gulf War.

Motor exhaust is not 100% the villain in pollution — the two-mile thick cloud of pollution reported hanging over Southern Asia in mid-August was said to be the result of forest fires, the burning of agricultural wastes, and emissions from millions of inefficient cookers. It was also tied, however, to dramatic increases in the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, industries and power stations. Kudos, then, to Ballard, Ford, Shell and others for taking large strides instead of baby steps.