Ford Unveils Rechargeable, Hydrogen-Powered Car

US: January 24, 2007

DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday unveiled a first-of-its kind test car powered by a combination of compressed hydrogen and a "plug-in" battery pack that can be recharged with a standard home electric cord.

The concept vehicle -- a modified Ford Edge -- was one of several technologies Ford and other automakers were showing off at the Washington, D.C., auto show intended to highlight their progress in pushing into alternatives to gasoline, including ethanol and clean-burning diesel.

Ford said its Edge was the first drivable hybrid vehicle with batteries that draw power from a hydrogen fuel cell and can be recharged by a conventional electric outlet.

Plug-in vehicles, which have batteries that can be recharged with a standard electrical outlet, have drawn backing from both environmental activists and power utilities since they promise to shift auto-related energy consumption from oil and to the US power grid.

General Motors Corp is pressing ahead with a plug-in hybrid of its own designed to run on electric power with a small combustion engine to provide a charge as needed.

GM has said it will begin making its Chevrolet Volt as soon as it can produce the lithium-ion batteries needed to run the vehicle at a lower cost and with higher performance, a development not expected before the end of the decade.

Ford also said it had significant technical hurdles to overcome before it could sell its new electric and hydrogen car, noting that any fuel cell vehicle still cost millions of dollars to build.

"Commercialization ... remains a tantalizing but distant goal," said Sue Cischke, Ford vice president of environmental and safety engineering.

The push to develop environmentally friendly cars by Ford and GM comes as the US automakers look to break an association with gas-guzzling trucks that executives and analysts say has hurt car sales and the image of their brands.

Ford said the "HySeries Drive" technology developed for the Edge test vehicle was capable of delivering the equivalent of 41 miles per gallon when running on compressed hydrogen.

The vehicle is powered by a 336-volt lithium-ion battery pack capable of carrying the Edge 25 miles on stored electric power, Ford said.

The vehicle is capable of accelerating up to 85 miles per hour, it said.

Ford developed its first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in 2001. A number of its rivals, including Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co also have fuel cell prototypes in development.

Paul Newton, an analyst with Global Insight, said the recent drop in oil prices could delay the development of such technologies.

"There is little doubt that without significant government support, these initiatives will stall for the likes of GM and Ford, leaving the likes of Toyota and Honda with a significant competitive advantage in some alternative technologies," he said in a note for clients.

He added: "Even the latter's success could be tempered as falling fuel prices and the real-world costs of owning a hybrid begin to hit home, leaving the technology as a niche fashion statement, rather than a viable mainstream alternative."

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