Following in General Motors' path, Ford is now announcing its version of a PHEV series hybrid with a 25-mile electric range. This is more serious than the purely concept "Airstream" Ford showed at the Detroit Auto Show http://www.calcars.org/­calcars-news/­651.html.

But Ford shoots out its car's tires by saddling a vehicle that could be aimed at production now with the additional challenge of the cost and technical challenges of fuel cells and the unavailability of hydrogen. As Ford's VP Gerhard Schmidt said, "We could take the fuel cell power system out and replace it with a downsized diesel, gasoline engine or any other powertrain connected to a small electric generator to make electricity like the fuel cell does now." We hope Ford will, and then move ahead!

Seven car-makers have now said they're working on PHEVs in some way: DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Visionary Vehicles (Bricklin) -- see http://www.calcars.org/­carmakers.html for the details.

Ford's plug-in hybrid takes fuel cell approach
Big hurdles include the cost: millions per car
Jan. 22, 2007, 10:54PM
By KEN THOMAS
Associated Press
http://www.chron.com/­disp/­story.mpl/­business/­energy/­4490433.html

WASHINGTON - Ford Motor Co. is joining the list of automakers working on a plug-in hybrid - with a twist. It combines the convenience of plugging in your car with a zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell.

Ford today is to display what it calls the world's first drivable fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle with plug-in capability. Called the Flexible Series Hybrid Edge, it represents the latest offering from automakers hoping to stake a claim to the next generation of highly efficient alternative automobiles.

Gerhard Schmidt, Ford's vice president of research and advanced engineering, said the vehicle, based on the Ford Edge crossover platform, gives the company "the ultimate in flexibility in researching advanced propulsion technology."

"We could take the fuel cell power system out and replace it with a downsized diesel, gasoline engine or any other powertrain connected to a small electric generator to make electricity like the fuel cell does now," Schmidt said.

Ford was showing the plug-in fuel cell at the Washington Auto Show, where lawmakers and government officials were viewing a number of advanced vehicle technologies. The show opens for media previews on the eve of President Bush's State of the Union address, which is expected to include energy proposals of concern to the auto industry.

Several automakers have been working on similar technologies. General Motors Corp. will display the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in electric car recently unfurled in Detroit with a range of 40 miles on the battery and more than 600 miles with a gas engine.

DaimlerChrysler has been pursuing plug-in hybrids and said Friday it would expand its test fleet in the U.S. to more than 20 Dodge Sprinter vans. The company's chairman, Dieter Zetsche, and Chrysler Group Chief Executive Tom LaSorda were expected to discuss clean diesel technology at the auto show on Tuesday.

Volkswagen will be showing the Golf GT TSI for the first time in the United States. The vehicle's supercharged gasoline engine has 170 horsepower while garnering 40 miles per gallon in the city and 48 mpg on the highway. VW estimates the vehicle gets 638 miles on one tank of fuel.

Ford's plug-in hybrid Edge operates in battery only mode for the first 25 miles, moving at speeds of up to 85 miles per hour. When the battery is depleted to 40 percent, it shifts to the fuel-cell mode, which recharges the battery for 200 more miles of range.

The 336-volt lithium ion battery pack can be fully charged overnight - in about eight hours - with either a 110 or 220 volt outlet, and the engine produces gas mileage of about 41 miles per gallon. Drivers who travel fewer than 50 miles per day would get more than 80 miles per gallon, Ford said.

The combined plug-in-hydrogen vehicle offers a new way to address some of the challenges of hydrogen fuel cells. The pollution-free technology could provide a sustainable energy source through the mixture of hydrogen and oxygen, but it faces a number of hurdles with its size, weight, cost and lack of a fueling infrastructure.

Ford reduced the fuel cell's size, weight and cost by half and said its approach would double the lifespan of the fuel cell's stack.

Mujeeb Ijaz, Ford's manager for fuel cell vehicle engineering, said the changes were "a great step to commercializing" the vehicle.

Ford has not set a date when it would be available.

The automaker said the vehicles cost millions of dollars each and commercialization remains hindered by a lack of a hydrogen infrastructure and the cost of lithium-ion batteries.