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Green Report: Ford of Europe Focuses on Hydrogen Powered C-Max H2 ICE

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Ford Modifies a Conventional Internal Combustion Engine to Hydrogen Power

On the road to finding a greener alternative to gasoline, engineers and scientists have come up with a variety of power sources. Surprisingly diesel is one of these fuels, despite being used worldwide for over a century.

It seems that diesel is Europes answer to a greener world, and the more technically advanced hybrid-electric powertrains are Japan and North Americas solution. Both have their positive and negative attributes, of course, the positive being excellent fuel consumption, a reduction in emissions over conventional gasoline and reduced cost. On the negative side is a higher cost than comparative gasoline engines, and the fact that both technologies still burn fossil fuels (with

The Focus C-Max H2 ICE is a different approach to zero emissions. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) offer a combination of high-torque, zero-emission electric motors and a small, frugal internal combustion engines (ICEs), most often gasoline powered but diesel is starting to show up among HEVs too. The unorthodox approach is proving to be quite popular, demonstrated by Toyotas Prius which has projected sales of 50,000 worldwide for this year while also racking up Motor Trends Car of the Year award, the only hybrid car

Ford announced that it plans to sell upwards of 20,000 of the much anticipated Escape Hybrid SUV in 2005. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

Ford has its own HEV, the much anticipated Escape Hybrid. The auto company announced in Seattle on Friday, July 16, 2004, that it plans to sell upwards of 20,000 eco-friendly compact SUVs in 2005. Still, it wont be a profit making venture, at least at first. Ford stated it plans on absorbing much of the additional cost of adding the battery, electric motor and various HEV parts, along with the conventional gasoline engine, which is estimated to add an additional $5,000 to $7,000 to each Escape. Ford will only be increasing

Many industry analysts consider hybrid vehicles just a stepping stone to the ultimate goal of hydrogen power. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

As good as the new HEVs are, some industry analysts consider the technology to be nothing less than a stopgap bridging the implementation of another, even cleaner fuel solution. The goal is zero emissions, and electric has proven too inconvenient to become widely accepted. Enter the H factor, more commonly known as hydrogen.

The idea of a vehicle being powered by hydrogen, the first element on the periodic table and a major component of most molecular compounds on this earth including the H2O we drink, sounds a bit like science fiction. Still, engineers

BMW is also getting in on the hydrogen game, having developed fleets of hydrogen-powered 7-Series and MINIs. (Photo: MINI U.S.A.)

Of course, despite Ballards recent slide in share value, it is still an important contributor to fuel cell research, development and manufacture. DaimlerChryslers NeCar fuel cell vehicle (FCV), which is based off the European-market Mercedes-Benz A-Class, uses the Canadian companys technology.

Even the "Ultimate Drive Machine" company, BMW is playing the hydrogen game, having developed fleets of hydrogen-powered 7-Series

The Focus H2 ICE doesnt require a complex fuel cell to develop electrical power. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

Others, such as General Motors, are using hydrogen powered vehicles to prove a point. Opel, GMs European division took a fuel cell powered Zafira minivan on a 6,000-plus mile journey across Europe to demonstrate reliability and longevity.