2000 November:
DaimlerChrysler will begin tests of hydrogen fuel-cell powered
Necars (new electric cars) in California.
The "California Fuel Cell Partnership", formed in April 1999,
involves car makers, fuel suppliers and government.
It includes Ballard Power Systems,
DaimlerChrysler, Ford, ARCO, Shell, Texaco, California Air Resources Board,
California Energy Commission and, more recently,
Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, VW,
International Fuel Cells,
US Dept. of Energy & Transportation,
South Coast Air Quality Mngmt. District.
The Californian Necars will run on hydrogen carried
in three tanks at pressures of up to 350 bar,
and giving a range of about 200km.
A 75kW Ballard Mk900 fuel cell stack
supplies a 55kW electric motor;
a top speed of 145km/h (90mph) is claimed.
2000 November:
The Mercedes Benz NECAR 5
(new electric car, right) is based on
the A-class
but is powered by a
fuel cell.
The Necar 5 uses a reformer to extract the hydrogen fuel for the fuel cell
from methanol which is a liquid at room temperatute and
can be easily transported and stored with current infra-structure.
Methanol is a by product of oil refineries and
can be made by fermentation of plant material.
The methanol reformer and the fuel cell are fitted in the underbody
of the modified A-class.
DaimlerChrysler says that it will
"invest about DM 2 billion to develop the
new drive system from the first prototype to the point of mass production.
In the past six years. DaimlerChrysler has already equipped and presented
16 passenger cars, vans and buses with fuel cell drives
- more than the total of all its competitors worldwide."
"... In 2002,
DaimlerChrysler will deliver the first city buses with fuel cells, followed
in 2004 by the first passenger cars...".
Holden Astra Convertible Turbo(Highly recommended sports car), from $49,990
This European convertible is a stunning car in so many ways. It's a great drive (with high performance 147kw Turbo). It's practical and apart from a small boot has abundant room for 4 or 5 at a pinch. It's loaded with standard features: air, power windows / steer, cruise, 6 speaker CD, ABS, traction control, airbags & more. It also looks great! My Managing Director's lovely wife owns one of these & I have no hesitation in recommending this car to you. A true bargain for a high performance Euro Convertible. Click here for specs & best price..
Elsewhere on eCars
Find a used car
Search for and find your next car anywhere in Australia!
Find a new car
Research and compare specs, features, pricing and photos of all current models. Submit an enquiry and a dealer from the ecars network will contact you with their best price.
