By Adrian Imonti
December 19, 2007 -
There is no truth so inconvenient that it can’t be fixed with clever marketing. With an eco-parade of automakers making promises both daring and dubious in their race to join the green gravy train, some skepticism is in order. But now I’ve been to the fuel cell mountaintop and have prayed to the hydrogen altar in an Equinox FCEV. Say Hallelujah! I’m ready to fall to my knees as a true believer in the New Gas. Well, almost.
Following in Bob Dylan’s footsteps, this Chevy has gone electric. A 98-horsepower electric motor sits at its midsection, mated to a 93-kilowatt fuel cell stack that converts hydrogen into electricity. Energy created from regenerative braking is stored in a NiMH battery that assists the fuel cell. Tanks located aft store 4.2 kilos of hydrogen. You can drop that garden hose and extension cord– the Equinox cannot extract hydrogen from water, nor can it run on battery power alone. Unlike the aging folk-rocker, the Equinox emits only heat and water vapor.
Like its Suzuki XL7 platform mate, this conservatively styled crossover won’t set the world ablaze, but the profile is clean and functional. Differences that distinguish the FCEV from its dino-powered sibling are modest. A modified front grille aids cooling of the fuel cells and regenerative system. The quad “exhaust” setup, including four distillers in the tail that emit water vapor, is aggressively styled to earn pistonhead approval, and wins my vote. And let’s not forget– not that we could– the advertorial paint job, adorned with water molecules and “FUEL CELL” logos visible from the next county.
The interior is equally familiar, taken straight from the standard Equinox playbook. The traditional rev counter is replaced by a power gauge that displays kilowatt output from the motor and brakes. This New Age tach makes for great car-geek entertainment, especially when it dips into the green zone as the regenerative system kicks in. A NAV graphic depicts a real-time rendering of the high-tech wizardry at work, including a reminder of how much Old Gas you haven’t burned. However, the monitor’s excessively low position on the center console leaves that amusement strictly to the passengers.
[This evaluation was limited to a short, controlled course, with no high-speed runs possible. Results of this first drive suggest that this FCEV will operate much like an ordinary CUV, albeit one that tips the scales at 4,300+ pounds.]
Startup is a non-event. A bit of pump and fan whirr substitute for engine idle; a dash light provides a useful reminder that the system is operating. Mash the “gas” pedal and power spools-up smoothly. There’s a slight lag in take-up, likely due to the need to pull the fuel cell setup’s several hundred pound weight penalty.
The General claims a top speed of 100 mph and zero to 60 times of about 12 seconds. The surge in the seat satisfies more than those figures suggest, thanks to the 236 ft.-lbs. of torque available throughout the rev range. Interior noise at speed is minimal. Although brake pedal feel suffers slightly from the regenerative braking, stopping power appears unaffected.
GM’s “Project Driveway” will distribute 110 FCEV’s for public testing, gratis. Most approved individuals will receive a three-month test, while fleets get a trial of up to three years. With hydrogen refueling stations as common as the Holy Grail, volunteers must reside in the LA, New York or Washington metro areas, and can’t stray too far from home.
A vehicle that can cart the kids to soccer practice and hit triple-digit speeds while leaving only a harmless vapor trail in its wake is tempting to greenies and gearheads alike. Nonetheless, there are challenges that stymie real-world functionality.
The FCEV’s most obvious liability is range. When refueled at 10,000 psi, the Chevy can travel about 150 miles. Yet many hydrogen pumps dispense gas at half that pressure, so range will frequently be reduced by roughly that amount. The fuel cell system’s substantial bulk– particularly when shoehorned into vehicles not specifically designed around it– shortens an already too-tight leash.
But wait, there’s more. Chemical reactions in the fuel cells create corrosion that contribute to their early demise. After 50k miles, they’re kaput. The New Gas is inefficient to transport and difficult to store, so net energy savings are debatable. Most US hydrogen production is either sourced from natural gas or generated with electricity produced from coal, oil or gas. So most, if not all, roads lead back to hydrocarbons.
Still, a guy can dream, and I’m dreaming. A bit of seat time in the Equinox makes me cross my fingers and toes, hoping this leads to something beyond vaporware. Despite obvious hurdles, to dismiss hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars now would be an exercise in premature pontification. Now, feel free to pass the Kool-Aid; mine’s in the cupholder near the handbrake.
[General Motors provided the test vehicle, insurance, taxes and hydrogen.]
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POWERED
December 19th, 2007 at 7:40 am
Thank you for a very interesting article, two points in particular caught my attention:
10,000 psi sounds like a lot and
50k doesn’t sound like a lot!
On a more positive note, I was pleased to find you thought the regenerative braking worked OK.
I think there’s a good chance we’ll see partial hybrids (small electric motor and light small batteries to harness braking energy) relatively quickly.
Seems like a no-brainer to return 5-10% better fuel efficiency…
December 19th, 2007 at 8:35 am
So lemme understand this.
It only goes for about 75 miles on a fill up of largely non-available fuel.
It will only last for about 50k miles.
It uses up petro chemicals much as a gas engine does, albeit in a different form.
Dear god - it’s come to this. Just because people will not buy a smaller vehicle, or car pool, or take public trans.
Geeze. It boggles the mind.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:06 am
GM claims that there’s a net saving in hydrocarbons used if you–I mean they–carefully compute the “well to wheels” total used to create and transport hydrogen rather than simply burning the gas in an ic engine, but it seemed pretty small to me.
I drove this car a month ago and had the same impression of its acceleration: there’s enough torque available throughout the range that you’re stunned to find that the actual 0-60 time is 12 seconds; it feels much quicker.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:20 am
Interesting review. But it looks as if Honda is a generation ahead.
The ability to refuel in your home with a natural gas converter seems like the way to go. This way, you only need to worry about hydrogen infrastructure on long trips.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:35 am
So GM had to put this into an SUV. I guess GM is too dumb to develop a small car that would have more range. It looks like it’s upt to Toyota and Honda to make this work.
Sad.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:50 am
GM’s claim is that they intentionally put it into an
SUV because they wanted to make it plain that this technology can work in an Everyman’s car, not just some wierd little Prius-like thing. And as far as they’re concerned, apparently, a midsize SUV remains our car of choice.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:12 am
I have been scratching my head and left a bald spot.Because I have been thinking why did GM crushed almost hundreds of EV-1 in California in the 90’s (New England Gas price was about $1.50 a gallon and not sure about Cali).
The EV-1 was faster than this Equinox and can be recharge after 100 miles. The EV-1 was a brilliant invention that was totally crushed into extinction and forgotten by the people of California,General Motors and the rest of the western world but not with Honda and Toyota.
Probably Chevy can still used those EV-1 charging station that are all over Los Angeles
(I saw one 3 months ago).
This technology was invented 20 years ago it should have been better in 2000 and 8¡¿
December 19th, 2007 at 10:21 am
That’s weird, my 2003 Jetta can travel about 600-650 miles on a tank of Biodiesel, and it’s available now. Not that biodiesel will be the final solution to dinosaur oil, but since it can potentially be made from algae and there’s already refueling infrastructure in place, I think it has a much better chance than the hydrogen or even the ethanol crap.
December 19th, 2007 at 10:36 am
One thing to consider about any CO2 created by hydrogen production is that you have the ability to better manage and capture the CO2. If you burn coal to produce hydrogen you’re doing so at one or more large facilities. You can scrub the emissions and also perhaps pump the CO2 underground. Also, you can process coal directly to produce hydrogen.
But that aside, to properly close the loop we need to beef up non-hydrocarbon methods of electricity production. IMO, the coal plants need to be phased out and replaced by wind, solar, and nuclear. Coal has two problems. First, the emissions issue which can be managed properly. Second, the ecological devestation caused by extracting it is probably too high a price to pay for it I think. Especially the mountain top removal method.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:13 am
They are way behind Honda, which claims a ~200 mile range with a 5000 psi tank on the FCX IIRC.
But it actually is pretty irrelevant. What it comes down to is that Hydrogen is a energy transport medium, not an energy source. It can either be through partial combustion of fuel (strip the H off of hydrocarbon) or electrolysis of water. But in either case, it has effectively the same dynamics as an electric car, except that it can charge faster.
The way to think of it is a Hydrogen car just separates the energy from the battery, and can be filled up with energy faster (the time it takes to fill the tank).
All all this talk is likely to be mooted very soon. Toshiba has announced industrial targeting LiIon batteries with a 5 minute to 90% capacity charge time and a 3000 cycle lifetime.
With a 5 minute charge time, you can just plug into a BIG plug and charge the car quickly.