Click above on the Ego concept for more images of VW's 2028 concepts

Apparently, Volkswagen thinks its time for another weird and wacky look into the future. This time, the German automaker is gazing just twenty years ahead. The results of its future look are three virtual concept cars. Yes, all three are capable of driving themselves, as you would likely imagine. As would be expected of any self-respecting gaze into the future, petroleum is not part of the picture. In its place are biofuels for those who simply must have liquid fuels and, of course, electricity. We feel pretty confident that these projections are possible, but that's right about where any semblance to reality ends.

After taking a leisurely stroll through the über clean park, a father and his son are reminded that it is time to leave by a hologram. What car to have delivered? The VW One wouldn't do, as it only seats a single occupant. The VW Room is overkill, as it is intended for an entire family. So, the son chooses to summon an Ego, a two-seater sportscar concept complete with user-defined green flames.

[Source: Volkswagen 2028]

A quick Google search is all that is required to find hundreds of stories of people who claim to have increased their fuel mileage by installing a hydrogen generator which extracts hydrogen and oxygen from water and funnels the gas into the engine. Some of the claims are pretty wild, and the Japanese company Genepax has again lit a fire under the topic of running a car on water. While the Genepax car uses a conventional fuel cell, most of the "kits" available on the Internet introduce a bit of gas into the engine which is then combusted along with the liquid gasoline.

It is, of course, natural to feel a desire to buy into the hype promised by these systems. The truth, though, is that large fuel economy gains are highly unlikely. Popular Mechanics has decided to build themselves one of these systems for testing. The mag intends to install the finished product in an automobile and report back. We're keenly interested in their findings, though we're pretty sure we already know what will happen. Stay tuned.

[Source Popular Mechanics]

Run by Fuel Cells 2000 (itself a project of the Breakthrough Technologies Institute), a new pro-fuel cell blog called the Fuel Cell Insider is now up and running. As Liz Morgan writes in to AutoblogGreen, FCI will "supplement your hunger for fuel cell knowledge with opinion/editorial pieces and analyses, speeches and presentations, plus guest posts from experts in the field. The purpose is not only to inform, but to engage, and ultimately contribute to the global debate on energy policy for this century and the next." Inform, sure, but let's not miss the stated goal of Fuel Cells 2000: "to promote the commercialization of fuel cells and hydrogen." Just so we know what side of the fence FCI sits on.

There's not much on the new blog as of yet, but that's understandable. If you are indeed hungry for hydrogen news, then perhaps the site is worth adding to your regular reading list. Don't forget, of course, that you can filter AutoblogGreen's news to see just the posts about hydrogen by using this link.

[Source: Fuel Cell Insider]

The U.S. Department of Energy today took the wraps off of an online Alternative Fuel Station Locator that should make it a bit easier to find the right fuel if you need something other than gasoline or diesel. Just put in your address, the fuel you're looking for, how wide a radius you'd like the database to include and presto. Instant results. As I still drive a gasoline-powered car (an efficient one, mind you), I can't personally judge the accuracy of the information for local pumps, but if you're knowledgeable about these sorts of things, give the online station locator a test and see how it does.

The DOE's map includes pumps/stations that offer:

• Biodiesel (B20 and above)
• Compressed Natural Gas
• Electric
• Ethanol (E85)
• Hydrogen
• Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
• Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Propane)

The database should be fairy accurate, as the DOE gathers it's information "from trade media, Clean Cities coordinators, and the submittal form on the AFDC Web site." Then, each station is contacted twice a year to make sure the fuel listed is still available at the site. Happy hunting.

[Source: DOE]

Currently, hydrogen is the most common element in the universe. But if Ford gets its way, we'll have to rethink our science texts in the coming decades. At least, according to The Onion we might.

In yesterday's Onion Radio News piece, anchor Doyle Redland talked about the new Foresight, a hydrogen-powered SUV from Ford. As Bill Ford says in the piece, "The 11-ton Foresight will be unaffected by the price gouging whims of OPEC as it uses water electrolysis to gather fuel from the oceans and the fresh mountain air." The one problem is that this one model is expected to use up all of the world's hydrogen supplies by 2070. Of course, by then, we might be in the stars and can collect hydrogen from space.

Remember, it's all a joke, and an old one at that. This article was first published a few years ago and talks about a Fall 2004 rollout of the Ford Foresight. Still funny, though.

[Source: The Onion]

As difficult as it may be to believe, interest in alternative fuel vehicles actually pre-dates the launch of AutoblogGreen a little more than two years ago. Another fact that may be tough to swallow is that the BBC's Top Gear was not always the hour of silliness we see today with Clarkson, Hammond and May. In fact Top Gear's current format only began in 2002. Going back in time it had a more staid magazine style format with hosts such as William Woollard. Way back in 1990, Woollard did a pair of segments on alternative fuels and the threat of Global Warming from increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Watching these 18 year old segments, it seems not a lot has changed. Woollard looked at hydrogen with an early prototype of the BMW Hydrogen 7, methanol, CNG, solar powered EVs and even hybrids. The GM Impact, the precursor to the EV1, even makes a brief appearance while discussing battery electric vehicles. In that pre-lithium ion era, sodium sulfur batteries seemed to be one possible solution to range and weight problem of storing electrons. Although such batteries were tested by automakers, the high operating temperatures (up to 350 °C) limited their usefulness. Nonetheless, the similar Zebra batteries are still being evaluated today and used in some applications. Check out the videos after the jump. Thanks to Joseph for the tip!

[Source: YouTube]

Honda has taken the wraps off of the Japanese version of the hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity and announced that the sleek burgundy sedan will be available for lease in Honda's home country come November.

The Japanese FCX Clarity's specifications (available after the jump) are mostly the same as the American version, with two noticeable differences. First, and high on the list of items everyone is talking about, the Japanese model has climate-controlled seats up front and in back. That's huge. The other item is that Honda is now claiming a range of 620km (385 miles). That's a lot more than the 270 miles that the American version is rated at, but the numbers for the Japanese model were done in 10-15 mode using Honda calculations and the American numbers were calculated with "Honda in-house data calculated using previously approved EPA methodology." Since the American FCX holds its 4.1 kg of hydrogen at 5000psi while the Japanese version stores 171 liters at 35MPa (these are two different ways to say the same thing), I think the difference comes in the testing and calculating rather than any updated technology. The 10-15 cycle is a predominantly urban cycle which benefits from the regen capability provided by the lithium ion battery. The lower U.S. range is based on combined urban/highway cycles with 2008 test procedure.


[Source: Honda]

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The new Subaru Stella plug-in isn't the only Japanese green car making its debut next month at the G8 conference in Hokkaido. Suzuki's in the game as well with a new hydrogen fuel cell version of its SX4 crossover, the SX4-FCV. Fitted with a fuel cell supplied by GM, and a 70 MPa (10,000 psi) storage tank for the H₂, the SX4-FCV has a maximum operating range of 250 kilometers and a top speed of 120 km/h (around 75 mph). Power output from the fuel cell is rated at 80 kW, while the motor delivers 68 kW. Road testing has been approved by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and transport, and will commence soon.

[Source: Suzuki]

Finally, we've discovered the BMW Hydrogen 7's perfect refueling station. A new Shell station that sells both hydrogen and standard gasoline opened yesterday in West Los Angeles (oh so close to Hollywood, which is providing most of the the drivers for the dual-fuel luxury vehicle). The station is located on Santa Monica Boulevard and Federal Avenue, near I-405. If I'm not mistaken - and I might very well be, so feel free to say so in the comments - this is right near the recently-opened Tesla Motors store, which is kind of ironic.

New FCX Clarity drivers and participants in GM's Project Driveway should be able to refuel their cars at the station and feel pretty good about the provenance of their purchase. Shell will be selling hydrogen made using electrolysis right there at the station. To further cast a green haze over the whole thing, Shell is buying "green electricity" from the utilities to crack the water.

[Source: Shell Hydrogen LLC]

Mazda has declared that by the middle of the decade they will have replaced their entire powertrain lineup and cut fuel consumption by 30 percent. On the powertrain side, engines will be upgraded across the board including a new direct injected wankel rotary. In 2009, a new Smart Idle Stop system will debut that restarts the engine using the direct injection system instead of the starter. Fuel will be sprayed directly into the cylinder and ignited to get the pistons moving. New gas engines will get direct injection and Mazda will add new clean diesels to the lineup worldwide as well as continuing to develop hydrogen-fueled engines.

Ford's Japanese affiliate intends to continue down the path begun with last years new Mazda2 and the new 6 this year by reducing the weight of new models. The trend of recent decades to higher powered engines has led to a cascading effect of increased mass to support the power. Mazda intends to reverse the process. From 2011, Mazda wants to cut at least 220lbs from new models.

[Source: Mazda]

Click for high-resolution gallery

We already had spoken about the fuel cell technology (borrowed from Nissan) installed in a plain Renault Scénic, one of Europe's most popular compact minivans. The interesting part of the concept, at least from the aesthetic point of view, is that the car's interior room remained untouched, thanks to sandwhiching most of the components in the floor of the vehicle.

Like other fuel cell vehicles, the fuel-cell Scénic ZEV H2 features a hybrid powertrain. The system includes lithium-ion batteries that, together with the high-pressure tanks, allow the car to have a 220-mile range. The 350-bar hydrogen tank (3.7kg of H₂) will be substituted by a 700 bar tank at a later date, which would allow a range of more than 300 miles.

Find the full press release after the jump.

[Source: Renault]

By the middle of the next decade Mercedes-Benz wants its entire lineup to be able to operate entirely free of petroleum. The German giant is working on a variety of technologies that will help provide crude oil free transport such as battery electrics, fuel cells and highly efficient internal combustion engines that can operate on biofuels. Mercedes has recently been letting European journalists sample some of these new powertrains at a test facility in Spain.

The F700 concept that debuted last fall in Frankfurt is powered by a turbocharged DiesOtto engine. The DiesOtto is Mercedes' branding for a combined HCCI and spark ignition engine that provides nearly the same efficiency as a diesel without the need for the expensive after-treatment systems. This and conventional diesel engines can run on biofuels and Mercedes hopes to launch the DiesOtto in production by 2010. Mercedes is also currently field testing electrically-driven vehicles with both batteries alone and fuel cells each of which they also plan to launch at the beginning of the decade. While it may well be that all Mercedes models in 2015 will be capable of running petroleum free, the reality is that many - if not most - will still be using fossil fuels much of the time. That may come in the form of coal for electricity, natural gas reformed into hydrogen, or petroleum fuels blended with biofuels. But you have to start somewhere.

[Source: The Sun]

We already knew about Nissan's X-trail running on hydrogen, so this might not come as a surprise, but Nissan's partner Renault has launched the fuel-cell Scénic ZEV H₂ prototype. This compact people carrier improves the X-trail's performance and almost matches the numbers of a regular car: maximum speed is 160 km/h (about 100mph) and it's got a range of 350 km (200 miles) thanks to a 350 bar-pressurized tank which can contain up to 3.7 kg of H₂. Renault stated that this tank was ready for 700 bar pressure, which would extend the range to 500 km (330 mi).

Nissan supplied the fuel cell, the tank and the lithium-ion battery, while Renault's engineers prepared the Scénic's floor to be able to admit them. This meant that the car got 6 cm (2.5 in) taller, but overall interior space, including trunk space, was preserved. You can watch a video (in French) here.

[Source: Autoplus]

click to enlarge

Unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show last fall, the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE hybrid is about to make its on-the-road debut in Japan. Mazda announced that the Japanese Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) has granted permission to test the hydrogen- and gas-powered minivan on public roads. The new rotary engine and hybrid powertrain in the Premacy Hydrogen RE gives the vehicle more power (40 percent more, compared to the old setup) and offers a range of 200 km (124 miles). All of this makes Mazda confident it can complete road trials and begin commercially leasing the vehicle during fiscal 2008. The hydrogen car uses a plant-based biofabric for some of the seat covers and door trim. G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit attendees can get a view of Mazda's hydrogen rotary vehicles (the Premacy and RX-8) during next months' event. More details after the break.

Lotus Engineering is continuing to move aggressively into the realm of greener transportation. This week two different consortia of which Lotus is a part were awarded development contracts by the UK Government Technology Strategy Board. The first of the two projects is the Zero Emission London Taxi that we reported on last month. The government money will be used to help with the commercialization of fleets of fuel cell powered taxis in London by 2012.

The other project, dubbed Limo-Green, involves developing a hybrid drive Jaguar sedan. The description of this car is fairly vague, mentioning an advanced drive motor, small battery pack and an auxiliary power unit for sustained cruising. It sounds like it might be an extended range electric vehicle but with a relatively small battery for only minimal EV-only range. Lotus is developing the APU as a small engine with high thermal efficiency and power output. This could be an interesting project to watch. The Lotus press release is after the jump.