Last week, a panel of experts from some 15 countries got together in London to find ways of jump-starting the mass production of low-carbon and electric vehicles. A clear aim of this meeting was to make the transition from the hot air (not to mention the CO2) of debate and discussion on the subject to more concrete proposals; indeed, something that might even provide a foundation for discussion at the all-important G8 Energy Forum in Japan later this month and subsequently at the London Energy Summit in December.
Presently, about one in a thousand vehicles on Britain’s roads is electrically driven – that’s around 25,000. Not a particularly impressive statistic for a country that has set its sights on becoming a world leader in low-carbon transportation. Nonetheless, prime minister Gordon Brown must be given credit for instigating this meeting, which saw several departmental initiatives worth around £100m launched by transport secretary, Geoff Hoon.
The first of these is a new Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstration Programme, under which the government aims to fund two or three electric demonstration projects across the UK in 2009/2010. The plan is to have up to 100 ultra-low carbon vehicles on the road next year with tailpipe emissions of 50g of CO2/km or less, plus a significant electric-only range. It is hoped that this will show how the latest all-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles operate in the real world and provide an understanding of when and how consumers re-charge them.
Secondly, some £20m in funding has been made available for UK R&D competitions to improve the performance and costs of electric, hybrid and other low-carbon cars. These will be managed by the Technology Strategy Board, and form part of the five-year programme announced by Gordon Brown back in July
Geoff Hoon also announced his department’s new Low Carbon Vehicle Procurement Programme, which will help bring greener vans to the commercial market. The programme is being managed by Cenex and is aimed at maximising the power of green procurement to support the development of new vehicle technologies. Getting greener vans on the streets from next year could prove a good starting point and a number of city councils have signed up, joining existing partners such as the Royal Mail, Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police, the Environment Agency, the Government Car and Dispatch Agency and HMRC.
Ten companies have been shortlisted to bid for the supply of lower carbon and all-electric vans under the scheme, including Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Citroen, Ashwoods and Land Rover (low carbon); and Modec, Smiths Electric Vehicles, LDV, Nissan and Allied Vehicles (all-electric).
At a time of growing pessimism about the UK’s economic outlook, these initiatives have the potential to create many new jobs - up to 10,000, according to the government – as well as helping to preserve many thousands more. Indeed, the government is bullish about prospects for employment in the UK’s low carbon economy, and it estimates that around a million ‘green’ jobs could be generated by 2030.
Government hype aside, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that Britain is, indeed, taking a proactive stance in the development of greener transportation. Coinciding with a reconvening of the London meeting at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire last Tuesday, Ford announced a multi-million pound investment to produce the next-generation of low-carbon engines at its Bridgend plant.
The new 1.6-litre engines will go into production within two years and will be among the first of a new generation of global petrol fuelled powertrains, known as EcoBoost, featuring turbocharging and direct injection technology. Ford says its EcoBoost engines will deliver improved fuel economy and emissions without compromising driving performance and could provide an alternative route to higher efficiency powertrains currently available from diesel or even hybrid alternatives.
Compared with current larger displacement petrol engines of similar power, these new engines are expected to provide up to 20 per cent better fuel economy, 15 per cent lower CO2 emissions and superior driving performance. EcoBoost engines will join the existing Ford ECOnetic range of frugal, ultra-low CO2 diesel-engined vehicles launched this year – the Focus ECOnetic (115g CO2/km), the Mondeo (139g) and all-new Fiesta (98g), which is capable of over 76mpg.
Meanwhile, back at the Cenex hosted UK National Low Carbon Vehicle event at Millbrook Proving Ground last Tuesday, Roush Technologies(www.roush.co.uk) took the opportunity to show its latest bi-fuel internal combustion engine (H2ICE) conversion technology. Roush has modified the engine of a Ford Transit-based vehicle to operate using compressed hydrogen gas fuel, but it can also operate from its existing petrol fuelled system without any adverse effects.
The conversion features Ford’s 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, to which Roush has added a belt-driven supercharger with intercooler. This provides additional combustion air under pressure when the fuel mode switch is selected to hydrogen only. The engine retains its conventional spark ignition system.
The hydrogen fuel is currently designed to be stored in three tanks, underslung below the vehicle floor. This installation provides a usable storage capacity for 4.5kg of hydrogen at 350bar and gives an estimated range of between 95 miles (urban cycle) and 135 miles (open highway). Additional capacity can be added if required. Importantly, the location and configuration of the tanks allows the retention of the volume and load height of the base vehicle with no intrusion or interference within the load space.
Roush recently established a collaboration agreement with ITM Power to provide the breakthrough refuelling system by enabling vehicle operators to generate their own hydrogen fuel. Using an electrolyser, which is due to enter production at ITM’s Sheffield facility later this year, it is possible to make hydrogen fuel wherever there is a source of electricity (preferably off-peak or that produced by renewable resources) and water. And of course, unlike petrol or diesel, when hydrogen burns, it releases no CO2, merely water vapour.
The special demonstration vehicle is designed to show that hydrogen as a fuel and its associated equipment are a practical and efficient proposition for a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine. Roush believes the development could accelerate the availability of CO2-free, hydrogen-fuelled commercial vehicles in Britain.
Les Hunt
Editor
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