Hydrogen Van – More Big City Alternatives

By: Jeffrey Ross
Autotropolis.com

When most manufacturers test their latest technologies and designs in real-world situations, they like to keep them shrouded in secrecy and black vinyl. When it comes to alternative fuel technologies, more manufacturers are putting the vehicles out in the open for everyone to see. General Motors has clean-diesel transit buses running around the country and Ford Motor Company has hybrid-electric Escapes replacing the iconic yellow taxi cabs in New York City.

Starting today, Ford will launch a small fleet of Ford E-450 shuttle buses in Orlando, Fla. that run off hydrogen fuel. Unlike other recent attempts at hydrogen vehicle technology, Ford’s version uses a conventional internal combustion engine that uses hydrogen as a fuel instead of gasoline. Other recent hydrogen vehicle prototypes convert the hydrogen into electricity for electric motors which, in turn, emits water as a byproduct.

The buses delivered to the Greater Orlando Airport Authority and the Orlando Convention Central District use a supercharged, 6.8-liter V10 that was modified to run the hydrogen fuel. The engines are highly efficient and can run in all-weather situations but most importantly emit lower levels of regulated pollutants and the dread carbon dioxide greenhouse gas. Ford claims that the hydrogen-fueled engines can be added to a hybrid system to further increase fuel efficiency. The modified V10s put out 235 horsepower and 310 foot-pounds of torque (down from the 305 horsepower and 420 lb-ft. of torque from the standard gasoline burner).

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was present to help launch the buses into service and was essentially put into place by former Gov. Jeb Bush’s H2Florida initiative. Four buses were initially unveiled, but four more will join the Orlando fleet this year. A special Chevron hydrogen fuelling station will make filling up the eight buses in Orlando more convenient. Ford plans to deliver 30 more of the buses nationwide by year’s end in addition to the five that were delivered in Canada last December.

In addition to the E-450 shuttle buses, Ford already has 30 hydrogen-powered Ford Focus Fuel Cell vehicles on the road.