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![]() NewsUne pile à combustible à hydrazine, sans platine15.11.2007 Le constructeur automobile Daihatsu
a développé une pile à combustible fonctionnant à l'hydrazine (N2H4) et ne nécessitant pas de métaux nobles comme le platine.
Ce nouveau modèle peut fournir une puissance équivalente aux piles à combustibles classiques. Le développement a été
réalisé en collaboration avec l'AIST (Advanced Industrial
Science and Technology) au Japon.
Le combustible utilisé est l'hydrate d'hydrazine (N2H4,H2O) en solution aqueuse à 5%. La réaction
à l'anode produit du N2 et de l'eau uniquement (pas d'émission de CO2). La puissance maximale fournie est
de 500 mW/cm2 selon Daihatsu, équivalent des valeurs des PEMFC classiques. Théoriquement, cette puissance peut augmenter
puisque la force électromotrice de la pile à l'hydrazine est plus de 25% supérieure à celles au H2: 1,56V pour la première contre 1,23V pour
la deuxième.
Honda Debuts All-New FCX Clarity Advanced Fuel Cell Vehicle; limited marketing to begin in summer 200825.11.2007 LOS ANGELES, U.S.A., November 14, 2007 Honda unveiled the FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show, announcing plans to begin limited retail marketing of the vehicle in the US, starting summer 2008.
The FCX Clarity is a next-generation, zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle based on the entirely-new Honda V Flow fuel cell platform, and powered by the highly compact, efficient and powerful Honda V Flow fuel cell stack. Featuring tremendous improvements to driving range, power, weight and efficiency - and boasting a low-slung, dynamic and sophisticated appearance, previously unachievable in a fuel cell vehicle - the FCX Clarity marks the significant progress Honda continues to make in advancing the real-world performance and appeal of the hydrogen-powered fuel cell car. American Honda plans to lease the FCX Clarity to a limited number of retail consumers in Southern California with the first deliveries taking place in summer 2008. How It WorksThe FCX Clarity utilizes Honda's V Flow stack in combination with a new compact and efficient lithium ion battery pack and a single hydrogen storage tank to power the vehicle's electric drive motor. The fuel cell stack operates as the vehicle's main power source. Hydrogen combines with atmospheric oxygen in the fuel cell stack, where chemical energy from the reaction is converted into electric power used to propel the vehicle. Additional energy captured through regenerative braking and deceleration is stored in the lithium ion battery pack, and used to supplement power from the fuel cell, when needed. The vehicle's only emission is water. Honda V Flow Fuel Cell PlatformThe FCX Clarity's revolutionary new V Flow platform packages the ultra-compact, lightweight and powerful Honda V Flow fuel cell stack (65 percent smaller than the previous Honda FC stack) in the vehicle's center tunnel, between the two front seats. Taking advantage of a completely new cell configuration, the vertically-oriented stack achieves an output of 100 kilowatts (kW) (versus 86kW in the current Honda FC stack) with a 50 percent increase in output density by volume (67 percent by mass). Its compact size allows for a more spacious interior and more efficient packaging of other powertrain components, which would otherwise be unattainable in a sleek, low-slung sedan. The FCX Clarity boasts numerous other significant advances in the performance and packaging of Honda fuel cell technology, compared to the current-generation FCX. These include1:
CO2 EmissionsThe FCX Clarity's only emission is water. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions come only from the production of hydrogen,
which varies by source; however, well-to-wheel CO2 emissions using hydrogen reformed from natural gas - the
most widely used method of production today - are less than half that of a conventional gasoline vehicle.
With the production of hydrogen from water by electrolysis, CO2 emissions can be further reduced and ultimately
approach zero if the electricity used for electrolysis is generated using solar, wind, water or nuclear power.
Fuel Cell LeadershipHonda's pioneering achievements in this area include the first EPA and CARB certification of a fuel cell vehicle (2002); the first lease of a fuel cell vehicle (2002); the first fuel cell vehicle to receive an EPA fuel economy rating (2002); the first cold-weather customer (2004); the first and still only individual retail customers (2005, 2007); and the first and still only fuel cell vehicle to be eligible for a federal tax credit. Source: Honda
Swatch founder launches Fuel cell car energy project30.08.2007 Billionaire Nicolas Hayek, the Swiss entrepreneur famous for reviving the country's watch industry, has launched a project to develop renewable energy systems for affordable green cars. Hayek's Swatch group, the world's largest watch company, has joined a consortium including the electricity group E and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, in a bid to develop alternative energy to that used by the internal combustion engine. Hayek and Philippe Virdis, of Group E, announced the project on Wednesday. Under the plan, a high-tech holding company will be created, which in turn could spin off companies with partners in such sectors as automobile manufacturing. The aim is to provide non-polluting energy from hydrogen fuel cells for household uses as well as for mobility. Hayek, 79, believes that Switzerland has an opportunity to develop alternative energy sources because the country does not have car manufacturing or petroleum production industries with a vested interest in supporting existing technologies. "I want to do everything within my powers to accelerate the development of alternative and renewable energy," Hebdo magazine reported Hayek saying. "In Switzerland, like elsewhere in the world, we are going far too slowly." Born in Lebanon, Hayek has a fortune estimated at more than SFr3.2 billion. He is credited with turning around the ailing Swiss watch industry in the 1980s when he merged two companies and began producing the low-cost but arty Swatch line of watches. The Swatch group, headquartered in Bienne, now has more than 150 factories worldwide. Hayek was also involved in the development of the Smart car, the micro vehicle built by Mercedes Benz. He pulled out of a partnership with the car manufacturer when the final design for the car fell short of his expectations. Source: Tribune de Genève
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