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Holden today announced an Australian automotive first by confirming a joint
research program with CSIRO to explore future global powertrain technologies.
The program will contribute to parent company General Motors' mission to
design and develop hybrid and hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles.
Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Denny Mooney, announced the joint
program at the GM ‘Road To Hydrogen' seminar in Sydney, where participants were
able to drive Hy-wire, the latest hydrogen fuel cell concept vehicle from GM
which could revolutionise the way future cars are developed.
"This collaboration between Holden and CSIRO, with its undoubted world-class
research capabilities, sees Australia's leading R&D investors in the public
and private sectors playing their part in the global road to hydrogen," Mr
Mooney said.
"This program will focus on technology which could have wide-ranging future
applications in hybrid and fuel cell systems. Australia is in the region which
will experience more than half the world's growth in car use in the next decade
- the Asia Pacific.
"General Motors is harnessing its broad powertrain expertise and economies of
scale as the world's largest automotive company to make a definitive difference,
to move towards the day when cars are largely removed from the environmental
debate.
"Holden has played a leadership role in local automotive research for many
years. It is Australia's biggest private research and development spender
investing more than $540 million in the past two years alone. Holden Innovation,
which will drive the new project, is also Australia's only stand-alone
automotive R&D centre," Mr Mooney said.
Holden and CSIRO began collaborative research into alternative propulsion
systems with the ECOmmodore hybrid electric vehicle project in 2000. It has
provided the platform for continuing research into the supercapacitor and
battery technologies which could play an important role in the development of
hydrogen fuel cell and hybrid applications.
Holden Innovation's Chief Engineer, Dr Laurie Sparke, said the project's
research activity would be focused on power management systems and energy
storage technologies.
"Electric propulsion will be the basis of practically all vehicle powertrains
in the long term. These electric drives, regardless of the origin of the power
source, will require electrical energy storage devices such as supercapacitors,
batteries, or a combination of both," Mr Sparke said.
"Supercapacitors are our particular interest. They're capable of providing a
rapid surge of power and allow the super-fast collection, storage and discharge
of the electrical energy necessary for automotive applications. They're
lightweight and suited to capturing or providing the high currents associated
with regenerative braking and full throttle acceleration.
"Using supercapacitors, our engineers can minimise electric loads which can
drastically reduce battery life and allow better management of the ‘rapid change
of state' events associated with day-to-day driving.
"The beauty of our supercapacitor power management and storage systems is
that they have the flexibility to be used in different applications under
different programs, no matter what the hybrid or fuel cell powertrain needs.
"Although Australia remains a small player in the global automotive industry,
we believe that we can make a worthwhile local contribution to General Motors'
goals.
"GM is intent on applying new technologies that will improve our vehicles,
making them safer, cleaner and more efficient so that they are minimised as a
factor in the environmental equation," Mr Sparke said.
GM's Road to Hydrogen
The Sydney seminar outlined strategies
General Motors has in place to provide a bridge to thehydrogen economy.
The company believes the long-term answer to the question of sustainable
mobility lies in hydrogen-powered fuel cells from renewable resources.
Fuel cells produce electricity from hydrogen and oxygen to power an electric
source. Theyare more than twice as energy-efficient as internal combustion
engines and emit only water vapour.
One of several GM hydrogen fuel cell concept vehicles, the revolutionary
Hy-wire test-driven by seminar participants has a hydrogen fuel cell propulsion
system housed entirely in a 25cm thick skateboard-like chassis. By-wire controls
attached to the chassis through a single docking port use electrical signals
instead of mechanical links or hydraulics to control steering, acceleration and
braking. Without an engine, steering column or other conventional vehicle
components, the Hy-wire concept provides unprecedented design freedom.
While volume production of such hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is a long way
off, the GM focus is on generating maximum results in a series of stages. It is
increasing the efficiency of internal combustion engines by a variety of means,
including such technologies as ‘displacement on demand', which shuts down half
the cylinders on V6 and V8 engines when they're not needed.
General Motors also has three different hybrid systems in development or
production and has introduced hybrid powertrains on heavy fuel users such as
passenger buses. Up to 90 per cent cleaner than conventional counterparts, GM
hybrid buses now operate in more than a dozen US cities. Several hybrid versions
of high-volume GM passenger and sports utility vehicles will next year join
hybrid pickups already on the market.
To prepare the way for a hydrogen economy, GM supports recommendations made
by a 2002 global forum on personal transportation hosted by the US Secretary of
Energy.
The first is to encourage governments to invest research and development
funding into fuel cells. The second is that nations should be early consumers of
fuel cell vehicles to provide the seeds of growth and create momentum for new
technologies. Next, nations should adopt minimum and harmonised codes and
standards of hydrogen infrastructure and fuel to avoid creating a maze of rules
and policies. Finally, nations should commit to and implement a global hydrogen
infrastructure.
The seminar was told that in Australia, industry experience with the rollout
of dedicated LPGand premium unleaded fuel vehicles shows that customers will not
make the change unlessa widespread and dependable infrastructure is in place to
support these vehicles.
Governments need to create a policy environment that fosters the conditions
in which it is financially viable for vehicle manufacturers and the energy and
fuel industries to offer the necessary environmentally-friendly fuels, vehicles
and supporting infrastructures while still providing value to consumers. Change
should be implemented at a measured pace and not outstrip the ability of
ordinary people to afford the new vehicles.
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