MOTORSPORT NEWS ARCHIVE
Fiat Seicento Hydrogen at 1st Monte Carlo rally for fuel cell/hybrid cars
The Fiat Seicento HYDROGEN prototype participated in the
first reliability race for hydrogen-powered vehicles, coming 2nd among
vehicles in its category (fuel cell) and taking 1st place among compressed
hydrogen-powered vehicles. Final points took into account total fuel consumption,
the fuel consumed to vehicle weight ratio and any penalties accumulated
during the race.
The event was organised by the Montecarlo Automobile Club
under supervision of the IAF (International Automobile Federation) and
took place on Saturday, April 2nd. Cars started out from Lugano at 9 a.m.
and covered a mixed motorway-main road itinerary totalling 410 km, taking
them through Turin, Cuneo, Col di Tenda and Val Roia to arrive in the
Principality of Monaco at 4 p.m.. Fiat participated with the HYDROGEN
research car, with an axle-power output of 30kW, top speed of 130 km/h
and an autonomy of 200 km with hydrogen at 350 bar. It was driven by two
research engineers - Paolo Marchese and Roberto Aimasso - from the Fiat
Research Centre Vehicle Department's Fuel Cell team.
Presented in 2003, the Fiat Seicento HYDROGEN prototype
uses hydrogen fuel to feed a PEM stack (weight 150 kg) capable of producing
200 V electrical energy, with a maximum power output of 40 kW. Furthermore,
the Fiat Seicento HYDROGEN incorporates innovative solutions such as the
special dynamic compressor developed by the Fiat Research Centre, which
delivers a very high dynamic output, low noise and high efficiency; it
doesn't produce any polluting emissions nor does it generate carbon dioxide
(CO2).
In the medium to long-term, Fuel Cell technology seems
to be a solution for environmental problems associated with cars, although
it must be said there's still a long way to go and the road ahead will
present many technical and economic challenges. Fiat Auto, however, is
investing in this technology and, working as part of an international
team, is developing and evaluating the various technical solutions and
problems associated with motor vehicle applications.
Always at the forefront when it comes to respect
for the environment, today Fiat Auto is focusing on natural gas engines,
which are one of the company's guidelines for the future. Evidence of
this is the wide range of "Bipower" products, designed to respond
to the needs of both professional operators and the general public: from
the Multipla to the Ducato, from the Punto to the Doblò, in the
Panorama and Cargo versions. A common feature for all "Bipower"
models is integration of two fuel systems - petrol and natural gas (CNG).
In fact the vehicles are designed to operate normally with natural gas:
petrol is always used to start the engine, after which the fuel feed system
immediately cuts over automatically to natural gas. This way the petrol
fuel feed system remains efficient but is only used when starting up or
when natural gas is running low (when the gas cylinder pressure is nearing
the minimum operating limit). However, drivers can always switch over
to petrol at the push of a button.
©
italiancar.com.au 20/04/05
