A public-private effort to develop technologies for more fuel-efficient automobiles and to investigate the feasibility of hydrogen-based vehicles has made significant progress in most research areas, says a new report from the National Research Council.
The FreedomCAR (Cooperative Automotive Research) and Fuel Partnership–a research collaboration among the U.S. Department of Energy, the Detroit Three automakers, and five major energy companies–seeks to develop technology that will allow U.S. automakers to decide by 2015 whether hydrogen-powered vehicles could be manufactured on a large scale.
To achieve this goal, the program’s partners are seeking safe, cost-efficient methods to produce hydrogen from traditional and renewable energy sources, as well as ways to deliver, dispense, and store hydrogen for vehicles. The program also sponsors research to reduce the size, weight, and cost of vehicle components to increase fuel efficiency. While pursuing these goals, the program is exploring technology that, in the short term, will provide more efficient and less polluting combustion engines, as well as electric batteries that could be used in hybrid-electric or all-electric vehicles.
"Since the Research Council’s first review two years ago, the program has made great strides," said Craig Marks, committee chair and retired vice president for technology and productivity, AlliedSignal Inc., Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
"The barriers the program faces are challenging, and require inventive solutions that are technically feasible and economically viable in the automotive and fuel supply markets," he added.
The development of fuel cells and a supporting hydrogen infrastructure would provide the most efficient and least polluting means to power personal transportation vehicles, the report concludes. However, the early systems now being tested still need significant improvements in durability and cost to enable the mass production and sale of vehicles, it said.
Such improvements are being pursued through new materials and designs for fuel-cell membranes and membrane electrode assemblies. The committee recommended the partnership reassess the current allocation of funding within the fuel-cell program and reallocate as appropriate, in order to prioritize and emphasize research and development that addresses the most critical barriers.
In addition, advances over the last two years have been made toward meeting FreedomCAR’s battery goals, which are critical to achieving widespread support for hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric vehicles, the report said. Lithium-ion batteries can satisfy the program’s goals; however, the cost to produce batteries remains high, approximately two times the target.
The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council make up the National Academies.
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