development. On March 17,1999, DaimlerChrysler unveiled the NECAR 4, the first fuel cell powered car. Thecompact car seats five passengers. Although DaimlerChrysler claims to lead the fuel cellpassenger car companies, who aims to market them by the year 2004, Ford Motor Co.officials said they expect to have a driveable version of their five-seat fuel cell car, theP2000, this spring. Ferdinand Panik, head of DaimlerChrysler's fuel cell program, said the NECAR 4was a breakthrough because the fuel cell technology was small enough to fit into acompact car but there was still room to seat five passengers. The fuel cells were stackedunderneath the car's floor board and the liquid hydrogen tank took up some space in it'ssmall trunk (Associated Press).The car drives like a normal car, has a top speed of 90 miles per hour and can go280 miles without refueling. It weighs 1,100 pounds more than a typical compactgasoline-powered car because of the fuel dell technology. Right now, ONSI Corporation in Windsor, Conn., a subsidiary of InternationalFuel Cells, is the only commercial manufacturer of fuel cells. Seventy-four of its units,each the size of a minivan, are now in operation, often in locations such as hospitals andremote hotels where grid power is expensive and reliability is worth a premium. Each cellproduces 200 kilowatts of power; the heat each produces can also be used to warmbuildings, an approach known as cogeneration. ONSI's marketing manager, Gregory J.Sandelli, states that in 1.25 million hours of total use, his company's cells have remained inoperation 95 percent of the time--a figure that bests on-site, diesel-powered generators. The units, which use phosphoric acid as an electrolyte, are designed to last twenty years(Scientific American).Phosphoric acid-based cells tend to be heavy, which makes them less ideal for usein vehicles. Other companies are developing cells that are specifically designed for thatpurpose. Ballard...
