March 30, 2005

GM to rally-test fuel cell vehicle

Lugano, Switzerland – General Motors has announced it will enter its experimental HydroGen3, a fuel cell prototype, in the Monte Carol Fuel Cell and Hybrid Rally.

Based on driving times, the 410 km rally will kick off April 2 and pass through Switzerland, Italy and France to Monaco. The fuel cell vehicles are allowed one stop for refueling. "Because it passes through the Maritime Alps, the Rally Monte Carlo is considered one of the most difficult in the world," said Dr. Udo Winter, Chief Engineer at GM Fuel Cell Activities Centre in Germany. "We want to expose the HydroGen3 to this particular challenge because, in terms of fuel cell technology, we are at a developmental stage in which it all comes down to testing, particularly under extreme conditions."

In the summer of 2004, the HydroGen3 travelled over 9,656 km in 38 days in the Fuel Cell Marathon from Hammerfest, Norway to Cabo da Roca, Portugal.

The five-seater HydroGen3 is powered by a 60KW three-phase asynchronous motor. The electrical energy is produced by a fuel cell stack comprised of 200 individual cells connected in series. Almost noiseless, the front-wheel-drive vehicle accelerates from zero to 100 km/hr in about 16 seconds, reaches a maximum speed of 161 km/hr and emits only water from its tailpipe.

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