Drivers in Norway may just find themselves next to one of 30 Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE (rotary engine) vehicles next time they take a trek on the roadways. This project marks the first time that hydrogen rotary engine vehicles are being used on public roadways outside of Japan.

“Up to now, real world use of Mazda’s hydrogen rotary vehicles has been limited to Japan. Participation in the HyNor project marks our advancement to the next stage,” says Akihiro Kashiwagi, Mazda Program Manager in charge of hydrogen RE development. “After we validate the first vehicle on Norwegian roads, we intend to deliver 30 more units under commercial lease contracts. We are pleased to be a part of the establishment of a society based on hydrogen energy in Norway. Mazda plans to use the wealth of data and experience that will result from this project for the further development of hydrogen vehicles.” (Source: Newspress)

The RX-8 Hydrogen REs are part of the HyNor project that will provide hydrogen energy stations along a 580km route between Oslo and Stavanger. I think this is a fantastic step towards increasing the recognition of hydrogen vehicles as a valid alternative to today’s gasoline engines. Although there are already hydrogen vehicles on the road in the United States, including the Honda FCX Clarity, there currently isn’t much of a hydrogen energy infrastructure available to support future hydrogen expansion.

BMW isn’t missing out on the trend towards cleaner burning vehicles. The BMW Hydrogen 7 has been associated with some big name celebrities around the world. In August, the BMW Hydrogen 7 completed the 4,000 mile Hydrogen Road Tour that was designed by the United States Department of Transportation to draw attention to hydrogen fuel.

The BMW Hydrogen 7 boasts a 260 horsepower engine with 290 lbs-ft of torque and a zero to 60mph time of 9.2 seconds with no emissions. During the 2008 Hydrogen Road Tour, the vehicle achieved a more than 200-mile hydrogen only driving range. There are two Hydrogen 7 models – the monofuel model runs only on hydrogen while the bi-fuel model can run on hydrogen or standard gasoline.

From the August BMW Press Release:

“For more than a year, the BMW fleet of bi-fuel Hydrogen 7s has been an important milestone on the road to a hydrogen future, with more than 150 Pioneers driving nearly 2 million miles so far. The Pioneer Program, as it is called, has provided the flexibility of being able to gather real-world driving experience driving on hydrogen with the peace of mind that comes from knowing you won’t run out of fuel.”

When I think of the alternative fuel future of Chevy, I immediately think of the Chevy Volt.  I am enthusiastically awaiting the release of the Chevy Volt and while doing a little bit of research on the vehicle today, I ran across the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell SUV.  Through its Project Driveway, Chevy is testing hydrogen-powered models of the Chevy Equinox SUV in New York City, Washington D.C. and Southern California.

Equinox Fuel Cell Basics
According to the official Chevrolet Fuel Cell Technology website, the hydrogen-based SUV“will go nearly 150 miles per fill-up,(2) and reach a top speed of 100 mph. Green Car Journal has given the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell its Green Car Vision Award®.(3) The Equinox Fuel Cell won the award over several nominees, including the Honda FCX Clarity and Toyota Prius Plug-In.”

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Basics
The United States Department of Energy Hydrogen Program has a comprehensive list of resources available so that the public can better understand hydrogen energy technology.  From the Hydrogen Fuel Cells FAQ, “Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that can be used to power nearly every end-use energy need. The fuel cell — an energy conversion device that can efficiently capture and use the power of hydrogen — is the key to making it happen.”

Hydrogen energy can be used in a variety of platforms and automobile power is just one of the many applications being researched.  Hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles are zero emissions vehicles

Project Driveway
Drivers in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Southern California may be eligible to participate in Project Driveway.  The minimum requirements are that you must be at least 21 years old, a citizen of the United States and of course hold a valid driver’s license.  If you are interested, please fill out the Project Driveway survey hosted by Gongos Research.

As car manufacturers around the world experiment with a variety of alternative fuel vehicles, it is quickly becoming apparent that no single alternative fuel platform will be dominant in our future.  Learning from the mistake of sole reliance on gasoline-based fuels, manufacturers are expanding their research and looking into a variety of technologies.

For a variety of reasons, it is becoming increasingly apparent that oil is not likely to be the primary fuel of our future.  This begs the question – which alternative fuel will dominate the future?  Will there only be one alternative fuel or perhaps manufacturers will embrace this oil-dependent age and understand that diversifying is an integral part of not repeating our current situation? 

If you notice the poll in the sidebar, we’re interested in hearing which alternative fuel will have the greatest impact on reducing emissions.  As of right now we have 38 votes with electric garnering 42% of those votes. 

Electric
There are many gasoline/electric hybrid vehicles available in today’s market.  In addition to the hybrids, there are also 100% electric vehicles available for purchase.  In looking to the future, many of the world’s largest car manufacturers are planning for an electric vehicle production vehicle to be released in 2010.  That’s only two years away.  Could electric bee the main alternative fuel used in the future?

Hydrogen
Hydrogen has received 24% of the total votes in the poll.  The Scorpion, a planned hydrogen vehicle by Ronn Motor Company, is only one of the many hydrogen vehicles being planned for future production.  Residents of California can get in on the leading edge of hydrogen fuel by leasing a Honda FCX Clarity.  The Clarity produces zero emissions; when I participated in the poll, this is the option that I chose.

Solar, Biofuels, Natural Gas
The last three choices in the poll received a collective 34% of the total votes.  Solar vehicles aren’t something that seems to make the major media outlets on a regular basis despite the fact that a future model of the Toyota Prius will have solar panels to power the car’s air conditioning.

Biofuels are currently available to a large portion of drivers in the form of E85 and the infrastructure to provide E85 to the general public is already in place.  Natural gas received the lowest number of votes; so far the T. Boone Pickens Energy Plan seems to be the biggest supporter of NGVs.

Today I’d like to pose a thought-provoking question to the readers of The Green Motorist and I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic.  Which alternative fuel is our future?

Here at The Green Motorist not only do we focus on the hybrid cars of today, we also look to the hybrid cars of the future. One of the most fun aspects of looking into the future for possible cars is all of the neat concepts that are being designed. I have compiled a list of the five hybrid concepts that I want to see make it to full production status.

1. Chevy Volt – Last week I bragged on the Chevy Volt which has an expected release date of 2010 (although some speculation puts it at 2009). Out of the five cars listed, this one appeals to me the most from an aesthetic standpoint.

2. Honda FCX Clarity – This is an odd addition to the list but I couldn’t leave it off. The Honda FCX Clarity is going to be released in very limited numbers in Southern California this year so it isn’t technically in full-production mode. The FCX Clarity is a hydrogen-powered fuel cell sedan that produces zero emissions.

3. Mitsubishi Colt EV – This teeny little Mitsubishi actually seats five. The engine is based on the Mitsubishi In-wheel Motor Electric Vehicle (MIEV) concept which utilizes lithium-ion batteries. The Mitsubishi Colt EV is scheduled for production in 2010.

4. Volkswagen TwinDrive Golf Hybrid – The hybrid Golf is another vehicle scheduled for release in 2010. Unlike other hybrid concept projects listed here, the Volkswagen project was actually initiated by the German government. The project will be the culmination of work by eight German-based companies.

5. Nissan’s Unnamed Electric Vehicle – Nissan is already a player in the hybrid car industry with the Altima but the designers at Nissan have an electric vehicle concept in the works. Industry leaders are saying that the design may be based off of the Nissan Mixim concept car.

These five concept cars will greatly diversify the current hybrids available on the market. Whether you’re looking to go green with a little speed and a fantastic design (a la the Chevy Volt) or keep your vehicle small and practical (like the Mitsubishi Colt EV), one of these concepts will meet your needs.

Have you heard of Jonathan Goodwin, the diesel hybrid conversions master. He specializes in taking gas powered vehicles and not only making them fuel efficient by up to 40%, but also giving them major torque-age.

[photo - flickr]

Jonathan was profiled back in the November 2007 issue of Fast Company, as the possible savior of the major car manufacturers, such as in Detroit. He can take a Hummer to 60 MPG, yes you read right, 60 MPG, all the while souping up performance on the Hummer (H3) from horsepower of 300 to 600.

How does Jonathan Goodwin perform such magical feats? Well, it is a combination of ingenuity, creativity, innovation, and good ole fashioned elbo grease. Goodwin has all this and more. He is quite the busy mechanice right now, with everyone from California Governator Arnold asking for his services for a Jeep Wagoneer, to Neil Young and his 1959 Lincoln Continental.
Johnathan is a big believer and promoter of diesel engines. He even has created a bolt-on kit, for those DIY guys (and gals) who also wish to convert their gas engines into Duramax diesel powered engines at home. Why wait for the big auto companies to go biodiesel or hybrid, when you can just do it yourself, he clamors. The fuel savings are impressive and the power ramping just plain fun. With his customizations and modifications, cars become more powerful, and much more planet friendly.

The Neil Young diesel hybrid Lincoln Continental dubbed LincVolt, is still under modification, just this morning an update was provided by ABG. Looks like Goodwin is still working on this one.

Goodwin an ardent fan of electric plugin cars, in the Fast Company article, mentions that by now all Americans should have access to one. Why we don’t, he doesn’t understand. He states he gets all his parts from the big three car manufacturers. The infrastructure is already there, why are they so slow with the new fuel technologies.

Good questions, all of them. I believe that American car manufacturers slowly but surely will get on the ball with fuel efficient vehicles, and transform what will be available to all of us. I hope. We all hope!

GM has been busy with several NEW eco fuel technologies, one such being the hydrogen powered Chevy Equinox.

The Chevy Equinox is a limited production vehicle which will be powered by hydrogen, batteries, and a fuel cell pack. If it sounds complicated, don’t worry, because it is. Essentially with the technologies in place, this SUV will produce zero emissions and no co2 greenhouse gases.

The fuel cell car has also recently won the prestigious “Green Car Vision Award” for its innovative and ambitious fuel conservation and efficiency vision and efforts. Beating out other heavyweights, including the hydrogen powered BMW Hydrogen 7.

After weighing the achievements and importance of these vehicles, jurors felt that one vehicle stood out as a natural leader in this pack: Chevrolet’s Equinox Fuel Cell. This advanced vehicle brings to the highway an efficient powerplant that offers zero emissions, no CO2 greenhouse gases, and highly efficient conversion of its fuel to motive power. It also benefits from 40 years of research and development, building upon the engineering of other high-profile prototypes that have come before it and achieving near seamless operation with its space-age powerplant and electro-mechanical systems. It feels familiar to drive, even as its powerplant works in ways that that are unfamiliar to most drivers.

This familiar feel is important. The Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell is part of an extensive demonstration program that will find 100 such vehicles being driven by consumers and fleets for three months at a time in California, New York City, and Washington DC. Their experience behind the wheel will advance the cause of hydrogen vehicles considerably.

The Equinox will be test driven by consumers on the road to further test its viability and marketability. There is no date set for mass production, or when one will come to a dealer near you. But rest assured Chevy is hard at work making this a near reality.

Wanna test drive one? take one for a test drive