F-City H2 fuel cell range extended electric city vehicle homologated in France, pending homologation in Switzerland
06 February 2012
Challenge Bibendum. The F-City H2—a battery-electric vehicle with a fuel cell range extender—has become the first urban electric vehicle with such an energy pack to be homologated in France.
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| The F-City H2. Click to enlarge. |
The F-City H2 is the result of a partnership between the Michelin Research and Innovation Center, the French automotive producer FAM Automobiles, EVE Systems, FC LAB and the Institut Pierre Vernier. Fifteen of these vehicles have already been assembled by FAM Automobiles and will be tested in 2012.
The fuel cell range extender has an energy capacity of 15 kWh and works in a power pack alongside a 2.4 kWh lithium ion battery. The fuel cell energy pack weighs 120 kg—half the weight of the pack in the original F-City prototype. Michelin’s Energy Pack containing battery and fuel cell range extender offers a significantly improved performance over the original NiMH battery with overall energy density almost quadrupled. Range of the F-City H2 is 150 km (93 miles).
The F-City H2 is currently in the process of homologation in the Swiss canton of Fribourg and the first models could be on sale by 2014.
Will it keep up with traffic, be under $100,000?
Posted by: kelly | 06 February 2012 at 04:17 PM
That is the advantage of a fuel cell range extender, it does not have to be high output. 30 kW is smaller and less expensive than the 100 kW they put in Equinox FC SUVs.
Daimler says that they will have a fuel cell that will be the same cost as an engine by 2015, if that is the case we could see some changes. Now if they run it on reformed methanol like they did with their NECAR, we are set to go.
Posted by: SJC | 07 February 2012 at 08:23 AM