Car of the future

Philippine Daily Inquirer Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)WITH RISING GAS PRICES AND environmental destruction, there is an imperative need for car companies to come up with creative solutions. Toyota has its electric hybrid Prius, and now DaimlerChrysler has fuel cells. The latter technology is almost too good to be true: imagine driving a Mercedes Benz, no less, and emitting not noxious gas, but water!




How is this possible? According to the auto manufacturer, the power unit of this car of the future operates on hydrogen, either in pure form or bound in a compound. This hydrogen, together with oxygen, is converted into electricity, which can then be used to power the motor. Voila! The only substance produced in this entire process is water, or more accurately, water vapor. Whats more, the fuel cell drive is doubly more efficient than conventional petrol engine.20 prototypesLast April at The Loft at Rockwell Center, CATS Motors and DaimlerChrysler held a symposium on innovative technologies. They have the right to be proud. Since the 1990s, DaimlerChrysler has been researching on fuel cell technology, and around 20 prototypes have already come into being.In 2001, the minivan Natrium (from the German and Latin word for sodium) displayed an innovative way to store hydrogennot from gas tanks but generated directly from sodium borohydride, a white salt. A year later, the NECAR 5, a fuel cell running on methanol, set a long-distance record by crossing the USA from San Francisco to Washington. In 2004, at the Geneva International Motor Show, the Jeep Treo concept demonstrated how the fuel cell can power a vehicle with two electric motors and four-wheel drive.Reliable fuel supplyFuel cells are rapidly being adapted around the world. Since 2003, 60 cars have been subjected to tests in everyday operation with selected customers in the USA, Europe, Japan and Singapore. In 10 European cities and later this year in Australia, more than 30 fuel cell buses are already in operation plying their usual routes. In Hamburg, the company Hermes-Versand has already been using a fuel cell Sprinter vehicle since 2001 to deliver packages. UPS did the same in 2004.The catch? A reliable fuel supply infrastructure must be built, and more innovations be done to make the cars affordable to the public.Leyte is now an integral part of the DaimlerChrysler operation. Since 2004, abaca fibers have been used in the outer cover of the spare-wheel compartment on the three-door version of the Mercedes-Benz A-class. This is the first ever application of a natural fiber in a cars exterior.Abaca fibers are excellent, with strength, durability and other properties similar to those of glass fibers. Whats more, abaca fiber production is less energy intensive, achieving up to 60 percent energy savings, which significantly reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and other poisonous gases.ReforestationAt the Abaca Processing Center at Leyte State University, various projects are underway, such as selecting suitable plants, improving cultivation, processing fiber, reforesting the rain forest, training farmers, and developing the best mix for cars.Best of all, our forests regenerate. According to DaimlerChrysler, For about 50 years now, there has been very little rain forest left in the Philippines. It was cleared primarily to take space for coconut plantations. The goal of the abaca project is to replace this monoculture with domestic plants and trees. The partners in the project instruct farmers in rainforestation farming. There is no more exclusive planting of coconuts, but mixed cultivation with abaca, bananas, manioc and durian trees.Stops soil erosionThe natural reforestation of the rain forest stops the soil erosion caused by clear cutting and large-area felling. It stabilizes the slopes that can be carried away by landslides. And ultimately, there is a chance of maintaining the enormous variety of species, which is actually higher in the Philippines than in the Amazon rain forest.At the same time, abaca processing creates jobs for the local farmers, multiplying their income tenfold and improving their living conditions.Other partners in the project include the German Investment and Development Association, Hohenheim University, Reutlingen Polytechnic College, the National Abaca Research Center, the European Nature Heritage Fund and the company Rieter.