Prototype

GM debuts fuel cell Precept Prototype midsize car

General Motors Corp. announced a step forward Tuesday in the race to replace the gasoline engine with a fuel cell that gets more than 100 miles per gallon and leaves no pollution in the air. GM Precept GM's Precept concept car, powered by electricity generated by a chemical reaction, was touted as a fast and fuel-efficient auto during a preview for automotive analysts and reporters at the North American International Auto Show. Engineers said the Precept demonstrates a practical way to store electrical power and hydrogen aboard the vehicle. This development ultimately would help lower the extreme cost of the new propulsion systems to $2,000 to $3,000 per vehicle, about the same cost of today's gas engines. "This vehicle is a step in the long journey toward the different future we see for the automobile," GM Vice Chairman Harry Pearce told the audience. "We are far enough along in our research to believe we can drive the cost-curve down." Pearce showed off the Precept fuel cell car Tuesday for the first time. Detroit's annual auto show in Cobo Center opens Jan. 15 for the public. Road tests will begin by year's end to prove the lightweight hydrogen container system is durable and works reliably in different conditions. Engineers say hydrogen-powered engines could be available for family sedans by the end of the decade. Faced with complaints that their gasoline-burning engines contribute heavily to air pollution and global warming, automakers worldwide are spending billions of dollars to develop the fuel cell as an alternative to internal-combustion engines. GM's version takes in air through a rear fender vent, mixes it with hydrogen, and feeds the mix into a thin filter that sifts out electrons and forces them into the batteries for energy. The batteries power the electric motor that drives the car. Only heat and water vapor are in the exhaust. The five-passenger Precept, the size of a midsize sedan, is supposed to accelerate from zero to 60 m.p.h. in 9 seconds, go faster than 120 m.p.h., and achieve the equivalent of 108 miles per gallon in everyday traffic. Fuel cells were developed for U.S. spacecraft in the 1960s, but automotive engineers have been trying to gear down the cost and size of the equipment. In the new Precept, a chemical hydride material developed by GM scientists efficiently stores and releases hydrogen. In turn, researchers came up with a stack of high-density batteries so compact that they can fit under the cabin without intruding into the seating area. By 2004, automakers want to show fuel cells are feasible for powering a car. That's the deadline for producing an 80-miles-per-gallon family sedan under the auspices of the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles, a U.S. government and auto industry consortium. January 12, 2000 The Detroit Free Press By Ted Evanoff