Ford Designed a Hydrogen Engine in 2004

Media release of Ford

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 13, 2004 -- Ford engineers and researchers have successfully designed a 6.8-liter V-10 engine that burns hydrogen, further strengthening the company's role as a leader in hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2 ICE) development and possibly moving the technology one step closer to production.
Powering a Ford F-350 pickup, the V-10 H-ICE follows on the heels of the 2.3-liter I-4 H-ICE previously introduced in Ford's Model U and Hydrogen Hybrid Research Vehicle (H2 RV) -- a specially built Ford Focus wagon, two of which are logging tens of thousands of test miles in southeastern Michigan.

"The V-10 H2 ICE demonstrates our ability to produce hydrogen-burning engines in varied displacements, "said Bob Natkin, group and technical leader, Ford hydrogen internal combustion engine applications. "In fact, Ford could manufacture an H2 ICE today -- in any displacement."

Aside from the lack of a hydrogen infrastructure, on-board storage looms as the largest technical hurdle. At 5,000 psi, it takes about 12 gallons of volume to contain one kilogram of hydrogen, which has the same amount of energy as one gallon of gasoline. The H2 ICE F-350 is equipped with two large 5,000 psi hydrogen storage tanks in the truck bed that hold the equivalent of eight gallons of gasoline.

"The tanks take up quite a bit of room, but we think that with 10,000 psi tanks -- which are still very safe to use -- we can reduce the space necessary," said Natkin.

Ford views hydrogen internal combustion engines as the second phase in the company's three-pronged strategy for future automotive propulsion. Sandwiched between gasoline hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles -- the latter believed to be at least 10-15 years from large-scale production – H2 ICEs offer near zero emissions, including CO2, and are considerably less expensive than fuel cells.

"A hydrogen IC engine is up to 25 percent more fuel efficient than a gasoline IC engine and emits very little carbon dioxide, which is a harmful greenhouse gas," explained Natkin. "Hydrogen-burning engines are a bridge to fuel cells and will help develop a hydrogen fueling infrastructure and ancillary technologies, such as on-board fuel storage, H2 safety technology, and dispensing technology."

Natkin says that Ford is the clear leader in H2 ICE development among OEMs in North America and believes the same is true among all global automakers.

"BMW is the only other auto manufacturer to state publicly that they are developing hydrogen engine technology, but, in my opinion, we are further along than they are, said Natkin. "'We use a combination of lean combustion and supercharging that yields improved fuel economy without sacrificing performance. BMW does not supercharge their hydrogen engine."

The H2 ICE F-350 will serve as what is called an "engineering mule" outfitted with testing equipment that allows engineers to tweak the vehicle's unique systems.

"There is a slight discernible whine of the supercharger, but the NVH team will be able to improve that," said Natkin. "Other than that, the truck performs just like a gasoline-powered F-350."

The next step is to demonstrate this technology in fleet applications in order to gain valuable real-world data on the V-10 H2 ICE. Stay tuned

27 June 2008 (by NRao)

Presently Ford is not in news for hydrogen cars. BMW is in news. GM and Honda are news. GM and Honda are using fuel cell route to hydrogen cars. BMW is using burning of hydrogen in an IC engine route.