Holden gets fuel cell go-ahead

HOLDEN has been given the go-ahead by parent GM to develop a fuel cell-powered concept vehicle this year using locally developed CSIRO supercapacitor technology.

GM boss Rick Wagoner and technology guru Larry Burns signed off on the project while Holden chairman and managing director Peter Hanenberger was in the US recently.

It could appear this year, although a Sydney motor show display is very unlikely.

The US endorsement is a clear sign of the respect GM now has for Holden. Back in 2000 when the Australians revealed the locally developed E-Commodore hybrid (petrol/electric) concept, Mr Burns was among those in Detroit said to be unhappy at being kept in the dark on the $5 million project.

The lead role in development of the local fuel cell concept will be taken by the technology development group of newly formed Holden Innovation, which is headed by Dr Laurie Sparke.

The use of locally developed supercapacitor technology will be one of a number of unique features of the local concept, which will be a Commodore-sized car with an emphasis on performance.

Supercapacitors act as an equivalent to a turbocharger for electric motors, producing a significant amount of power quickly, which provides an extra burst of acceleration. Holden first used the technology in E-Commodore.

Holden is convinced the supercapacitor will be the way to give large car lovers like Australians and Americans that familiar combustion torque engine feel when fuel cells inevitably take over in the next 20 years. Mr Hanenberger has said Holden will build a fuel cell car for production some time soon after 2010.

"We are not going to develop the fuel cell, we are going to develop the enhancements to the fuel cell," said Dr Sparke.

"Fuel cells are (currently) aimed at small European high fuel economy vehicles. That's not the sort of market we are going to get into, we are going to have a bigger car with higher performance, so a supercapacitor doubles the performance of your fuel cell mass. That's the sort of thing we need for a big car with higher performance." * Holden is expected to announce further initiatives on the hybrid front in the next two months, possibly revealing at least one concept follow-up to the E-Commodore.

The company is yet to commit to developing a production hybrid Commodore but Dr Sparke believes such a move could be forced on Holden by legislative pressure and environmental concerns.

The timing of Holden's expected hybrid announcement ties in roughly with a December 2001 GoAuto report that Dr Sparke was leading the development of two hybrids for release within 15 months.

They were both Commodore-sized and used HFV6 and Family II four-cylinder petrol engines respectively.