Audi has developed a new hydrogen-powered car that will be introduced in 2016. The Audi FCV (fuel cell vehicle) has been eluded to and not yet introduced.
Audi had said that the vehicle will be much like the A7 Sportback h-tron in style and performance. The newest features are the quiet running of the engine and the range extended far beyond anything currently in production.
Though Audi has been tight lipped about the vehicle, we know that it has similar characteristics to the h-tron. Some of the aspects we see in the h-tron are adapted front and rear mounted motors and an inserted 300-cell power unit into the system. The vehicle is building upon the concepts of the Q5 and A2, hydrogen-powered concepts.
The 8.8 kwh lithium-ion battery adopted into the h-tron from the A3 Sportback e-tron, which provides an extra 31 miles of range, sits below the trunk. The hydrogen added to the fuel cell brings the driver 310 miles of range, total.
The hydrogen motor works by mixing oxygen brought into the engines negative terminal with the hydrogen that has been positively charged. The hydrogen atoms are fed into the positive terminal, which is made of platinum, designed to speed up the chemistry of the cell. Because the hydrogen atoms are stripped of their electrons, they become ions.
This positive charge attracts them to the negative terminal, so they travel through an electrolyte film to get to it. The electrons that were removed from the hydrogen atoms are pulled out to be sent to the negative terminal. It is here that the ions attach with the electrons to the oxygen brought in from the outside. This process produces water and is expelled as steam.
These fuel cells, called PEM (polymer exchange membrane) and, unlike fossil fuel engines, will continue to run as long as there is a supply of oxygen and hydrogen.
When Audi released the h-tron Professor Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg said, “The h-tron concept car shows that we have also mastered fuel cell technology.” Knowing that the company was so sure of the performance being introduced with the h-tron, we should all be very excited to see the newest member of the Audi family.
It’s good to see automakers starting to produce hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. I look forward to larger SUVs with extended range and quick refueling times.