Test drive Opel Zafira hydrogen fuel cell car

Only gas pedal and brake. No gearshift but only push buttons for Forward, Backward and parkings. Thus it is a matter of disusing the left foot for the test run for the first time.

Heating

It has only 11 degrees. Warm air flows out of the heating. Where from? The fuel cell converts a part of the energy into electric power, the rest is warmth. Although the efficiency of the fuel cells is much better than with a diesel engine, more heat is left for the vehicle heating. The diesel engine blows a lot of warmth with the waste gases behind out. Hence, the hydrogen Zafira nobody needs additional heating systems like with modern diesel cars usually.

Bicycle with neutral

If one of the gas goes it feels like a bicycle in the neutral. The car rolls simply farther. There is therefore no engine brake. The brake assembly was dimensioned, so, increasingly.

Consuming at the traffic light

About 2 kW are also used in the traffic light to hold the fuel cells fully operationally. So it remains actual to save fuel by turning off the ignigtion key at the traffic light.

Section drawing: Opel Zafira fuel cell car
	On the 10,000 kms of marathon through Europe this cut car Opel Zafira is to be seen in the accompanying truck for press conferences also.

Hydrogen compression tank for fuel cell cars
	Only 3.4 kgs of hydrogen instead of 4.6 kgs in liquid hydrogen tank. For it, however, no losses by vaporization. For opportunity drivers on short distances the better solution.

Liquid hydrogen tank for a hydrogen car
	Here built into an Opel Zafira. However, with 4.6 kgs about 400 kms of reach, for it hydrogen gets lost constantly by warming in the tank and the vaporization resulting from it.

Electric motor of the fuel cell car Zafira
	60 kW or 82 HP of maximum power, 12000 U/min and 215 Nm maximum torque. In spite of 160 km/h top speed of the fuel cells Opel Zafira, no gear is necessary.

Fuel cell in Opel Zafira
	200 fuel cells in series produce 125 to 200 volts. Top power 94 kW. The power density is 1.6 kW per liter or 0.94 kW per kg.

Cut of engine space hydrogen fuel cells car
	Where otherwise the engine is, is the fuel cell and about that point the voltage converter. It converts the delivered electric power to a higher voltage for the electric motor .

Tank conection for hydrogen
	Tank fill conection for liquid hydrogen. Not to warm up the extremely cold liquid hydrogen on the way to the tank and to gasify therefore a lot of technology is necessary.

Railway station Salzburg: stage of the hydrogen Zafira
	On the 2nd of June, 2004 the fuel cells Opel Zafira marathon stops in Salzburg. About 60% of 10,000 kms of tour of Hammerfest to Lisbon have already gone.

Start from Salzburg toward Turin
	The next stage to Turin goes more than about 730 kms. While today's diesel cars of this size have loosely 1300 kms of reach, here it goes only with tank stop.

Test car fuel cells Opel Zafira
	With the 10000 kms marathon are 2 fuel cell cars. While the real marathon car is underway towards Turin, the second is available for test runs.

Hydrogen car: really the future?
	Can this really be the future? Especially both tank solutions are not satisfyingly. With normal temperatures liquid fuel has many advantages.

Opel Zafira consumption
	1.2 kgs of hydrogen on 100 kms in the European consumption cycle. However, hydrogen is very full energy with 33.3 kWh per kg. There are about 40 kWh on 100 kms.