So, why exactly is the Intrado so
important? Put simply, it features the next-generation iteration of Hyundai’s
fuel cell powertrain, which in this guise is smaller and lighter than that
currently fitted in the ix35 prototype, with a more powerful battery and the
promise of a longer range in excess of 600km (370 miles) as well as improved
driving dynamics.
The
Intrado is powered by a hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain with a potent 36-kWh
lithium-ion battery. Total range is roughly 370 miles on a single fill-up,
about 70 more than from Hyundai’s upcoming Tucson fuel cell.
Hyundai says that the Intrado’s 36kW
lithium-ion battery is the most powerful fitted to a fuel cell vehicle (the
ix35’s battery, co-developed with LG Chemical, offers 24kW) and this new pack
has been repackaged for more compact dimensions. It has also been relocated in
the concept car to a position under the front seat bench, across the floor pan.
The management systems and motor – driving the front wheels – remain under the
hood, as is the case in the ix35.
A two-tank system houses the on-board
hydrogen, pressurized up to 700 bar, with one small tank beneath the rear
passenger bench and a larger tank between the rear axles to give a 100-liter
capacity. This setup allows for weight to be distributed more evenly than in
Hyundai’s previous fuel cell developments, dispersing it further along the
vehicle’s length and lowering the center of gravity. “We challenged ourselves
to repackage the power plant of Intrado to not just deliver performance
enhancements, but to provide a more engaging drive, which is why we took a
two-tank approach to better balance the weight of the vehicle,” reasons Frank
Meijer, team leader for FCEV and infrastructure development at Hyundai Motor
Europe.
The design and component materials of the
Intrado are nonetheless integrally linked to the vehicle’s powertrain
engineering. The strong, rigid frame – formed from continuous carbon loops –
allows for a simplified architecture, not only saving space and weight, but also
opening up new possibilities both for packaging and crash protection, as well
as for design and the attachment of the steel panels. A central beam running
the length of the cabin doubles as a strengthening structural element and a
mounting point for essential controls, including the transmission lever;
covered in protective padding, it connects the powertrain to the frame, as well
as shielding it from the vehicle’s occupants and minimizing intrusions into the
cabin. “To fit in with the active lives of future customers, we needed to
develop a fuel cell that offered long-distance mobility without compromising
day-to-day functionality,” Meijer adds.
The
Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell employs a fuel cell stack to convert hydrogen into
electricity, which in turn is used to charge a lithium-polymer battery that
powers the vehicle’s electric motor that then spins the wheels. The only
emission generated by the reaction is water vapour.
Intrado represents the latest stage to
Hyundai’s fuel cell program, which began in 1998. Last year, the Korean OEM
launched the ix35 Fuel Cell into small scale series production, and beyond
2015, the company intends to scale up production from the several hundred units
it currently makes to limited mass production of several thousand.
Source of the Problem
While governmental funding might be
accelerating the development of fuel cells, to the point that Toyota, along
with a few others, hopes to launch a production vehicle by 2015, a major
question mark remains over where exactly the required large quantities of
hydrogen will come from. “There is no proper production and distribution
infrastructure yet,” Hirose agrees, “so we need to build this. It will not
necessarily need huge money to do it, using wind, hydropower and biomass. The
cost of setting up refuelling stations is not great compared with other big
projects, and the overall result would be to reduce the influence of a rise in
the cost of oil and therefore reduce the cost of living.
Beyond
the problematic hydrogen infrastructure issue, there is also the matter of
making fuel cell vehicles properly usable
“This is for society to decide, but the
point is that the value can stay within a country with no need to import
energy. That is good for energy security. It can all be done if we are brave
enough to change the world to green.”
Beyond the problematic hydrogen
infrastructure issue, there is also the matter of making fuel cell vehicles
properly usable – which means reliable starting and running in all ambient
temperatures, including in parts of the world where sub-zero conditions tend to
be the norm.
