Olympics' first fuel-cell cars

By Yan Zhen  |   2008-7-7  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

CHINA'S first batch of hydrogen fuel-cell cars arrived in Beijing yesterday to ferry VIPs at the Olympic Games.

This is the first time fuel-cell cars invented by Chinese researchers have taken to the roads, officials said.

The cars were designed by Shanghai Volkswagen's Passat GP and co-manufactured by Shanghai Fuel Cell Vehicle Powertrain Co Ltd, Tongji University and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.

Five out of the 20 cars destined for the Olympics passed a road test of 3 kilometers, while another 15 have passed preliminary road trials and acquired a permit for operation.

They will be used to transport special guests, the press and Olympics organizing committee officials during the Beijing Olympic Games next month.

"It's also a world-level demonstration of China's cutting-edge achievement in energy-saving and environmental protection," said Yu Zhuoping, the research team head and dean of Tongji University's school of automotive engineering.

Since 2001, Tongji has been working with SAIC to research and develop a domestic range of hydrogen fuel-cell cars, which use hydrogen as fuel and emit only water vapor rather than any pollutants.

With four versions invented in the past seven years, the latest model can reach a maximum 150 kilometers per hour. Each hydrogen refill can propel the car for more than 300 kilometers, Tongji officials said.

Yu said that the 20 fuel-cell cars would join 500 different kinds of electric vehicles to ensure a "zero-emission" Olympics site.