Peugeot to show off fuel cell ER-EV 307CC this week

[Plex]

PRESS RELEASE:

PSA Peugeot Citroën pushes back the limits of electric vehicles with its latest rechargeable fuel cell hybrid demonstrator

PSA Peugeot Citroën will present a demonstrator equipped with rechargeable fuel cell technology for hybrids at the "Toute la lumière sur l'hydrogène énergie" show in Lyon, France, from December 7 to 11. The event is designed to showcase hydrogen as a fuel source.

This fully electric vehicle, based on a Peugeot 307 coupe cabriolet, features the latest advances in fuel cell, battery and hydrogen storage technology.

Thanks to its hydrogen fuel cell range extender, the EV demonstrator has a driving range of 500 kilometres, close to that offered by a current-model vehicle with an internal combustion engine.

The FiSyPAC fuel cell reliability project initiated in 2006 primarily focused on designing high performance, high efficiency components. Significant advances were made through collaboration with French research laboratories, such as the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) for the fuel cell stack, and manufacturer partners, such as JCS for the lithium-ion batteries.

As a result, the Peugeot 307 CC FiSyPAC demonstrator ranks among the world's top performers, needing less than one kilogramme of hydrogen per 100 kilometres. PSA Peugeot Citroën has also successfully quadrupled the fuel cell's lifespan and increased its efficiency by nearly 20% since 2006.

Although considerable, these advances still run up against a number of roadblocks, including the cost of the fuel cell system and the lithium ion batteries, the fuel cell's lifespan and the deployment of the necessary infrastructure to market hydrogen to the general public.

Given this situation, process engineering and mass marketing would seem foreseeable as from 2020-2025.

This fundamental research work on fuel cells for hybrids is helping PSA Peugeot Citroën advance in hydrogen technology and increase its understanding of alternative powertrains, including hybrid, rechargeable hybrid and electric configurations.

This knowledge will be applied to various projects currently being developed at PSA Peugeot Citroën, chief among them the Peugeot Ion and Citroën C-Zero EVs to be introduced in late 2010, the Peugeot 3008 and Citroën DS5 diesel hybrids scheduled for roll-out in 2011 and the rechargeable diesel hybrid slated for 2012.

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