Fuel speed ahead: Company Car asks the manufacturers what fuel technologies they are developing...

As the world's oil resources continue to dwindle, the competition to find an alternative fuel increases in intensity. Forget the space race, the fuel duel is where it's at. The last 10 years have seen fuel technology advance in leaps and bounds, paving the way for future systems. So what have

The improvements in diesel technology since the late 1990s are both well documented and well proven to fleet drivers and managers. Yet work to improve refinement and performance, and to improve emissions and economy continues apace. Over the last few months the market has seen a host of new diesel systems arrive such as Toyota's D-4D D-CAT unit which combines Euro IV status with low particulate and NOx emissions.

Meanwhile Honda has just introduced its newly developed diesel engine in the new Accord. This all-aluminium unit has high torque, low fuel consumption, superb refinement and meets Euro IV emissions levels without the need for a particulate filter.

Yet work continues on alternative fuels such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas. Although the LPG market has had its fair share of ups and downs, there are still many manufacturers throwing their weight behind it. Latest recruits include the Vauxhall Coma, Nissan Primera and one of the UK's favourite fleet cars, the Ford Focus.

Priced from 15,000 [pounds sterling] OTR, the Focus Bi-fuel offers good fuel economy as well as exemption from the London Congestion Charge, helping it to create a lot of interest among London motorists. It is set to account for around 1.5% of overall Focus sales in the UK.

Peter Fleet, marketing director of Ford of Britain, comments: "Current demand for LPG is around 4% of overall sales for commercial vehicles and around 2% of all car sales. With our factory-produced LPG models, covered by comprehensive warranties and dealer backup, we are well placed to grow with this emerging segment."

Another emerging segment is that of hybrid technology, which is of key interest to both the retail and the fleet market. Among those manufacturers instrumental in the area of petrol/electric hybrids is Honda, which has made great strides with its Civic IMA. One of only two hybrids on the market at present, the IMA was launched in the UK in February 2003, backed by the Government's Powershift scheme. It offers an affordable price of 15,000 [pounds sterling] OTR minus a 1000 [pounds sterling] Powershift grant and a cost-effective BiK bracket of just 12%.

Later this year in the USA Honda will launch a hybrid version of the popular Accord saloon. Powered by an IMA V6, the Accord will actually boast enhanced performance compared to a conventional V6 as well as four-cylinder fuel economy. The IMA V6 will also feature a Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system. This analyses throttle opening, vehicle speed, engine speed, and gearing to determine that the car is cruising, and then idles the intake and exhaust valves of the three cylinders in the rear cylinder bank. With zero valve lift, the cylinders are sealed, and no fuel is injected. The result is a reduction of up to 65% in pumping losses.

MG Rover has also been involved in the research of hybrid vehicles, looking in particular at the area of performance improvements. The marque undertook a project in partnership with MIRA with the intention of enhancing the performance of an existing MG TF without increasing the environmental impact.

The initial development vehicle the Hybrid Performance Development or 200 HPD for short--is a petrol/electric-powered MG TF that features a combined output of 200PS with a reduced 0-60 time from 6,9 to sub-6 seconds. This is achieved without an increase in tailpipe emissions or fuel consumption. The MG TF 200 HPD also offers a range of other benefits, such as enhanced traction through all-wheel drive and the low speed clutchless option of 'City mode'.

Of chief importance is the design and development of a parallel hybrid drivetrain which supplements the existing rear-wheel drive 160PS MG TF, using an electric motor to drive the front wheels. The additional power of the electric motor results in a 25% increase to 200PS, enhancing the sprint acceleration. The motor, combined with Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), extends opportunities for advanced all-wheel-drive active torque distribution.

Engineers at MIRA took the application of hybrid technologies far beyond the motive power. The areas of vehicle aerodynamics, styling, cooling efficiency and weight distribution were all re-evaluated as a consequence of the hybrid specification. The team took advantage of the revised package to eliminate front and rear lift, a key element in vehicle stability, and to reduce drag by 7%, benefiting emissions and fuel economy. In this development car, the addition of the front electric drive train and battery pack combine to produce an ideal 50/50 weight distribution.

"Consumers are demanding cleaner cars," says John Wood of MIRA, "and the MG TF 200 HPD technology offers motorsport the opportunity to both increase consumer excitement and accelerate technical progress."

While hybrid technology will provide an interim solution to the search for alternative fuel technologies, in the longer term, the area of fuel cell technology looks set to answer market needs. It is generally believed that mass production fuel cell cars are at least 10 years off, with family fuel cell cars perhaps 20 years away.

Among those manufacturers instrumental in the development of fuel cell technology is Honda. The marque began research into the technology in the 1980s, and has conducted tests under a range of driving conditions since 1999. In October 2003 the company says it was the world's first automaker to bring a fuel cell car to market--the FCX--with City of Los Angeles as its first customer, buying five units.

This year it announced its own fuel cell capable of operating in temperatures below 0[degrees]C--previously a major barrier for fuel cell stacks. Honda's fuel cell stack contains significantly less special materials and is a simpler construction, making it far more suited to mass production and recycling, the company claims.

The company also says it is playing a leading role in the production of fuel cell power as well as the technology behind it. As part of its research into alternative fuelling, Honda R&D Americas has begun tests of a Home Energy Station, being developed cooperatively with US company Plug Power, which could provide both power to the home and fuel for hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars.

The Home Energy Station reforms natural gas, extracting hydrogen for use in fuel cell car operation tests. Part of the hydrogen is converted to electricity in the fuel cell unit, generating power needed for the reformer and compressor. Excess power is supplied externally, and heat from the system may be supplied in the form of hot water.

Sounds like a fantasy? Not if today's manufacturers and governments get their way. It might not be too long before the petrol car becomes a thing of the past and the pages of Company Car are filled with fuel cell road tests instead.

THE FUTURE OF THE LPG MARKET

We asked Staffan Johannesson, product strategy manager of Alternative Fuels & Powertrains at Volvo Car Corporation, about the future of LPG:

Q: What, in your opinion, is the future for LPG and other alternative fuel technology?

A: LPG is still in its initial phase. The technology, as for all other alternative fuels, does not yet compete in the same league as petrol and diesel due to the longer technology development and the money spent on these technologies.

If the UK support for LPG declines, it will damage the public's trust of other alternative fuels and so severely delay their introduction. Customers, as well as investors in infrastructure and vehicle manufacturers, will simply not spend their money in what they will consider as high-risk projects.

Q: Research has shown that there is little C[O.sub.2] advantage for LPG over newly advanced diesel engines. Is this something that you would agree with?

A: All fuels have drawbacks and advantages. If C[O.sub.2] is the only aspect you evaluate, it is true that diesel has a small advantage compared to LPG. However, taking an holistic environmental approach shows that other properties are better for LPG than for diesel. But one should remember that technologies are developed in steps and it is likely that LPG can take a step further in efficiency. Generally speaking, LPG has an advantage in terms of Nitrogen oxides and particulates.

Q: So how does LPG rate when compared to CNG and hydrogen?

A: We should utilise the different possibilities for each fuels; as such, the infrastructure in the UK in a very strong argument for LPG. A good CNG infrastructure is available in several other markets already today and the environmental benefits with CNG, including biogas as a renewable methane source, are a strong argument for using methane products, ie CNG and biogas. Hydrogen will still remain a future technology for quite some time. We should be cautious how we produce the hydrogen in order to reach the environmental benefits wanted. Today CNG is defined as the most potential source for production of hydrogen and, as such, should be used directly.

Q: Is LPG here to stay, in your opinion, or is it a more short-term solution to longer-term goals?

A: I do foresee that petrol and diesel will remain as major fuels for decades, with several alternative fuels such as LPG.

Q: How much longer, do you envisage, will Volvo continue to offer an LPG range?

A: Volvo is committed to developing future products for LPG to meet all environmental standards and requirements applicable. What is more of concern is the long-term strategy. Everyone involved must be committed to develop the market further with a long-term focus to provide a basis for future development.

Q: Is hybrid technology a short-term answer to longer-term fuel cell development?

A: This is an interesting technology creating fuel efficiency to the vehicles and also new customer attributes. Once again I would like to stress that I do not see a picture of the future as 'either, or'. It will be a more fragmented future with several technologies and fuels in order to match the environmental challenges ahead.