Generating electricity from vibrations in road surface works

Engineerblogger
March 1, 2012

Credit: University of Twente

A pilot research project into vibration energy on the N34 provincial motorway near Hardenberg in the eastern Netherlands has shown that vibration energy as a local energy source is a sustainable alternative for the batteries of roadside sensors and other applications. The trial project has provided valuable insights into this innovative form of energy production.

In the autumn of 2011, a piezoelectric material that converts vibrations from passing vehicles into energy was applied to the surface of the N34 motorway. The piezoelectric material was applied to the road surface in a rural area where the speed limit is 100 km per hour. The aim of the pilot project was to investigate the feasibility of piezo technology in road construction. The research was carried out by the Tauw advice and engineering agency and the University of Twente in partnership with the Dutch province of Overijssel.

The aim of the pilot project was to establish whether electrical energy can be generated from traffic vibrations using piezoelectric material and, if so, how much energy can be generated. The trial system was tested in various weather conditions between October and December 2011. A measurement device was used to continually monitor the system and collect data.

Results
Tauw and the University of Twente have concluded that energy can indeed be generated using piezoelectric material in the road surface. The amount of energy generated depends on the number of passing vehicles and the number of piezo elements in the road. Vehicles that are moving more slowly appear to generate slightly more energy than faster-moving vehicles, but further research is needed to confirm this.

The amount of energy generated during the pilot project was too small to be used for traffic lights or street lighting, but it was enough for devices that need less energy, such as wireless motion sensors, which detect vehicles and send a signal to, for example, traffic lights. Currently these are mainly powered by batteries or solar panels. Vibration energy is a sustainable alternative for these power sources.

The project partners also concluded that integrating piezo elements in an existing road surface is problematic. For the pilot research, a narrow groove was cut into the road and a steel housing containing the piezo elements was fitted into it. Ultimately it turned out that the housing was not strong enough to withstand the forces of the passing traffic, and it came loose in December. This did not cause a traffic hazard, but it did mean that the research ended a few weeks earlier than planned.

Applications
The project partners are hopeful about other applications. Project leader Simon Bos says: “The application of vibration energy in existing roads did turn out to be difficult, but we do see possibilities for existing and new bridges and viaducts, for example at expansion joints. Of course further research into a good, strong design has to be carried out before this can be applied on a large scale.”

Next steps
Following the pilot project, various interested parties have contacted Tauw and the University of Twente to carry out further research into vibration energy. Piezo elements can not only be fitted under bridges and viaducts, but also under concrete road slabs and speed bumps, or alongside railway lines or water drainage channels. The application of piezo elements beneath concrete slabs is at an advanced stage, while the other possible applications are still in the research phase.

Source: University of Twente

Material Flow and Logistics technology: Swarming and transporting

Engineerblogger
March 1, 2012

The autonomous transporters perform their work in a swarm.  Source:  Fraunhofer IML

On its own, an ant is not particularly clever. But in a community, the insects can solve complicated tasks. Researchers intend to put this „swarm intelligence“ to use in the logistics field. Lots of autonomous transport shuttles would provide an alternative to traditional materials-handling technology.

The orange-colored vehicle begins moving with a quiet whirr. Soon afterwards the next shuttles begin to move, and before long there are dozens of mini-transporters rolling around in the hall. As if by magic, they head for the high-rack storage shelves or spin around their own axis. But the Multishuttle Moves® – is the name given to these driverless transport vehicles – are not performing some robots‘ ballet. They are moving around in the service of science. At the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML in Dortmund, Germany, researchers are working to harness swarm intelligence as a means of improving the flow of materials and goods in the warehouse environment. In a research hall 1000 square meters in size, the scientists have replicated a small-scale distribution warehouse with storage shelves for 600 small-part carriers and eight picking stations. The heart of the testing facility is a swarm of 50 autonomous vehicles. “In the future, transport systems should be able to perform all of these tasks autonomously, from removal from storage at the shelf to delivery to a picking station. This will provide an alternative to conventional materials-handling solutions,“ explains Prof. Dr. Michael ten Hompel, executive director at IML.

But how do the vehicles know what they should transport, and where, and which of the 50 shuttles will take on any particular order? “The driverless transport vehicles are locally controlled. The ›intelligence‹ is in the transporters themselves,“ Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Albrecht, head of the Autonomous Transport Systems department explains the researchers‘ solution approach. “We rely on agent-based software and use ant algorithms based on the work of Marco Dorigo. These are methods of combinational optimization based on the model behavior of real ants in their search for food.“ When an order is received, the shuttles are informed of this through a software agent. They then coordinate with one another via WLAN to determine which shuttle can take over the load. The job goes to whichever free transport system is closest.

The shuttles are completely unimpeded as they navigate throughout the space – with no guidelines. Their integrated localization and navigation technology make this possible. The vehicles have a newly developed, hybrid sensor concept with signal-based location capability, distance and acceleration sensors and laser scanners. This way, the vehicles can compute the shortest route to any destination. The sensors also help prevent collisions.

The vehicles are based on the components of the shelf-bound Multishuttle already successfully in use for several years. The researchers at IML have worked with colleagues at Dematic to develop the system further. The special feature about the Multishuttle Move®: the transporters can navigate in the storage area and in the hall. To accomplish this, the shuttles are fitted with an additional floor running gear. But what benefits do these autonomous transporters offer compared with conventional steady materials-handling technology with roller tracks? “The system is considerably more flexible and scalable,“ Albrecht points out. It can grow or contract depending on the needs at hand. This is how system performance can be adapted to seasonal and daily fluctuation. Another benefit: It considerably shortens transportation paths. In conventional storage facilities, materials-handling equipment obstructs the area between high-rack storage and picking stations. Packages must travel two to three times farther than the direct route. “It also makes shelf-control units and steady materials-handling technology,“ Albrecht adds. Researchers are now trying to determine how these autonomous transporters can improve intralogistics. “We want to demonstrate that cellular materials-handling technology makes sense not only technically but also economically as an alternative to classic materials-handling technology and shelf-control units,“ institute executive director ten Hompel observes. If this succeeds, the autonomous vehicles could soon be going into service in warehouses.

Source: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Materials: Building lightweight trains

Engineerblogger
March 1, 2012

These diesel trains for housing is manufactured from a light polyurethane-based material, yet extremely durable. Source:  Fraunhofer ICT

The less trains weigh, the more economical they are to run. A new material capable of withstanding even extreme stresses has now been developed. It is suitable for a variety of applications, not least diesel engine housings on trains – and it makes these components over 35 percent lighter than their steel and aluminum counterparts.

In their efforts to render cars and trains more economical, manufacturers are trying to find lighter materials to replace those currently used. But there is a problem: Lighter materials tend not to be as tough as steel or aluminum, so they cannot simply be used in place of these metals. Rather, it is a question of manufacturers deciding which components can really afford to have weight shaved off and how to integrate them into the overall systems.

Working together with Bombardier GmbH, KraussMaffei Kunststofftechnik GmbH, Bayer MaterialScience AG, DECS GmbH, the DLR’s Institute for Vehicle Concepts, the University of Stuttgart and the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Pfinztal have now developed a polyurethane-based sandwich material that is extremely resilient. “To demonstrate the material, we manufactured a component that is subject to significant stresses and which has to fulfill a number of requirements – the diesel engine housing for a train,” says Jan Kuppinger, a scientist at the ICT. This housing is located beneath the passenger compartment, i.e. between the car and the tracks. Not only does it shield the engine against flying stones and protect the environment from any oil that might escape, but in the event of a fire, it also stops the flames from spreading, thus meeting the flame retardant and fire safety standards for railway vehicles. Kuppinger adds: “By using this new material, we can reduce the component’s weight by over 35 percent – and cut costs by 30 percent.”

The researchers opted for a sandwich construction to ensure component stability: Glass fiber reinforced polyurethane layers form the outer facings, while the core is made of paper honeycomb. Polyurethane is a bulk plastic combining two substances. Since it can be adapted to fulfill various requirements, it is referred to as a ‘customizable material’. In foamed form it is soft, and can be used for example as a material for mattresses; in compact form it is strong and hard. The researchers began by incorporating various additives into their polyurethane, altering it in such a way as to ensure it would meet fire safety standards. Then, the partners optimized the standard manufacturing process, fiber spraying, by developing a mixing chamber which allows even more complex structures to be produced in any required size. The diesel engine housing they made is approximately 4.5 meters long and more than 2 meters wide. “This is the first time it has proved possible to use this process to manufacture such a large and complex component that also satisfies the structural requirements,” states Kuppinger. Previously, one problem encountered with fiber spraying was that it was impossible to determine the precise thickness of the polyurethane top layers. But now the researchers have found a way to do this, using computer tomography to inspect the manufactured layers and then applying a specially-adapted evaluation routine to establish their exact thickness. This information helps to simulate the strength of the component, as well as its ability to withstand stresses.

The scientists produced their diesel engine housing demonstrator as part of the PURtrain project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The demonstrator passed its first strength test – in which the scientists placed it in a test rig and then applied forces to it at various locations, measuring the extent to which it deformed – with flying colors. In the next stage, the researchers want to trial the component in a proper field test. If that, too, proves successful, it will then be possible to use the material to make roof segments, side flaps and wind deflectors for the automobile and commercial vehicle industry, and to ramp up the manufacturing process to produce medium volumes of between 250 and 30,000 units.

Source: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

The Future for Powering Electric and Hybrid Cars

Engineerblogger
Feb 2, 2012

The Tesla electric vehicle wirelessly charging at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. (Credit: Doug Kline)

This year’s iconic North American International Auto Show featured a wave of new hybrid and electric cars that suggest the vehicles have truly come into their own.
But what’s the future for the technology needed to power these cars? In particular, can the industry really expect in the coming years an electric car battery that is not only economical, but delivers the performance needed to make these cars a common site on the streets?

This was the topic of a recent roundtable discussion held by The Kavli Foundation with Seth Fletcher, Senior Editor at Popular Science, and two researchers in the field – Clare Grey at the University of Cambridge and Jeff Sakamoto at Michigan State University.

According to Fletcher, the dynamics for innovation are falling into place. “A few years ago there were essentially no electric cars on the road in the United States,” said Fletcher, who is also the author of “Bottled Lightning: Superbatteries, Electric Cars, and the New Lithium Economy." “Now there are several thousand that people actually own, which is completely different than in the 1990s when people were leasing EV1s. Think about it: GM leased 800 EV1s over the course of three years. Last year alone, GM sold nearly 8,000 Volts.”

Better battery technology for powering these vehicles also looks promising. “There is much good work going on,” according to Jeff Sakamoto, Assistant Professor in Michigan State University's Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. “Some of it is focused on exploring new battery configurations and chemistries. One, referred to as a 'solid state' battery, uses a solid ceramic electrolyte that can replace current, flammable liquid electrolytes. Other potentially interesting though challenging areas include research on lithium-air batteries. Researchers are also exploring how different electrode materials, particularly silicon, might be used to improve battery performance.”

Another innovative direction is redox flow batteries. “Basically, these batteries pump an electrolyte solution or powder in and out of the battery,” said Clare Grey, Professor in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Chemistry. “Most batteries today are closed, sealed systems, so you’re limited to the electrons you have in a contained space. Flow batteries get rid of that limitation…And more electrons out means cars with longer ranges.”

In 2011, Grey received The Royal Society’s Kavli Medal and Lecture for work that included groundbreaking in situ studies on batteries and fuel cells. Grey recently noted that not only the technology is promising; incentives are changing in countries like the United Kingdom so the industry itself is invested in the success of these cars. “[In Europe,] emissions are regulated across each manufacturer’s fleet of vehicles. So as a result, BMW and Mercedes… are really pushing their electric and hybrid vehicle programs to reduce their fleets’ overall emissions. …And the good thing is, people are buying these cars. At the high-end of the market, it seems, people don’t mind paying a bit extra for electric or hybrid vehicles. In the most optimistic scenario that demand will eventually trickle down into the lower-end markets as well."

Source: Newswise

Additional Information:

• For the complete discussion, visit: http://www.kavlifoundation.org/science-spotlights/charging-auto-industry

Testing a fuel cell on a ship

Engineerblogger
Feb 21, 2012

Viking Lady

The financial crisis is not putting a stop to the world’s first ship with a fuel cell. The testing of this technology, which may halve the climate emissions from shipping, starts in a couple of months.

A rather unusual offshore supply ship is being built at the Westcon shipyard in Norway. The gas-driven supply ship, which belongs to the Eidesvik shipping company, will be the test centre for the world’s first fuel cell on board a merchant vessel.

The Viking Lady will be this pioneering shipowner’s third supply ship to be run on LNG. This gas will also be the fuel for the 320 kW fuel cell. This is in principle sufficient to act as an auxiliary engine to ensure a power supply on board, but not enough for propulsion.

The first step Fuel cells in ships may lead to an environmental revolution in shipping. The Norwegian-German Fellowship project is, however, just the beginning. Following the hopefully successful demonstration will be more developments on reducing cost and physical volume and increasing lifetime and reliability. The fuel cell on the Viking Lady is being built in addition to a normal auxiliary engine, but will be connected to the systems on board so that it can provide a small contribution to the operations.

However, the most important thing will be to conduct research and gain experience so that fuel cells have a future in shipping.

"A huge amount of work remains to be done. But owing to high efficiency and clean emissions, I am convinced that fuel cells are the way of the future; onshore, offshore and onboard ships," says DNV’s project manager Tomas H. Tronstad.

Challenges at sea 
The fuel cell being tested on the Viking Lady has been developed by Germany’s MTU Onsite Energy.

More than 50 fuel cells of the same type are used as back-up power generators on shore, for instance in hospitals and universities. But it is one thing to stand firmly and quietly on land and quite another to place the sensitive technology on a ship that rolls and pitches in the waves and in a tough, salty climate.

"One of the biggest challenges is to ‘marinefy’ the technology and to integrate the fuel cell with the traditional machinery-, control- and electro systems," says Mr Tronstad.

In the German-Norwegian project, the fuel cell, all the equipment and the ship will be adapted and modified. Many companies and partners are providing technology and equipment.

Ship-design company Vik-Sandvik is designing and adapting the ship and equipment location, while Wärtsilä Norway has put together a package of electrical and control systems that are being built in a separate container. DNV has examined the safety and risk aspects and prepared classification rules.

In such a pioneering project, the importance of class is highlighted when it comes to safeguarding the interfaces between the various machinery disciplines.

Tests on shore 
The next milestone is testing parts of the equipment on shore at Wärtsilä’s facility at Stord in Norway. The fuel cell itself will be in another, larger container, which is almost finished.

The actual heart of the engine, its core, has not arrived in Norway yet, but it will do so in a few months.

"The timetable is being kept. The first equipment testing started on shore in April," states Mr Tronstad.

Eidesvik took delivery of the ship in March and will start to lift components on board later this summer.

"The goal is to start testing in the sea in September. Everything is on schedule," says project developer Kjell Sandaker of Eidesvik.

Monetary challenges This has not been the case all the time. Project manager Mr Tronstad had to go around ministries and government bodies many times to obtain the public grants for this development project in 2006.

Following a cautious start in 2003, there was a need for almost NOK 100 million to get to the next phase. That meant that around NOK 50 million was required from public funds. Not an easy amount to obtain from those sources.

In total the project budget is NOK 115 million over six years, with roughly 45% funding from the Research Council of Norway, Innovation Norway and German state funding. The remaining 55% is covered by the private partners .

Source: Research institute Det Norske Veritas

Related Information:

• FellowSHIP: Fuel cells on the brink for commercialization
• Viking Lady show the way

Damage detection: Using vibration monitoring to pick up signs of wear

The Engineer
Feb 20, 2012

Eight of the 16 axles on a Desiro train are driven by their own motor

Siemens is reaping the benefits of using vibration monitoring to pick up signs of wear to the bearings of train traction motors. Stuart Nathan reports

Keeping Britain’s trains running is a concern close to the hearts of a very large proportion of the working population and Siemens, supplier of many of the trains on the UK’s rail network, takes it very seriously. Condition monitoring is an important part of the toolkit.

The company has recently begun using an innovative technique to pick up signs of wear to the bearings of its train traction motors, enabling it to overhaul the motor before it breaks down and saving both time and money.

’If we can detect signs of wear to traction motor bearings, we can repair or replace that motor at our own convenience before more significant damage occurs,’ explained Peter Ridgway, production support engineer at Siemens Mobility, Rolling Stock. ’The cost of repairing a damaged traction motor would be many times the cost of a standard overhaul.’

The method used by Siemens is vibration monitoring, which is becoming more widespread within the industry. The company turned to specialist Schaeffler - which Ridgway found on an Internet search - to solve a problem that had arisen in the traction motors of its Desiro electrical trains.

Desiro trains normally comprise four coaches, each with two bogies that hold two axles. On each train, eight axles are driven via their own asynchronous traction motor.

To read more click here...

Automotive: Can Tesla Survive?

Technology Review
Feb 16, 2012

Hard ride: Tesla's Roadster. Credit: Tesla

The year 2012 will be an important one for Tesla Motors. Amid growing competition from established automakers, Tesla plans to sell a new Model S luxury sedan in July, and to supply Toyota with batteries, motors, and control systems for a new electric RAV4 SUV. The success of these efforts could determine whether the company survives long-term—and what it might look like if it does.

Even if Tesla can't succeed as an independent automaker, it could still be acquired by a bigger company, or live on as a supplier to major automakers.

Tesla is best known for its electric sports car, the Roadster. But from its early days, the company has hoped to move beyond the Roadster to lower-priced electric vehicles sold in much higher volumes. Earlier this week, Tesla revealed a luxury electric SUV, the Model X, which it plans to sell starting in 2013.

But the automotive industry has changed dramatically since Tesla was founded in 2003. At the time, changes to a California mandate that had required carmakers to make electric cars had just led GM to cancel the electric EV1, and Toyota to cancel the original electric RAV4. By and large, Tesla had the electric vehicle market to itself, its only competition coming from a handful of other small electric car companies.

Now, GM, Nissan, and others are selling electric vehicles in numbers that after one year far exceed the total production of the EV1. In fact, every major automaker has announced plans to sell electric cars of some type. Furthermore, vehicles from companies including BMW and Mercedes will compete directly with Tesla in the market for high-performance or luxury electric vehicles.
To read more click here...

GM IntelliLink Helps Drivers Get Connected

Engineerblogger
Feb 15, 2012

The IntelLink system lets you organize icons according to your preferences.  Credit: GM

The 2012 GMC Terrain smaller SUV’s standard Color Touch Radio is now available with IntelliLink, which provides smartphone connectivity and voice activated control of the audio system. Simple commands initiate a phone call, change a station, stream internet radio, and even control an iPod.

IntelliLink’s interface is designed to be used with two hands on the wheel as often as possible, and its layout was created with specific emphasis on minimizing distractions. Here are some other important things to know about the system:

• Like most smartphones, the IntelliLink homescreen is configurable. An array of icons for phone, radio, and other functions mimics the displays of popular mobile devices, and each icon can be shifted or removed, based on the driver’s needs and wants.

• IntelliLink has icons for popular internet radio providers Pandora and Stitcher for Bluetooth streaming through a smartphone, Pandora listeners can give a song a “thumbs-up” or “thumbs-down” through Terrain’s seven-inch touchscreen.

• Most of IntelliLink’s features can be controlled through a hands-free voice control system powered by Nuance. Drivers can place a phone call, play an artist, or tune to a radio station without their eyes leaving the road.

• An MP3 player isn’t required to play music through Intellilink. Owners can bring their music collections into the car by plugging a USB flash drive into a port in the center console.

• Album art and artist information for songs playing from a device are displayed on Terrain’s color touch screen. The Gracenote data that allows this also makes voice activation more conversational, identifying nicknames like “The Boss” or “The Stones.”

GMC’s implementation of the Gracenote media database includes a piece of exclusive, patent-pending technology, according to General Motors lead engineer Tony Kraatz.

“Gracenote is typically limited to devices plugged in to the USB port,” he said. “With IntelliLink, we are the first company to run Bluetooth streaming audio through the Gracenote database to display album art for music players connected wirelessly.”

“About 70 percent of all new car buyers want some form of connectivity,” said Micky Bly, executive director leading GM’s infotainment engineering efforts, citing GM research. “Whether it’s because they want to listen to their favorite music or hear movie times on the way to the theater, today’s car buyer expects so much more out of their time in a car.”

The GMC Terrain talks with smartphones in other ways than just IntelliLink. With the OnStar RemoteLink app available for iPhone and Android, drivers can use their phones to lock and unlock doors or check fuel and tire pressure levels. On models equipped with remote start, the app can also start the engine from anywhere a cell phone signal is present.

IntelliLink is available now for the 2012 GMC Terrain SLT-2 V-6 and is coming soon to all SLT models. Last week, GMC debuted IntelliLink connectivity for the redesigned 2013 Acadia and Acadia Denali, on sale in late 2012.

About GMC  

GMC has manufactured trucks since 1902, and is one of the industry's healthiest brands. Innovation and engineering excellence is built into all GMC vehicles and the brand is evolving to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and crossovers, including the Terrain smaller SUV and Acadia crossover. GMC is the only manufacturer to offer three full-size hybrid trucks with the Yukon, Yukon Denali SUVs and the Sierra pickup. The new Sierra Heavy Duty pickups are the most capable and powerful trucks in the market.

Source: General Motors

A Suspension System with Smooth Moves

Engineerblogger
Feb 14, 2012

Credit: ASME

"Don't drink and drive ... you might hit a bump and spill your drink." So goes one of the stupider attempts at bumper sticker humor. Someday soon, though, the drivers of the world will no longer get the joke. Once the active electromagnetic suspension system developed by Bart Gysen, a researcher at Eindhoven University in the Netherlands, hits the road, folks behind the wheel will have a much better chance of keeping their drinks in their cups.

The Design

Gysen's design is a simple one in appearance. Inside the suspension spring that keeps the car levitated is an aluminum cylinder containing high-powered magnets. The cylinder also acts as a passive suspension system as a safety backup. The active system uses only 75 watts of energy, about the amount needed to power a car's air conditioner. The cylinder also regenerates energy, using the bumps in the road to power itself. If Gysen, or an auto manufacturer, were willing to discard the passive portion of the system, the active suspension would power itself 100%.

There are three sensors on the front of the car that measure the wheels' movement in relation to the road and the body of the car. It takes only milliseconds for the information to be translated into a reactive force from the magnets. The result is a ride that cuts down on jolts by 60%.

That percentage would be even higher if the road and its undulations could be measured before they got to the wheels, perhaps with lasers that read the terrain

in front of the car. Somehow, though, the system would have to know the material of the road, be it ice, pavement, wet leaves, or cream cheese. For now, Gysen is sticking with his trio of sensors.

Bart Gysen and a test car fitted with the new suspension system. Photo: Eindhoven University.

Control and Comfort

An active suspension has other advantages in addition to comfort. Typically, a car taking a sharp turn (or even a dull one) has a weight shift from one side to the other. The two inner wheels end up taking the lion's share of the force and lose a percentage of their traction. This can result in a loss of control or worse, a tipping or flipping of the car. Gysen's system can keep the weight of the car evenly distributed over all four wheels, so that the vehicle remains parallel to the ground throughout a turn. "You can put the gravity back in the center of the car, and get a better grip on the road," says Gysen.

Smart programming will tell the system when control is needed over comfort and when comfort trumps all. (It's easy to imagine, though, a system where the driver could choose, with the push of a button, between race-car mode and limo mode). The size and shape are the same as traditional suspension systems and can fit right onto the body of any car.

At the moment, the only prototype resides on the test vehicle, a BMW 530. While including the system on future vehicles might seem like a no-brainer, the automotive industry is currently guarding its coffers and is less than willing to lighten them for the research and development needed to put Gysen's invention on pavement. "It's not a bright future," bemoans Gysen. "There's no market pull at the moment. But if the system shows its advantage in the public, then there will be much more attention."

If consumers want active suspension, it seems manufacturers have to end suspension of action.

Source: ASME

Additional Information:

• 60 percent higher ride quality through electromagnetic suspension

Allen-Vanguard to co-develop world’s first Wireless Underground Robots for First Responders (WURFR)

Engineerblogger
Feb 8, 2012

A new robot that can communicate wirelessly from underground could be used to rescue people trapped in inaccessible places. Credit: The Engineer

Allen-Vanguard, trusted global leader in providing solutions for defeating terrorist/extremist threats, announced today its collaboration with WFS Defense, leading supplier of through-ground and through-water wireless communications technology, to develop and demonstrate the industry’s first Wireless Underground Robots for First Responders (WURFR) robotic vehicle. The announcement was made on the opening day of the Security & Policing Exhibition 2012, in Farnborough, UK, where Allen-Vanguard is displaying its latest Counter-Threat solutions.

During emergency incidents, First Responders deploy Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) to avoid exposing themselves to unnecessary risks in hostile or challenging environments, such as clandestine tunnels, subway systems and underground structures. The WURFR project, co-funded by the United Kingdom Technology Strategy Board, will alleviate the logistics currently posed by hardwire tethers or multiple repeaters needed to control a robot in these situations. This will be achieved through the seamless integration of WFS’s through-ground wireless communications into Allen-Vanguard’s Digital Vanguard robot.

Allen-Vanguard President & CEO, Dennis Morris, commented, “Our WURFR-generation robot will improve First Responder safety by enabling operators to remain above ground while reliably communicating with their ROV as it conducts visual reconnaissance, detects hazardous substances and mitigates threats.” He continued, “This unprecedented capability will greatly simplify on site operations and reduce costs for
inspecting and clearing high risk underground locations.”

The WURFR-enabled ROV will use WFS’ wireless modems to provide 2-way communications, track its
location, stream video and convey data from sensors. The Digital Vanguard is the ideal platform for this project based on its outstanding operational capabilities and widespread user base of First Responders and
security agencies.

About Allen-Vanguard
Allen-Vanguard is a trusted global leader in providing solutions for defeating terrorist and extremist threats. With an unrivaled expertise in counter-threat solutions, systems, and technologies, we deliver battle-proven equipment for defeating IEDs and other terrorist incidents at the technical, operational, and national policy levels.

About the UK Technology Strategy Board
The UK Technology Strategy Board is a business-led government body which works to create economic growth by ensuring that the UK is a global leader in innovation. Sponsored by the UK government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Technology Strategy Board brings together business, research and the public sector, supporting and accelerating the development of innovative products and services to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help build the future economy.

About WFS Defense
WFS Defense is the world's leading supplier of through-water and through-ground wireless technology for
communication, navigation and power transfer. Utilizing radio, acoustic and inductive power transfer technologies, our field proven expertise in wireless connectivity is delivering cost savings and new capabilities to the Homeland Security and Defense industries.

Source: Allen-Vanguard

Saudi Aramco develops fuel formula to cut gas engines’ CO2 emissions

Engineerblogger
Feb 5, 2012

Credit: Saudi Aramco

A team from Saudi Aramco’s Research & Development Center (R&DC) and FEV, an engine design company in Germany, recently participated in a technology demonstration event in Aachen, Germany. The event marked the culmination of a project that was developed as a means of showcasing the potential of specific fuel formulas in lowering the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in modern gasoline engines.


The scientists of R&DC’s Fuel Team chose an innovative approach in fuel development by not working on future fuels in isolation, but rather looking at the fuel and the engine as a single system to be optimized synergistically. For the purpose of this research, R&DC has partnered with FEV, which brought the engine testing expertise to the table.

“The joint research has resulted in experimental fuels that enable future engines to be even smaller and capable of running on higher boosting pressures, without compromising performance,” said Faisal M. Al-Faqeer, manager of R&DC. “The greatest achievement though is that this fuel/engine combination consumes significantly less fuel per kilometer travelled and consequently will emit less CO2, while it is expected that it will not increase the cost of motoring.”

During the event, the first prototype car using this fuel/engine concept was presented by the project scientists. Members of the management of R&DC and FEV were able to get firsthand experience by driving a car fueled by Saudi Aramco’s new experimental fuel. “FEV’s own test track provided the ideal environment for such a test, where driving patterns from city cruising to high speed motorway travel could be realized in a safe and controlled way,” said Amer A. Amer, Fuel Technology R&D Team leader.

The experience showed that this future fuel concept could be achieved without compromising car performance. The car was driven with the experimental fuel, showing that this new crude oil-based product developed by Saudi Aramco is compatible with existing engine technology. For R&DC, this marks the first step toward becoming a leading force in research and development of future fuels for transportation.

“As a next step, the Saudi Aramco team has started to assess implications from producing such fuels, looking at energy needs and consequently the CO2 footprint of manufacturing and associated cost,” said Amer.

Al-Faqeer commented on the unique approach adopted by R&DC in taking research on future fuels as “a system approach in cooperation with a competent partner from the field of engine research and development.” He continued “this has proven to be very successful, demonstrating the potential benefit, both in terms of CO2 reduction and potential cost.”

The skills of Saudi Aramco’s scientists complement perfectly those of their FEV counterparts. The teams have now set their sights on another challenge for the coming year: focusing on demonstration of economic and ecological benefits in a diesel type fuel/engine system.

Source: Saudi Aramco

New zeolite material may solve diesel shortage

Engineerblogger
Feb 3, 2012

The microporous molecular structure of a zeolite, ZSM-5. Credit: Wikipedia

A recently published article in Nature Chemistry by a research team at Stockholm University and the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain presents a new porous material that evinces unique properties for converting gasoline directly into diesel

World fuel consumption is shifting more and more to diesel at the expense of gasoline. A recently published article in Nature Chemistry by a research team at Stockholm University and the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain presents a new porous material that evinces unique properties for converting gasoline directly into diesel. The material has a tremendously complex atomic structure that could only be determined with the aid of transmission electron microscopy.

The aluminosilicate, which has been named ITQ-39, belongs to the zeolite class and has a porous structure that enables sufficiently small molecules to pass through it. On their way through, they can react with other molecules and create a desired product. The new material has channels of varying size and shape in different directions. These variously shaped channels entail that a molecule that is transported inside the material can be limited in different ways, depending on the direction it travels.

ITQ-39 is the most complex zeolite material ever discovered. Its structure was determined by a research team at Stockholm University headed by Professor Xiaodong Zou, with the help of electron crystallography. On an electron microscope, extremely small crystals can be studied, in this case down to a couple of nanometers. What makes ITQ-39 such a complicated material is that, unlike most other crystalline material, it is not perfectly ordered. The material studied has a type of chaotic order. To be able to understand the material in the smallest detail requires both a model of how the atoms are arranged in the minimal ordered areas and a model of how these domains are then linked together into crystals. This disorder can be studied with the aid of high-resolution images taken with an electron microscope that can then serve as a basis for creating a model of the atomic structure of the material. This is what researchers Tom Willhammar, Junliang Sun, Wan Wei, Peter Oleynikov, Daliang Zhang, and Xiaodong Zou at Stockholm University present in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nature Chemistry.

The material, which was produced by a research team headed by Professor Avelino Corma in the Polytechnic University of Valencia, has proven to be an excellent catalytic converter for turning gasoline into diesel. This is a process that has become ever more important with the marked growth in the demand for diesel in recent years.

The project is funded by the Swedish Research Council, VINNOVA, the Göran Gustafsson Foundation, and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

Facts about zeolites:

Zeolite means 'boiling stone' in Greek. Zeolite is a collective name for a group of natural and synthetic minerals with an open crystal structure. They mainly consist of aluminum silicate and comprise some 60 naturally occurring minerals and about a hundred synthetic counterparts.

Zeolites contain masses of nanometer-sized pores and channels and can be used as catalytic converters, ion-exchangers, and adsorbents. Because zeolites have so many pores and intersecting channels, they have a huge internal surface area; one gram of a zeolite can have a surface about the size of half a football field.

Source: Eurek Alert

Additional Information:

• Title of the article: "Structure and catalytic properties of the most complex intergrown zeolite ITQ-39 determined by electron crystallography" Nature Chemistry 2012 (DOI: 10.1038/NCHEM.1253)

A 'natural' solution for transportation

Argonne National Laboratory
Feb 2, 2012

Researchers at Argonne have begun to investigate adding one more contender to the list of possible energy sources for light-duty cars and trucks: compressed natural gas (CNG). Image courtesy of Mercedes Benz

As the United States transitions away from a primarily petroleum-based transportation industry, a number of different alternative fuel sources—ethanol, biodiesel, electricity and hydrogen—have each shown their own promise. Hoping to expand the pool even further, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have begun to investigate adding one more contender to the list of possible energy sources for light-duty cars and trucks: compressed natural gas (CNG).

Compressed natural gas is composed primarily of methane, which when compressed occupies less than one percent of the volume it occupies at standard pressure. CNG is typically stored in cylindrical tanks that would be carried onboard the vehicles it fuels.

Because the domestic production of natural gas has increased dramatically over the past ten years, making a large number of the cars and light trucks currently on the road CNG-compatible would help to improve U.S. energy security. "As a country, we don't lack for natural gas deposits," said Argonne mechanical engineer Thomas Wallner. "There are fewer obvious challenges with direct supply than with most other fuels."

Natural gas currently comes primarily from deep underground rock structures, including shale. Recent improvements with hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," a controversial process that some critics claim can hurt the environment, have made it economical for natural gas companies to extract a greater supply of natural gas from unconventional sources.

Like gasoline, both the production and combustion of CNG release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. To be able to make an accurate comparison to gasoline, scientists and engineers will need to look at each stage of the fuel's production and use, said Argonne environmental scientist Andrew Burnham.
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Driving the green: Study suggests that electric-powered trucks will save money for businesses

MIT News
Feb 1, 2012

New MIT research suggests that electric delivery trucks, like this one, can help both the environment and the business bottom line. Photo courtesy of Staples

A company looking to purchase an electric-powered delivery truck today will likely experience some sticker shock: Such a vehicle costs nearly $150,000, compared to about $50,000 for the same kind of truck with a standard internal-combustion engine.

But before long — perhaps surprisingly — it’s a purchase that should pay for itself. That’s the conclusion of a new MIT study showing that electric vehicles are not just environmentally friendly, but also have the potential to improve the bottom line for many kinds of businesses.

The study, conducted by researchers at MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL), finds that electric vehicles can cost 9 to 12 percent less to operate than trucks powered by diesel engines, when used to make deliveries on an everyday basis in big cities.

“There has to be a good business case if there is going to be more adoption of electric vehicles,” says Jarrod Goentzel, director of the Renewable Energy Delivery Project at CTL and one of four co-authors of the new study. “We think it’s already a viable economic model, and as battery costs continue to drop, the case will only get better.”

Another of the paper’s co-authors, Clayton Siegert, a 2009 graduate of the CTL’s master’s of engineering in logistics program and a member of the Renewable Energy Delivery Project, presented the results in January at the IEEE Power and Energy Society Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference, in Washington. The paper will be published in a volume of the conference’s proceedings. It originated in a thesis project by two researchers who received the master’s of engineering in logistics from CTL in 2011, Andre De Los Rios and Kristen Nordstrom.
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New Ideas Sharpen Focus for Greener Aircraft

Engineerblogger
Jan 30, 2012

Three proposed aircraft designs have varying levels of success in meeting tough NASA goals for reducing fuel use, emissions and noise all at the same time. Image credit: NASA

Leaner, greener flying machines for the year 2025 are on the drawing boards of three industry teams under contract to the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate's Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project.

Teams from The Boeing Company in Huntington Beach, Calif., Lockheed Martin in Palmdale, Calif., and Northrop Grumman in El Segundo, Calif., have spent the last year studying how to meet NASA goals to develop technology that would allow future aircraft to burn 50 percent less fuel than aircraft that entered service in 1998 (the baseline for the study), with 75 percent fewer harmful emissions; and to shrink the size of geographic areas affected by objectionable airport noise by 83 percent.

"The real challenge is we want to accomplish all these things simultaneously," said ERA project manager Fay Collier. "It's never been done before. We looked at some very difficult metrics and tried to push all those metrics down at the same time."

So NASA put that challenge to industry – awarding a little less than $11 million to the three teams to assess what kinds of aircraft designs and technologies could help meet the goals. The companies have just given NASA their results.

"We'll be digesting the three studies and we'll be looking into what to do next," said Collier.

Boeing's advanced vehicle concept centers around the company's now familiar blended wing body design as seen in the sub-scale remotely piloted X-48, which has been wind tunnel tested at NASA's Langley Research Center and flown at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. One thing that makes this concept different from current airplanes is the placement of its Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines. The engines are on top of the plane's back end, flanked by two vertical tails to shield people on the ground from engine noise. The aircraft also would feature an advanced lightweight, damage tolerant, composite structure; technologies for reducing airframe noise; advanced flight controls; hybrid laminar flow control, which means surfaces designed to reduce drag; and long-span wings which improve fuel efficiency.

The Boeing Company's advanced design concept is a variation on the extremely aerodynamic hybrid wing body. Image credit: NASA/Boeing

Lockheed Martin took an entirely different approach. Its engineers proposed a box wing design, in which a front wing mounted on the lower belly of the plane is joined at the tips to an aft wing mounted on top of the plane. The company has studied the box wing concept for three decades, but has been waiting for lightweight composite materials, landing gear technologies, hybrid laminar flow and other tools to make it a viable configuration. Lockheed's proposal combines the unique design with a Rolls Royce Liberty Works Ultra Fan Engine. This engine has a bypass ratio that is approximately five times greater than current engines, pushing the limits of turbofan technology.

Lockheed Martin's concept uses a box wing design and other advanced technologies to achieve green aviation goals. Image credit: NASA/Lockheed Martin

Northrop Grumman chose to embrace a little of its company's history, going back to the 1930s and '40s, with its advanced vehicle concept. Its design is a flying wing, championed by Northrop founder Jack Northrop, and reminiscent of its B-2 aircraft. Four high-bypass engines, provided by Rolls Royce and embedded in the upper surface of the aerodynamically efficient wing would provide noise shielding. The company's expertise in building planes without the benefit of a stabilizing tail would be transferred to the commercial airline market. The Northrop proposal also incorporates advanced composite materials and engine and swept wing laminar flow control technologies.

Northrop Grumman's concept is based on the extremely aerodynamic "flying wing" design. Image credit: NASA/Northrop Grumman

What the studies revealed is that NASA's goals to reduce fuel consumption, emissions and noise are indeed challenging. The preliminary designs all met the pollution goal of eliminating landing and takeoff emissions of nitrogen oxides by 50 percent. All still have a little way to go to meet the other two challenges. All the designs were very close to a 50-percent fuel burn reduction, but noise reduction capabilities varied.

"All of the teams have done really great work during this conceptual design study,” say Mark Mangelsdorf, ERA Project chief engineer. “Their results make me excited about how interesting and different the airplanes on the airport ramp could look in 20 years. Another great result of the study is that they have really helped us focus where to invest our research dollars over the next few years," he said.

NASA's ERA project officials say they believe all the goals can be met if small gains in noise and fuel consumption reduction can be achieved in addition to those projected in the industry studies. The results shed light on the technology and design hurdles airline manufacturers face in trying to design lean, green flying machines and will help guide NASA's environmentally responsible aviation investment strategy for the second half of its six-year project.

Source: NASA

Scottish sailing engineers have designs on world speed record

The Engineer
Jan 23, 2012

The Abaqus software enabled Clarke’s team to consider many wing-sail design variables.  Credit: The Engineer

Simulation software from Dassault is being used to help a team of engineers get its extreme sailing boat - the V-44 Albatross - off the ground

The thrilling world of speed-sailing is responsible for some remarkable engineering innovations.

Back in September 2009, L’Hydroptere, a 60ft trimaran that ’flies’ above the surface on two fin-shaped hydrofoils, set a new world record for D-class vessels of 51.36 knots.

More recently, The Engineer reported on the Vestas SailRocket II, a glider-inspired boat with designs on the outright unpowered 500m record of 55.65 knots.

Now, in a bid to push the performance of extreme sailing boats even further, a team of Scottish engineers is using advanced simulation software to design and develop a bizarre-looking vessel that the engineers believe could soon break the near-mythical 60-knot barrier.

The boat, dubbed the V-44 Albatross, is the brainchild of Tim Clarke, engineering team leader at Scottish engineering consultancy Prospect Flow Solutions and founder of Verney Yachts.

Clarke explained that his idea was to create a single-hull craft and equip it with two wing-sails – structures that are literally a cross between a wing and a sail.

Made from composite materials, these wing-sails are able to switch both position and function as the boat tacks, becoming either a wing if horizontal to the water or a sail if vertical.

The approach has been tried before. The BMW Oracle, a trimaran sailboat, crushed its America’s Cup competitor in February 2010 using a wing-sail, while the Greenbird, a wing-sail-equipped land-yacht, set a new wind-powered land speed record of 126.4mph back in March 2009.

One of the challenges of developing a wing-sail is ensuring stability. While a conventional aircraft wing needs a tail to provide stability, this would add too much weight to a boat so wing-sail vessels typically achieve stability in other ways. For the BMW Oracle, a motorised trailing flap on a two-part structure was used, while the Greenbird deployed counterweights on the leading edge.

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Fold-up car of the future unveiled at EU

Engineerblogger
Jan 25, 2012

European Commission Chairman Jose Manuel Barroso unveils at EU headquarters in Brussels the first prototype of a revolutionary electric fold-up car designed in Spain's Basque country, the "Hiriko", the Basque word for "urban"

A tiny revolutionary fold-up car designed in Spain's Basque country as the answer to urban stress and pollution was unveiled Tuesday before hitting European cities in 2013.

The "Hiriko", the Basque word for "urban", is an electric two-seater with no doors whose motor is located in the wheels and which folds up like a child's collapsible buggy, or stroller, for easy parking.

Dreamt up by Boston's MIT-Media lab, the concept was developed by a consortium of seven small Basque firms under the name Hiriko Driving Mobility, with a prototype unveiled by European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.

Demonstrating for journalists, Barroso clambered in through the fold-up front windscreen of the 1.5-metre-long car.

"European ideas usually are developed in the United States. This time an American idea is being made in Europe," consortium spokesman Gorka Espiau told AFP.

Its makers are in talks with a number of European cities to assemble the tiny cars that can run 120 kilometres (75 miles) without a recharge and whose speed is electronically set to respect city limits.

They envisage it as a city-owned vehicle, up for hire like the fleets of bicycles available in many European cities, or put up for sale privately at around 12,500 euros.

Several cities have shows interest, including Berlin, Barcelona, San Francisco and Hong Kong. Talks are underway with Paris, London, Boston, Dubai and Brussels.

The vehicle's four wheels turn at right angles to facilitate sideways parking in tight spaces.

The backers describe the "Hiriko" project as a "European social innovation initiative offering a systematic solution to major societal challenges: urban transportation, pollution and job creation."

Source: AFP

Europe's Driverless Car : semi-autonomous BMW car being demonstrated on a German autobahn

Technology Review
Jan 24, 2012

Easy ride: A semi-autonomous BMW car being demonstrated on a German autobahn. It can accelerate, brake, and overtake slower vehicles on its own. Credit: BMW

Tucked away in the basement of an iconic office tower shaped like four engine cylinders, engineer Werner Huber is telling me about the joy of driving. We're here at BMW headquarters, in Munich, Germany—capital of Bavaria, and arguably of driving itself. But Huber oversees strategic planning for advanced driver assistance systems, so in a way, his job is to put an end to driving—at least as we know it.

"I think that in 10 to 15 years, it could be another world," Huber says. He's not willing to predict exactly what driving will look like then, but he's certain humans will be doing a lot less of it.

For many people, automated cars call to mind those high-tech vehicles with a rotating periscope on top that Google has been driving around California. But Huber and executives at other European automakers say the automated driving revolution is already here: new safety and convenience technologies are beginning to act as "copilots," automating tedious or difficult driving tasks such as parallel parking.

"Driverless" technology will initially require a driver. And it will creep into everyday use much as airbags did: first as an expensive option in luxury cars, but eventually as a safety feature required by governments. "The evolutionary approach is from comfort systems to safety systems to automatic driving," says Jürgen Leohold, executive director for research at Volkswagen Group in Wolfsburg, Germany.

Both BMW and Volkswagen are among the companies already demonstrating cars that drive themselves. In 2010, Volkswagen sent a driverless Audi TTS up Pike's Peak at close to race speeds. Like similar vehicles from Google, these automated vehicles use some combination of GPS, radar, lasers, ultrasonic sensors, and optical cameras to create a constantly updated, 360-degree model of the surrounding environment, which an in-car computer can use to navigate.

But European automakers say their strategy is to move toward greater levels of autonomy incrementally, depending on what does well in showrooms.

Buyers of European luxury cars are already choosing from a menu of advanced options. For example, for $1,350, people who purchase BMW's 535i xDrive sedan in the United States can opt for a "driver assistance package" that includes radar to detect vehicles in the car's blind spot. For another $2,600, BMW will install "night vision with pedestrian detection," which uses a forward-facing infrared camera to spot people in the road.

Lasers, cameras, and other sensors are the most expensive part of autonomous driving systems. Some experimental self-driving cars are estimated to carry more than $200,000 worth of cameras and other gear. Those costs are also leading automakers toward a gradual approach that starts with sensor technologies and then extends capabilities to control driving tasks as well. In the high-end Mercedes-Benz CL, for instance, cameras not only tell a driver when he or she is leaving the lane but actually help the vehicle steer itself back. Several automakers already sell cars with so-called adaptive cruise control that automatically applies the brakes during highway driving if traffic slows. Next, BMW plans to extend that idea in its upcoming i3 series of electric cars, whose traffic-jam feature will let the car accelerate, decelerate, and steer by itself at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour—as long as the driver leaves a hand on the wheel.
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Related Article:

• Automobile Design for the Connected Age

Engineerblogger
Jan 23, 2012

Modified Toyota 2000GT Solar EV

Toyota have developed a solar EV based on the 2000GT, its classic limited production grand tourer.

"There is a solar panel on the hood and a translucent solar panel on the rear window. Solar panels still have low charging efficiency, so they need about two weeks to charge fully from zero. But we've been particular about utilizing solar panels, to power this car without using any electricity from thermal plants, or emitting any CO2."

This car was built by the Toyota Automobile Association, which includes dealers, parts suppliers, and engineers as well as Toyota itself. It incorporates both traditional Japanese craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology.

This car was converted by members of the Crazy Car Project, which includes engineers from car dealers, parts suppliers, and car makers. It incorporates both traditional Japanese craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology.

"We created the interior together with a company called Hayashi Telempu, which supplied parts for the original 2000GT. The idea was to revive the original features using today's technology. By using artificial leather instead of real leather, we've given the interior an even smoother finish. For the wooden finish on the instrument panel, rather than the original brown, we've used Japanese black lacquer, with gold and silver accents. This was commissioned from artisans in Kaga, to create a traditional Japanese atmosphere. Another highlight is the seven-dial meter, a characteristic feature of the original 2000GT. We've kept the original arrangement unchanged, but now it shows EV readings, like the motor rate, battery charge, and battery temperature."

This concept behind this vehicle is a solar car that can carry two people at a top speed of 200 km/h. It has a 35 kWh battery from Panasonic, and uses the motor and inverter from the Lexus LS Hybrid.

"The sound of a gasoline engine in a race is exciting, and with a quiet EV, you can add the kind of sound you like. By making the pitch and frequency vary linearly when the accelerator is pressed, we've created a sound that simulates a race car very well."

"Imagine a parking lot in summer. The parking lot here in midsummer is full of cars, and they're not doing anything useful, just getting hot in the sun. If all cars had solar panels like this, they'd make a great mega-solar plant. If that could be achieved, automobiles, which are said to be unfriendly to the environment, could become good for it. They'd be useful even when they were parked. We've built this car in the hope that, one day, the world will be like that."




Source: DigInfo TV

Additional Information:

• Crazy Car Project

UKH2Mobility hydrogen project launched by Government

Engineerblogger
Jan 24, 2012

The government has announced plans to position the UK at the forefront of commercial hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle roll-out, launching the UKH2Mobility programme to develop an action plan ahead of a 2014/2015 deployment.

"The UK is proving itself to be a key early market for ultra-low emission vehicles with growing numbers of electric and plug-in hybrids appearing on our roads. The government is supporting this market by investing £400 million to support the development, demonstration and deployment of low and ultra-low emission vehicles." Explained business minister Mark Prisk at the launch event.

"Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are increasingly being recognised as one of the viable options as we move to a lower carbon motoring future. They are highly efficient, can be fuelled in minutes, travel an equivalent range to a conventional combustion engine, and have zero tail-pipe emissions.

"The UK has a number of world-class companies that are developing exciting technologies in both the hydrogen energy and automotive value chains and it is therefore vitally important that we identify what is required to make these cars a realistic proposition for UK consumers.

"UKH2Mobility will bring together industry expertise to establish the UK as a serious global player in the manufacture and use of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and the supporting infrastructure", Prisk added.

The project will seek to analyse in detail the specific UK case for the introduction of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles as one of a number of solutions designed to reduce the carbon emissions of road transport, review the investments required to commercialise the technology including the requirement to build a refuelling infrastructure, and identify exactly what steps are required to put the UK at the head of the hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle manufacturing queue.

The project already has a wide selection of signatories, including specialists in the field of hydrogen and compressed gasses like Air Liquide Hydrogen Energy and the BOC Group to vehicle manufacturers including Daimler, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall. The first results from the programme are expected to be released by the end of this year; should the outlook appear positive, an action plan will be developed to provide a road map to a potential 2014/2014 roll-out of commercial hydrogen vehicles in the UK.

Source:  Expert Review