Smart creator announces fuel-cell car project

[SMART]

As you might or might not know Smart was founded by a joint venture created by DaimlerBenz and the Swiss brand of watches Swatch. One of the fathers of that idea (if not the main contributor), Nicholas Hayek, Swatch CEO, has now announced he is developing a new vehicle: a fuel-cell car.

"I want to do whatever I can to accelerate the development of alternative and renewable technologies", Hayek said in an article which appeared in French magazine L'AutoHebdo. "Switzerland is going very slowly on this path, as the rest of the world."

The Swiss patron expects collaboration from Swiss Group E and Villingen's Paul Scherrer Institute to develop the engine. They estimate their investment in about 15 to 21 million dollars and the resulting vehicle will be sold for under 60,000 EUR in 2010.

Pretty interesting that he would surface while the Smart is making such a buzz here in the US, but very smart too!

[jonnysan]

I wish they would spend that kind of money on a PHEV instead of a fuel cell powered one. The PHEV is much closer to reality than the fuel cell powered one. We still need to construct an infrastructure for H2 and that in and of itself will be a GIANT, EXPENSIVE task. That coupled with some of the known issues with fuel cells themselves takes the reality of fuel cell powered cars well into the next decade or even further out. Not a naysayer...just a realist and one that is very familiar with fuel cells.

[Pee-wee German]

or bi-fuel like the ones offered by bmw that can run on H2 or gasoline.

[sunnyokanagan]

A relative of mine who is an engineer for MB in Stuttgart was sent to Vancouver along with a sizable team on a five-year project several years back. They were to work with Ballard to develop a very promising fuel cell project for Mercedes.

Something less than one year into the contract (IIRC), the team was recalled to Germany.

[jwight]

Talk about raising threads from the dead...

[SmartJoeMN]

Pee Wee did some good digging overnight

[WhiteNBlack08]

Especially considering Hayek is dead.....

[BigWarpGuy]

Fast Company. If it can fit into a motorcycle, would it be that much more difficult to make it a little bigger for a compact vehicle?


Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars Now. I believe there is a way to refuel the fuel cell tanks from home.

This being one system.
Hydrogen Refuelling From Home.


From what I have read, there seems to be a lot of progresss when it comes to fuel cells and fuel cell powered vehicles.