CHRYSLER DEVELOPING ELECTRIC CAR USING GASOLINE TO POWER FUEL CELL.Byline: Brian S The name Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan) comes from an Irish backround. It is of Celtic origin and its meaning may be "hill" or "strong, noble, and high"[1]. . Akre Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Chrysler Corp. on Monday announced a major development in the search for a practical, long-range electric car - one that relies on inexpensive, low-grade gasoline instead of batteries. Yes, a gasoline-powered electric car. What makes it possible is the development of a way to extract hydrogen from gasoline while the car is being driven. It's called ``fuel cell'' technology. A fuel cell is a device that produces electricity from a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The hangup for automotive use has been how to get and store the hydrogen efficiently and inexpensively. ``We believe hydrogen needs to be processed from gasoline on board vehicles because hydrogen isn't a practical fuel choice today,'' said Francois Castaing, Chrysler vice president of vehicle engineering. ``Simply put, there are not any filling stations supplying it to a mass market.'' In Chrysler's system, a platinum catalyst and an on-board fuel processor break down the gasoline into hydrogen and water. The hydrogen is used by a series of fuel cells to produce enough electricity to power the car's drive motors, air conditioner and other equipment. Chrysler says the development will cut up to 10 years from the time it will take to create a practical prototype of a fuel-cell car. The No. 3 domestic automaker says it hopes to have a prototype as soon as 2005. The car is expected to be at least 50 percent more fuel-efficient and 90 percent cleaner than a modern, gasoline-powered internal combustion engine Internal combustion engine A prime mover, the fuel for which is burned within the engine, as contrasted to a steam engine, for example, in which fuel is burned in a separate furnace. , Chrysler advanced technologies specialist Christopher E. Borroni-Bird told a news conference at the North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. International Auto Show An auto show, or motor show, is a public exhibition of current automobile models, debuts, concept cars, or out-of-production classics. It is commonly attended by automobile manufacturers. Most auto shows occur once or twice a year. . Last month, General Motors Corp. began leasing the first modern electric car designed solely as an electric vehicle, as opposed to an existing vehicle retrofitted with batteries. GM hopes the EV1 will lead to mass-market demand as the battery technology improves. The two-seater, available for now only in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and Arizona, is powered by relatively low-tech lead-acid batteries Noun 1. lead-acid battery - a battery with lead electrodes with dilute sulphuric acid as the electrolyte; each cell generates about 2 volts lead-acid accumulator . Fuel-cell technology was developed for use in spacecraft, but problems in supplying and storing hydrogen have hampered plans to use it for cars. Hydrogen must be highly compressed, and the tanks are heavy and costly.Developing a practical system to extract hydrogen from gasoline would eliminate those problems, Castaing said. ``People will still refuel re·fu·el v. re·fu·eled also re·fu·elled, re·fu·el·ing also re·fu·el·ling, re·fu·els also re·fu·els v.tr. To supply again with fuel. v.intr. their vehicles the same way they always have, and the gas tanks on their vehicles may actually be smaller than they are today, not bigger and more cumbersome,'' Castaing said. CAPTION(S): Box, Drawing Box/Drawing: (Color) Fuel cells that run on gasoline |
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