U.S. fuel cell vehicle Learning Demonstration: Status update and early second-generation vehicle results

The National Learning Demonstration is conducting an integrated field validation to examine the performance of fuel cell vehicles and their supporting hydrogen infrastructure. NREL has now analyzed data from over four years of the six-year project, including 140 vehicles and 20 refueling stations, resulting in over 346,000 vehicle trips across 1,900,000 miles and over 90,000 kg of hydrogen produced or dispensed. Public analytical results from this project are presented in the form of composite data products (CDPs), which aggregate individual performance to protect the intellectual property and the identity of each company, while still publishing overall status and progress. In the spring of 2009, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published the latest set of CDPs, making a total of 60 individual results and many new analyses publicly available. Highlights from the vehicle results include meeting the 250-mile driving range program milestone with 700-bar hydrogen storage tanks, stacks that have demonstrated almost 2,000 hours without repair, maintenance categorization from the powertrain and fuel cell system, and fuel cell stack usage data on trips/hour and time at various voltage levels. Infrastructure results include well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions calculated using actual fuel economy and production efficiency and a deep-dive into refueling rates. The project is continuing into 2010, with a significant number of vehicles planned for daily use through the end of the project. Results will continue to be published by NREL every six months and a final report is planned at the end of the project. © 2009 AVERE.