Peugeot combines fuel cells and batteries to target delivery firms

New demonstration vehicle employs exchangeable hydrogen fuel cell to extend range of Partner Origin electric van

French car giant Peugeot Citroen has today debuted a new zero emission delivery vehicle that combines hydrogen fuel cell and battery technology.

The demonstration vehicle is the result of a three year H2Origin research project with UK fuel cell specialist Intelligent Energy that has seen the new engine integrated into Peugeot's battery powered Partner Origin van.

The engine combines the existing electric battery and powertrain with a hydrogen fuel cell designed to treble the range of the vehicle to 300km. The car can the run off of either the hydrogen fuel cell or the battery with the battery recharging when the fuel cell is powering the vehicle in the manner similar to a hybrid.

A spokesman for the company said that it boasted a top speed of 95km/h and accelerated from 0 to 50 in 8.3 seconds.

Intelligent Energy said that the fuel cell was small enough to fit under the bonnet of a small delivery vehicle. It added that concerns over the effectiveness of hydrogen fuel cells at low temperatures had also been addressed, noting that the vehicle can be started at minus 20 degrees centigrade.

The van also features a new hydrogen storage system that holds the gas in an exchangeable rack or fuel tank. Peugeot Citroen said that the exchangeable rack provides a practical alternative to refuelling at hydrogen refuelling stations, only two of which are currently operational in the UK. Instead delivery vehicles running low on fuel could simply return to the depot to have a new full hydrogen tank fitted.

Jean Pierre Goedgebuer, Scientific Director of PSA Peugeot Citroën, said that the extended range of the van would increase "the attractiveness of electric vehicles for urban delivery", adding that the sector represented "one of the most promising future markets for electric vehicles".