VIAVISIONJune 2015

V O L K S W A G E N S H A P I N G T H E F U T U R E O F M O B I L I T Y

Fuell Cell TeChnologyClean Drive

2

FUEL CELL VIAVISION

Interview withDr Heinz-Jakob Neußer 2

A Vision on its Way 3

Thoroughly Thinking Through 3

At the Heart of Hydrogen 4

This is What Hppens Inside 6

Well Connected? 8

Index Seminal DevelopmentDr Heinz-Jakob Neußer on the Practicality of the Fuel Cell

What are the biggest challenges to bringing fuel cell vehicles to the mar-ket?

The major challenges for this tech-nology are cost reduction and the estab-lishment of the necessary infrastructure. Moreover, it is of fundamental impor-tance that the hydrogen is produced from regenerative sources. This is the only way to ensure sustainable mobili-ty. This technology is one of many possi-bilities for emission-free long-distance mobility.

Are fuel cell vehicles already practi-cal for everyday use?

We have already demonstrated the practicality of our fuel cell vehicles in fl eet trials. This was presented to the public at last year’s L.A. Auto Show. We showed there that this type of drive is suitable for everyday use. In addition, we have shown that our MQB is already prepared for fuel cell technology. Now, the task is to offer fuel cell technology at a marketable price. We are working in-

tensively on this. For widespread use in everyday life, however, the necessary in-frastructure and commitment to hydro-gen as an energy carrier are still lack-ing.

Does Volkswagen actively support the establishment of a hydrogen fuelling station infrastructure?

Volkswagen assists the activities of the H2-Mobility initiative in creating a hydrogen infrastructure in Germany. To me, it is important to emphasise that the public service obligation is not with the automotive industry. The develop-ment of an infrastructure to provide hy-drogen must be made by energy com-panies and the petroleum industry with its petrol stations and, in the long run, support itself.

Dr Heinz-Jakob Neußer, Board Member of Management for the Volkswagen Brand and Head of Powertrain Development of Volkswagen Group.

www.viavision.org

Edited byVolkswagen Aktiengesellschaft Konzernkommunikation Brieffach 1972, 38436 Wolfsburg, GermanyPhone: +49 (0)5361/9-87603Fax: +49 (0)5361/9-21952

V.i.S.d.P. (Person responsible according to the German press law)Stephan Grühsem, Leiter Konzernkommunikation; Pietro Zollino, Leiter Produktkommunikation Marke Volkswagen

Editorial staffStefanie Huland, Michaela MöllerVolkswagen: Michael Franke, Tonio VakalopoulosContact: redaktion@viavision.org

Published byVerlag Rommerskirchen GmbH & Co. KGMainzer Straße 16 -18, Rolandshof53424 Remagen, Germany Phone: +49 (0)2228/931- 0 www.rommerskirchen.com

Printed byL.N. Schaffrath GmbHMarktweg 42-50, 47608 Geldern, Germany

All images in this issue are approved for reprint, citing VIAVISION as their source.

Imprint

3

June 2015 FUEL CELL

3

A Vision on its WayFuel Cell Vehicles by VolkswagenThe idea behind the fuel cell car is convincing: the same range and comparable refuelling time as a vehicle with a con-ventional drive with no pollutant emissions, like an electric car. The developers at Volkswagen have already been work-ing on the concrete realisation of this vision for many decades.

The Golf HyMotion, presented in Las Vegas, showed that the fuel cell can be implemented using the constructive base of the Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) as well as making use of some of its components and technologies. This engine completes the line up of drive systems offered by Volkswagen based on the MQB.

Thoroughly Thinking ThroughThe Fuel Cell Complements the MQB’s Powertrain

Existing modules from the MQB, such as the electric motor or the battery technology as a whole, can be used. The hydrogen fuel tanks have technological similarities with the natural gas tanks already in use. However, the higher pressure in the hydrogen tank (700 bar) compared to the natural gas tank (200 bar) requires a thicker carbon fibre layer than in the CNG tanks.

All the Drive Systems in the Modular Transverse Matrix:

2000 2001 2014

The first HyMotion used liquid hydrogen as fuel. A large amount of energy has to be expended in order to convert hydrogen into this very dense state of matter. In the long run, this proved to be too energy-intensive and could not win through.

VW Bora HyMotion 1The first fuel cell vehicle from VW was an EU-funded project. Its fuel cell system ran on methanol, which was converted into hydrogen and CO2 on board.

VW Bora Variant Capri VW U.S.-Passat HyMotion 4The HyMotion 4 epitomises the current state of fuel cell technology. The US-Passat, presented in L.A., uses gase-ous hydrogen as fuel for the fuel cell system, developed by Volkswagen, which is stored on board at a pres-sure of 700 bar.

Volkswagen introduces other studies which are already fuelled with gaseous hydro-gen. Apart from these techni-cal developments, the VW Group is involved in initiatives such as the Clean Energy Partnership which paves the way for the market introduc-tion of fuel cell technology, with partners from industry and politics.

Conventional Fuel CellAlternative/Renewable

Diesel Petrol Hydrogen

Existing modules from the MQB, such as the electric motor or the battery technology as a whole, can be used. The hydrogen fuel tanks have technological similarities with the natural gas tanks already in use. However, the higher pressure in the hydrogen tank (700 bar) Existing modules from the MQB, such as the electric motor or the battery technology as a whole, can be used. The hydrogen fuel tanks

Ethanol Natural Gas Electric

Existing modules from the MQB, such as the electric motor or the battery technology as a whole, can be used. The hydrogen fuel tanks have technological similarities with the natural gas tanks already in use. However, the higher pressure in the hydrogen tank (700 bar) Existing modules from the MQB, such as the electric motor or the battery technology as a whole, can be used. The hydrogen fuel tanks

Conventional/Electric

Existing modules from the MQB, such as the electric motor or the battery technology as a whole, can be used. The hydrogen fuel tanks have technological similarities with the natural gas tanks already in use. However, the higher pressure in the hydrogen tank (700 bar)

Conventional/Electric

Existing modules from the MQB, such as the electric motor or the battery technology as a whole, can be used. The hydrogen fuel tanks

4

FUEL CELL VIAVISION

4

At the Heart of HydrogenThe Basis: Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) As new and revolutionary as fuel cells may be - the developers still don’t have to start at zero. A fuel cell vehicle is pow-ered by electricity, the same as an electric car. The drivetrain can therefore rely on the tried and tested e-modules and technologies of the Modular Transverse Matrix’s electromobility.

The DC/DC CONVERTER is responsible for setting the voltage, and thereby controlling the fl ow of energy between battery, fuel cell and electric motor.

The Golf HyMotion has a SINGLE SPEED TRANSMIS-SION. The electric motor drives the front wheels via the transmission and the drive shafts to which it is connected.

The HyMotion features a fully automotive drive with a 12,ooo revolutions per minute SYNCHRO-NOUS MOTOR taken from the drive of the e-Golf.

The RADIATOR releases the heat produced during the energy conversion into the environment and in doing so cools the fuel cell. About 6o percent of the hydrogen is converted into electrical work in the fuel which powers the electric motor.

The FUEL CELL STACK is the drive’s power plant. It consists of many individual fuel cells that gen-erate electric power for the electric motor through a chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. Ad-ditional units are necessary for the operation of the fuel cell stack, for example the turbo com-pressor and the media in- and outlet. They en-sure, among other things, that the correct amount of air, hydrogen and cooling water is led into the cells.

Fuel cell stack

Media in- and outlet

Turbo compressor

5

June 2015 FUEL CELL

5

The four FUEL CYLINDERS consist of an inner plastic and outer carbon fibre layer and store the hydrogen in the vehicle. To save space, they are located in the underbody of the vehicle.

The LITHIUM-ION HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY stores the energy recov-ered through recuperation during braking. It also supports the motor in dynamic phases through so-called boosting. The prototype has a high-performance battery, which can also be charged via the fuel cell. Another option would be to install a charging socket with which the bat-tery is externally charged at the outlet, providing a purely electric range of up to 5o kilometres.

Electric motor 100 kW / 136 hp

Maximum torque 270 Nm

Range approx. 500 km

0 - 100 km/h 10 s

Top speed 160 km/h

Battery energy content 1.1 kWh

Technical characteristics of the Golf HyMotion

The POWER ELECTRONICS are connected to the electric motor and the battery, and transform the electric current so that the electric motor sometimes works as a motor (which converts elec-trical energy into kinetic energy), sometimes as a generator (which converts kinetic energy into electrical energy). During engine operation, the power electronics transform the direct current of the high-voltage battery into a three-phase alternating current that drives the electric motor. In generator mode, it transforms the alternating current into direct current; this charges the battery.

6

FUEL CELL VIAVISION

6

2 H2+O2 = 2 H2O

This is What Happens InsideHow the Fuel Cell WorksHydrogen and oxygen react to form water. The resulting energy is converted into electricity, driving the electric motor of the vehicle. The challenges when building a car are the development of a low-cost fuel cell technology, the appropriate infrastructure, and the production of hydrogen from renewable energies.

Each fuel cell has two electrodes: the anode and the cathode. Between them is a thin membrane that works as a conductor for the pro-tons (H+). So-called bipolar plates lie between the individual cells. There are grooves on the plates over which oxygen and hydrogen is led into the cells. The combination of several cells is also called stack.

AnodeUsing platinum as a catalyst, the hydrogen gas which is supplied to the anode disintegrates into protons (H+) and electrons (e-).

MembraneThe membrane consists of a plastic material which only lets protons pass. The electrons must find a way around the membrane to reach the cathode with its electron shortage. The movement of charged electrons through a closed electrical circuit converts electrical energy into mechanical work.

CathodeOxygen is supplied to the cathode via the bipolar plate. Here it forms water with the free protons (H+) and electrons (e-), using platinum as a catalyst.

The Structure of a Membrane Fuel Cell:

ANODE

HYDROGENH2

OXYGENO2

ELECTRON

DIRECT CURRENT

PROTON-CONDUCTING MEMBRANE

CATHODE

H+

H+

O2-

HOT WATERH2O

June 2015 FUEL CELL

7

HydrogenHydrogen is the first element in the periodic table of elements and the smallest atom. Its chemical symbol is H. It is one of the main components of water

and is the most abundant element in the universe. The nucleus of the hydrogen

atom consists of an electron and a proton.

OxygenOxygen is a non-metallic element, its chemical symbol is O. With around a 21 percent share of the volume of air, it is the second most abundant element in our atmosphere. It is highly reactive, as regards chemical reactions, meaning that it easily forms chemical compounds.

Features of the driveShort charge time A fuel cell car can be refuelled with hydrogen almost as fast as a natural gas car or one with a conventional combustion engine. Filling the tank takes between three and five min-utes, depending on tank capacity.

Long range Fuel cell vehicles offer a long range. A full tank of hydrogen will take you several hundred kilometres.

Hybrid function The battery in the fuel cell car works similarly to a hybrid ve-hicle: it supports the motor in dynamic phases and is charged with energy (recuperation) during braking. The battery could be charged externally from an electrical outlet by installing a charging socket. This enables a pure electric range of about 50 kilometres.

GlossaryBipolar plates:Bipolar plates are the main me-chanical component of a fuel cell stack: they connect the individual cells of the stack electrically and maintain the media feed. For this they must be very conductive and withstand chemical influences, high operating temperatures and high mechanical pressure in the cell.

Electron:The electron is an electrically negatively charged particle and is part of the components of an atom, as are the neutron and pro-ton. It is located in the electron shell. A body is negatively charged if there is an abundance of electrons.

Proton:The proton is a positively charged particle and a part of an atom like the neutron and electron. It is located in the nucleus, with the neutrons. If there is a proton predominance in a body, it is positively charged.

Voltage:Current flow requires voltage. The voltage level determines how much current can flow. Voltage is therefore the driving force that causes the movement of charge carriers. The voltage level is specified in volts.

8

FUEL CELL VIAVISION

BERLIN

MUNICH

KARLSRUHE

A1

A7

A4A4

A1

A7A3

A9

A3

A9

HAMBURG

COLOGNE

MUNICH

4

2

5

4

2

2

Well Connected?Infrastructure of Hydrogen Filling StationsWell-developed environment-friendly technology is useless without the corresponding infrastructure. The same applies to the fuel cell: while scarce thus far, the expansion of hydro-gen fuelling stations in Germany is slowly picking up speed.

In Germany, you can fill up on hydrogen at 16 stations today. By the end of 2015, that number should be increased to a full 50, as in-dustry partners and the German Federal Ministry of Transport agreed in June 2012 as part of the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP). In order to deliver fuel cell drive coverage, about 1,000 such stations are required.

In operation16Under construction13

Location search/ negotiations15

In concrete planning17