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	..................................................................................................................................................Computer graphics: DaimlerChrysler  ..................................................................................................................................................Explanatory text: TIME

Article from TIME June 28, 1999 p. TD24, special report section TIME DIGITAL written by Nichole Christian

A Fuels Paradise . The introduction of DaimlerChrysler's NECAR 4 brings us one lap closer.to.the.end.of.a.long,.global.race.for.emission-free.automobiles

Photo: Time

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It is the obsession of most of the world's automakers. Everyone wants to be the first to build the industry's most pollution-free car, a vehicle so clean and so high tech that it has no need for, say, a gas tank, a tailpipe, a battery - not even a glistening engine underneath the hood. As farfetched as the dream may sound, fuel-cell technology-liquid hydrogen-propelled, that is - is quietly giving automakers; their
best shot at driving their emissions-free fantasy autos into showrooms, maybe as soon as 2004.
"The entire industry is in a race right now to see which technology will lead us into the future," says Scott Fosgard, a technology spokesman for DaimlerChrysler. And no automaker is farther along in this global race than DaimlerChrysler, which in March unveiled a fuel-cell version of its popular Mercedes A-Class hatchback. Called the NECAR 4 (short for New Electric Car), it seats five people and is powerful enough to travel 280 miles ((450km)) without a drop of gasoline at speeds up to 90 m.p.h. ((145km/h)). The NECAR 4 runs on liquid hydrogen, stored in tanks underneath the car, that combines with oxygen from the air to propel the car down the highway - minus the fumes of today's cars and trucks. Fuel-cell-vehicle owners will one day be able to pull up to their local hydrogen stations and recharge their tanks with the flip of a switch. In the meantime, since hydrogen fuel isn't widely available some fuel-cell experts believe the cars will most likely use a hydrogen-producing fuel like methanol as a kind of bridge, until hydrogen stations catch on..............................................Photo: Time

"This technology is no different from the [automotive] industry's introduction to computers. Everyone said they would never enter the car: too expensive, too unreliable, a waste of time," says Ferdinand Panik, the head of DaimlerChrysler's fuel-cell research in Germany. "But they changed the entire automotive world, as we believe fuel cells will. The sky is the limit for this technology." To be sure, fuel cells are far more complex than anything on the road today. The device consists of a membrane coated with a platinum catalyst and an electrode made from gas-permeable graphite paper. Graphite plates, with delicate built-in gas channels, sit on both sides of the catalyst. Hydrogen is funneled into the channels on one side, while the

other set is fed compressed oxygen. In seconds, a negative charge pulses through the cell receiving hydrogen, while a positive charge roars through the oxygen side. With 220 volts of electricity (compared with just 12 volts from an engine-powered car), the NECAR 4 has enough voltage to power the car and everyday essentials like a refrigerator, microwave, coffee machine and, of course, a fax machine.
Despite the industry's rush to fuel cells, some automakers are still placing bets on an array of other alternative technologies. General Motors continues to broaden the reach of its all-electric EV1, which runs on a lead-acid battery. Toyota and Honda will soon unveil American models of their successful Japanese hybrid vehicles, which can alternate between a battery-powered motor and a gasoline engine. Tom Allot, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., says Honda's hybrid, expected to be on sale this fall, will be one of the worlds most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicles,  getting better than 70 m.p.g. ((3.36 litres each 100km)). The car relies on a small 1.0-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine, an electric motor, a battery pack and a controller, which acts as the vehicle's nerve center. (For more on high-tech cars, go online to time.digital.com/cars.)
Whatever technology the industry decides to back, this much is clear: while you will still be able to choose the color of your future car, it will doubtless be green.
Nichole Christian is the Detroit bureau chief of TIME magazine
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