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Scottish Developers Work on Gh2ost Fuel Cell Vehicle

September 19, 2004 by Jeff Shepard

Scottish developers are working on an economical vehicle with a dolphin-like form, the "Gh2ost," which is equipped with two 50 W fuel cells and is expected to break the current record for vehicle economy (the energy equivalent of 0.022 L of gasoline per 100 km). The low fuel consumption is made possible by a streamlined design and lightweight construction. Built from aluminum and carbon fiber materials, the vehicle’s total weight is only about 40 kg.

siGEN Ltd. (Aberdeen, Scotland) collaborated with the technology group BOC in developing the record-breaking vehicle. At 150 W of power output, the electric motor is every bit as oversized as the two fuel cells, which can deliver a total of 100 W. However, only 25 W to 50 W is required. The two fuel cells are powered by gaseous hydrogen that is carried on board in a compressed gas bottle. The targeted fuel consumption is expected to correspond to the energy equivalent of 22 mL of gasoline per 100 km. To cover a distance equivalent to the earth’s circumference, the economical Gh2ost would need only about 8.8 L of gasoline, and it could travel the distance equal to a journey to the moon on a little less than 85 L. The vehicle's cruising speed is only 18 kph, the indicated top speed is 25 kmh, and it takes the Gh2ost about five minutes to reach this maximum speed.