The rapidly changing face of automotive engineering and design, driven by the political and environmental need to break away from a dependence on fossil fuels has led to different visions for the future of vehicle powertrains. One of those visions lies in hydrogen fuel cell technology, an avenue of development being brought to fruition by the Ford Motor Company through the platform of the Ford Focus FCV.

Ford refers to its Focus FCV as a Generation 3 hydrogen vehicle because the company has been experimenting with other cars in the genre for ten years, principally the Ford P2000. The Ford Focus FCV derives its power from a Ballard 902 Fuel Cell, Proton Exchange Membrane Stack placed in the trunk of the car. The 5000 psi hydrogen tank (4 kg / 8.8 lbs) has two-inch thick aluminum walls encased in Kevlar and carbon fiber to withstand forces from both impact and crushing pressure.

The system releases hydrogen into the fuel cell stack where it is separated into protons and electrons thus generating electricity before joining with oxygen to produce water, the car’s only byproduct. The power created by this process feeds the electric motor in concert with the car’s High Voltage SANYO NiMH Battery system. (The D-cell batteries are placed under the back seat.) The principle functions of the batteries are to pressurize the fuel stack when the car is started, to provide power to the air compressor, and to supply extra juice as needed during normal driving.

Utilizing this powertrain, the Focus FCV can travel to a range of 150 to 200 miles and achieve a top speed of 80 mph (87 hp / 170 lbs-ft.) In body configuration the Focus FCV is built on the 2000 model year Focus platform, making it a four-door sedan with a wheelbase of 103” and an overall length of 170.7”. The interior of the research units is standard pre-2004 Focus stock with only minor modifications to the dash cluster to remove the tachometer and insert a gauge to indicate fuel cell operational status. In the back the center armrest is permanently down since some of the hydrogen system runs through that position.

To start the Focus FCV the driver turns the key to the “run” position and waits for a ventilation fan to shut down before moving the key to the “crank” position and releasing it. At this point the vehicle’s compressor pump kicks in, moving air and hydrogen into the fuel cell. On the gauge cluster in front of the driver the needle moves to “Start Up” and within 15 seconds jumps to “Run” indicating the car is ready to be shifted into drive. Reviewers who have test-driven the vehicle comment on the whine of the pump, but the lack of normal engine noise and vibration. Since the Focus has a single speed trans-axle, the car’s acceleration is smooth and uninterrupted by shifting.

Before his resignation as CEO in September 2006, Bill Ford devoted much of his time and attention to the special project of cultivating the hydrogen cell technology and design culminating in the Focus FCV. With superior range and performance in a familiar and proven package, Ford Motor Company maintains that fuel cell hybrid vehicles will be a viable commercial endeavor in a decade if not sooner. The company has already conducted a “real world” test with 30 Focus FCV units in five cities during 2005. Rising gasoline prices and deepening environmental concerns will no doubt push forward the timetable for the Focus FCV and its competitors to actually reach the American roadways, helping to usher in a new automotive age.