DETROIT, Michigan, Aug 26 (AFP) - DaimlerChrysler delivered a medium-duty fuel cell van to the UPS package delivery company Thursday, for what it says is the first commercial US test of a hydrogen-powered vehicle this size.
The automaker delivered the zero emissions Dodge Fuel Cell Sprinter to UPS executives in Los Angeles for use as part of its delivery fleet.
UPS will use the van for daily deliveries to see how it holds up to the rigours of hauling heavy loads in the stop-and-go of city driving.
"Putting vehicles like this into real commercial use is vital to developing technology that has true societal and business value," said Eric Ridenour, the Chrysler Group's executive vice president of product development.
Mercedes has had a zero emissions fuel-cell Sprinter van since 1999, but this is the first time the automaker has put the technology in a Dodge vehicle, and put it on the road this side of the Atlantic.
The van has a range of approximately 155 miles (250 kilometers), a top speed of 80 miles per hour (130 kilometers per hour), and comes with 474 cubic feet (13.4 cubic meters) of cargo space and a cargo capacity of 2,000 pounds (900 kilos), according to Chrysler spokesman Nicholas Cappa.
In addition, the Dodge Sprinter has an increased range of about 50 miles (80 kilometers), and is 48 percent more efficient than earlier versions of DCX's fuel cell vehicles. A supplemental battery gives the van additional acceleration power.
Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity and have been used for decades in spacecraft.
Auto companies expect hydrogen-powered vehicles to be two or three times more efficient than a car or truck driven by a conventional combustion engine. The only by-products of a fuel cell stack are heat and water.
Most of the top automakers are experimenting with this environmentally-friendly technology, but experts say any commercial application of it is a decade away, because of cost and reliability issues and the need to establish a hydrogen infrastructure for refueling purposes.