Future is now for F-Cell cars in Singapore
Primastuti Handayani, The Jakarta Post, Singapore
Singapore, only 75-minutes by plane from here, would soon enjoy the luxury of having clear air as there will be emission-free cars operating there to reduce the level of air pollution.
The first benefit was gained from the two-year feasibility study of cars using Fuel-Cell (F-Cell) technology, which is totally emission free.
What is F-Cell?
The principle of the F-cell technology was discovered by Sir William Grove, a British physicist, back in 1839. The F-cell adopted the reverse electrolysis process in which a chemical reaction takes place between hydrogen and oxygen and results in electrical energy, heat and water.
The F-cell has a sandwich-like structure. The polymer Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) is put between two gas-permeable electrodes of graphite paper.
The hydrogen is introduced on one side of the PEM while the other side is exposed to oxygen or simply air.
The F-Cell technology has been studied by DaimlerChrysler since 1994 with its Necar project.
And starting at the end of this year, a fleet of 60 Mercedes- Benz A-Class using F-Cell technology is being tried for daily used in California and Michigan in the U.S., in Berlin, Japan and Singapore.
So, here I was in Singapore on Nov. 5 to become the first Indonesian journalist for the first regional test drive of the vehicle.
From outside, the car is similar to regular A-Class. It is painted in light blue with huge "F-Cell" written on the side of the body and a smaller "driving for the future".
Once I switched on the engine, the buzzing sound of the engine was completely different from fuel-driven ones. It so smooth and quiet that I could not see if the engine was already on or not if I did not take a look at the monitor.
I drove the car from the DaimlerChrysler Regional Logistics Part office for around 14 kilometers and the engine performance really surprised me.
The car could move on smoothly without any jerky movements and it could reach the maximum speed of 140 kilometers per hour, said our driving instructor.
The instructor also said that the car's smoothness was supported by a one-gear automatic transmission, which is different from other automatic-transmission cars that could switch to higher or lower gears based on the speed.
However, I found awkwardness since the only car available was using the left-hand drive version which I was not used to it.
Still curious about the engine, some of us asked Mercedes-Benz officials to open the car's bonnet to see the engine but it was similar to other A-Class.
The entire drive system -- the system module, the fuel cell module, the power distribution unit, the hydrogen tanks and the battery -- was located in the underbody of the car.
Clara Ang, DaimlerChrysler's Senior Manager Public Relations based in Singapore, said that seven A-Class F-Cell cars would arrive in Singapore in April 2004 for a two-year everyday use trials.
The purpose is to see the car's capability in daily use on public roads under tropical environments.
To support the trial, DaimlerChrysler is cooperating with British-based BP petroleum company to open the first hydrogen fueling station in Singapore.
After the test drive, each of the foreign journalists, including those from Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand, was asked on the feasibility of having F-Cell cars in our respective countries.
However, it's sad to know that it's hard for the Jakartans to have F-Cell vehicles because we have poor traffic conditions.
Just like what happened the next morning after returning from Singapore, I was already stuck in the middle of long congestion with a public bus producing thick black smoke in front of my car.
Probably I could only wish that Jakarta had cleaner air, less polluted and if possible had emission free vehicles operating in the capital's streets.