UA Researchers Help Develop Transportation of the Future

Left to right: fuel cell research team members Dr. John Wiest, Dr. Ramana Reddy, Dr. Alan Lane, Dr. Giovanni Zangari

Engineering faculty on the fuel cell research team include (left to right): Dr. John Wiest, associate professor of chemical engineering; Dr. Ramana Reddy, ACIPCO professor of metallurgical and materials engineering; Dr. Alan Lane, professor of chemical engineering; and Dr. Giovanni Zangari, assistant professor of metallurgical and materials engineering.

By Neika D. Nix

A few years from now, you may never have to pump gas into your car again. By that time, many vehicles on the highways could operate with hydrogen fuel cells instead, thanks in large part to research being done at The University of Alabama.

A group of UA researchers recently received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) worth $400,000 a year for the next six years that will allow them to help develop the future of automotive technology.

Seven faculty members in chemistry, chemical engineering and metallurgical and materials engineering, along with UA’s Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies (CAVT), are working to develop the complex technology needed to make fuel cell energy a realistic and reliable alternative to gasoline-fueled cars.

College of Engineering faculty on the research team include Dr. Alan Lane, professor of chemical engineering; Dr. John Wiest, associate professor of chemical engineering; Dr. Ramana Reddy, ACIPCO professor of metallurgical and materials engineering; and Dr. Giovanni Zangari, assistant professor of metallurgical and materials engineering. Members from the chemistry department of the College of Arts and Sciences are Dr. Anthony Arduengo, Saxon professor; Dr. Shane Street, assistant professor; and Dr. Joseph Thrasher, professor and director of graduate studies in chemistry. Additional research activities are taking place in the CAVT, which is directed by Dr. Stuart Bell, head of UA’s mechanical engineering department.

The award comes at a time when President Bush’s administration has announced that it is ending an eight-year, $1.5 billion program to assist automakers in developing high-mileage, family-size cars. Their new efforts focus on a plan by DOE to advance research on hydrogen-based fuel cells as a way to power the cars of the future. With the aid of this grant, the University will have the potential to become a nationally recognized fuel cell research center, Lane said.

The fuel cell has been called the "energy source for a green planet," developed to power vehicles known in the auto industry as "clean machines," Lane explained. The technology harnesses the chemical energy of hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, with heat and water being the only by-products. Hydrogen can be obtained from other fuels, such as natural gas, methanol, or even gasoline, and has fewer emissions than current systems that use combustion processes.

The benefits of fuel cell automobiles can be cleaner air, economic growth and less dependence on foreign oil, said Lane. But he pointed out that present drawbacks, which include the high costs of producing fuel cells, low overall efficiency and the lack of an available hydrogen infrastructure, are still preventing the technology from becoming the next generation of power production.

"The main goal of the UA research team is to overcome these difficulties and help develop fuel cells that are economically feasible for commercial use," Lane said. "We are working to design fuel cells at a decreased cost and increased efficiency level."

A fuel cell research team was formed at UA in April 1999 with funding provided by the CAVT, leading to additional funding from the Environmental Protection Agency and other sources in 2001. Now, with the new award, funding for fuel cell research at the University totals approximately $1,000,000 per year.

The researchers are currently collaborating on four projects, and the strength of their work comes from a combination of faculty from several disciplines working together. "As a group, we all contribute our knowledge from each profession to come together and produce a successful product," Reddy explained. "This is teamwork, which will make anything more successful."

Along with designing a more efficient and economical fuel cell, another major goal of the research is to design a lightweight and easily manufactured fuel cell engine for cars. The increased interest in this technology has already sparked virtually every major automobile manufacturer in the world to begin developing and producing a prototype fuel cell vehicle, Reddy noted. "The fuel cell industry is growing at a tremendous rate, which is creating significant opportunities to work with the automobile industry," he said.

Local manufacturers Daimler-Chrysler and Honda, both majors players in fuel cell technology, could benefit from UA’s research, resulting in more economic development in Alabama, Reddy predicted. "Our biggest challenge to the development of fuel cells for automotive applications right now is to reduce the cost," he said.

Lane noted that despite the high costs of production there are already fuel cell demonstration cars in use, such as the Mercedes-Benz version of its subcompact A-class series called the NECAR 4 (New Electric Car). Although not a realistic and affordable alternative at this time, perhaps not that far in the future, the average consumer will have ready access to fuel cell vehicles, he said.

"It may take a number of years before we can expect the commercialization of fuel cell cars," Lane said. "It is exciting to be at the forefront of making this technology become a reality."