The electrical power generation system is supplied with hydrogen at a pressure of 1.5 bars and oxygen contained in the air. It produces electrical energy so efficiently that 60% is available at just 20% of maximum power. The Fuel Cell System installed on the Panda Hydrogen also features excellent performance at low temperatures and a relatively simple construction that makes it particularly suitable for the production of light, sturdy and reliable generators for use on vehicles.
The alternating current three-phase asynchronous electric engine and the transmission are located in the engine compartment together with the various accessories required to operate the system as a whole.
The hydrogen that feeds the Fuel Cell is contained at a pressure of 350 bars in a tank made out of composite material installed beneath the car's rear floorpan. All the distinguishing features of the New Panda passenger compartment are therefore maintained, including outstanding roominess for four people.
At full power, the Fuel Cell engine on the Panda Hydrogen delivers 60 kW that allow the car to reach a top speed of more than 130 km/h, with acceleration from 0 to 50 km/h in 5 seconds. The car can also easily climb a gradient of 23% at take-off.
The hydrogen tank capacity guarantees Fiat Panda Hydrogen a range of more than 200 km over an urban cycle. Refuelling time is very quick at less than 5 minutes, i.e. comparable to the time taken to refuel a methane car.
FIAT Panda Hydrogen is the latest outcome of a technological development line that has seen Fiat Group companies playing a leading role in the field of alternative minimum environmental impact power units.
Though Fuel Cell propulsion systems will not be widely available before the end of the next decade, Fiat has already been active in their development and application for a number of years - as we saw in 2001 with the debut of the Seicento 'Elettra H2 Fuel Cell, and then the Seicento Hydrogen. The Panda Hydrogen has now taken up the baton to take research from the laboratory prototype stage to that of a field research vehicle.
2006 will see the beginning of the demonstration stage of small Panda Hydrogen fleets, as a forerunner to wide-ranging demonstration programmes promoted and supported by the European Union and by the Italian Ministries and Regions. The ultimate aim is for such vehicles to be marketed within 15 - 20 years.
