LOS ANGELES — In the category of "What were they thinking?" at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show comes the world debut of the Volkswagen space up! blue concept.
This concept, the third in the up! series from the German automaker, is a city car with a no-nonsense boxy silhouette and an electric motor located in the rear of the vehicle. VW says it is "reminiscent of the Samba Bus of the 1950s."
But unlike its predecessor, the space up! blue is environmentally friendly, with zero emissions. It has what VW calls "the world's first high-temperature fuel cell" along with an array of 12 lithium-ion batteries. The microvan also has a large solar panel on the roof that the company says supplies up to 150 watts of energy, fed into the battery. Someone at the German automaker must have had tongue firmly in cheek in writing, "It handles the sprint to 62 mph in a dynamic 13.7 seconds."
Perhaps less important than the concept's shape or how fast it can sprint is the underlying technology. VW says the high-temperature fuel cell "represents a turning point in research on fuel cells for mass production." In some ways, it may represent the Holy Grail of fuel cells, because VW says it offers "considerably lower weight, significantly greater everyday utility, substantially lower price, and therefore clearly the better chances of becoming a reality someday as a mass-produced technology."
It will be fascinating to watch how VW develops this unusual fuel cell.
What this means to you: This is the shape of things to come — but in technology, not the vehicle's exterior appearance. At least, we hope. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
This concept, the third in the up! series from the German automaker, is a city car with a no-nonsense boxy silhouette and an electric motor located in the rear of the vehicle. VW says it is "reminiscent of the Samba Bus of the 1950s."
But unlike its predecessor, the space up! blue is environmentally friendly, with zero emissions. It has what VW calls "the world's first high-temperature fuel cell" along with an array of 12 lithium-ion batteries. The microvan also has a large solar panel on the roof that the company says supplies up to 150 watts of energy, fed into the battery. Someone at the German automaker must have had tongue firmly in cheek in writing, "It handles the sprint to 62 mph in a dynamic 13.7 seconds."
Perhaps less important than the concept's shape or how fast it can sprint is the underlying technology. VW says the high-temperature fuel cell "represents a turning point in research on fuel cells for mass production." In some ways, it may represent the Holy Grail of fuel cells, because VW says it offers "considerably lower weight, significantly greater everyday utility, substantially lower price, and therefore clearly the better chances of becoming a reality someday as a mass-produced technology."
It will be fascinating to watch how VW develops this unusual fuel cell.
What this means to you: This is the shape of things to come — but in technology, not the vehicle's exterior appearance. At least, we hope. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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