AUSTINTOWN Experimental car visits Valley on trip to fuel interest

The car uses pollution-free fuel-cell technology.
AUSTINTOWN -- Necar 5, the first electric-powered fuel-cell vehicle to make a cross-country road trip, made a pit stop in Austintown on Friday evening to fill up on what may be the fuel of the future -- methanol.
The vehicle, a Mercedes-Benz A-Class car, left Sacramento on May 20 accompanied by 15 automotive engineers from DaimlerChrysler and Ballard Power Systems to prove the endurance of the highly efficient, pollution-free technology.
The car and its team of engineers are expected to arrive in Washington, D.C., Monday for a press conference on alternative fuels.
Fuel cells convert methanol, gasoline or natural gas into hydrogen, then combine it with oxygen to produce electricity to power the vehicle. Because fuel cells use chemistry rather than combustion to convert the fuel into energy, emissions are virtually nonexistent.
The 3,000-mile road trip was mapped out in accordance with access to methanol-refueling facilities and included a stop at Fred Martin Ford/Mercedes, 4701 Mahoning Ave. The Necar 5 arrived about 7 p.m. Friday and left early Saturday for Washington.
Special shipment
Mike Johnson, parts manager at Fred Martin Ford/Mercedes, said Saturday that the methanol fuel and six canisters of compressed nitrogen were specially shipped to the dealership in anticipation of the pit stop.
"They did a little work on the car, and fueled it up before taking off again," he said. "But it's not like going to the gas station to refuel."
The nitrogen, he said, is used to purge the remaining methanol out of the vehicle before refueling. The Necar 5 can travel about 300 miles between refueling stops and can reach speeds of up to 90 mph. Johnson said the car is one of three prototypes manufactured by Mercedes-Benz.
"They have one that uses liquid hydrogen and converts to methanol, but you can't readily find liquid hydrogen," he said. "There's one that uses compressed hydrogen, but it has no range; it only gets about 90 miles in between refuels.
"At this point, it is strictly experimental," he continued. "It's not feasible to make these cars yet."
Testing the terrain
Johnson said the drivers told him they were testing the car in a variety of conditions while driving across the country; it did well on long stretches, but in high, mountainous areas, there wasn't enough oxygen for it to run well, he said. Only a handful of people witnessed the arrival of the vehicle, which arrived the same weekend as the Hot Rod Super Nationals only by coincidence.
"They had no idea that was even going on," Johnson said. "It really wasn't planned that way."
After the press conference in Washington, the car will be taken back to California by trailer.
Most automakers are exploring the viability of fuel-cell automobiles as an alternative to gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles; they may produce concept vehicles that incorporate the technology within the next few years, according to industry experts.
Widespread production of these alternative vehicles, however, is at least 10 years away.