Prof. Dr. Weule
Vienna/Stuttgart, May 5, 1995
According to Prof. Dr. Hartmut Weule, member of the Daimler-Benz AG board responsible for Research and Technology, who spoke at the 16th International Vienna Automotive Symposium, Daimler-Benz AG is making long-term preparations for the eventual replacement of petroleum as the main source of energy for vehicles. The company has placed a high priority on developing alternatives to petroleum, which until now our society has used almost exclusively to meet its mobility requirements. In his view, next to electric drives, hydrogen or methanol-based fuel cells have the best chance of replacing petroleum as the fuel of choice in developing and industrial countries. In addition, they may even contribute to the reduction of atmospheric levels of the suspected "greenhouse" gas carbon dioxide (CO2). According to Prof. Weule, the risks involved with the use of petroleum as a national fuel source will climb in the next 20 years. This is due on the one hand to the sharply increasing demand for petroleum in developing countries and on the other hand to the shrinking number of petroleum-producing countries.The fuel cell presented by Daimler-Benz in April of last year has, in Prof. Weule's opinion, the best prospects for replacing conventional engines as a power plant, since the combustion produces no exhaust gases, but only pure water. The fuel cell produces electric current directly from hydrogen gas and uses this current to propel the car via an electric motor. Studies so far have indicated that under appropriate political circumstances, the yearly production of fuel cell-powered systems could reach 100,000 by the year 2010. The price would then sink from the present level of over DM 50,000 per kilowatt of power produced to no more than DM 200-400 per kilowatt. This level is only two to four times the current figure for petroleum-based power systems.
Without a fundamental change in the basis of the world's energy supply, the declared goal of the nations participating in the 1989 World Climate Summit in Toronto, i.e. reducing CO2 emissions to half the 1987 level by 2050, must be regarded with skepticism. Prof. Weule is more inclined to believe the estimate of the International Energy Agency, according to which instead of a decrease we can expect an increase of 50% to 80% in these emissions levels by the year 2020.
Daimler-Benz is thus carrying out intensive research into alternative fuels, including a large-scale experiment with rapeseed oil methyl ester. The Group today offers a line of cars for taxi companies using this type of drive system. Daimler-Benz has also made a major contribution to a field test of electric vehicles conducted on the island of Rügen, which has been underway since 1991. The company has been closely involved with the development of hydrogen technology since 1975, when it designed the first hydrogen-powered test vehicle.
Daimler-Benz researchers have also been working for some time on "CO2-neutral cycles." These include energy systems that use CO2 from the surrounding air to synthesize fuel. In this way, the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere during fuel combustion is no greater than the amount of CO2 originally consumed.
Methanol can be produced through chemical reactions of CO2 with regeneratively reclaimed hydrogen. This methanol can subsequently be used in environmentally-friendly vehicle drive systems either directly or indirectly in conjunction with fuel cell-based systems. Daimler-Benz Research is currently working with other research institutes on these and other ideas for reducing global CO2 levels.
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