The Morgan LifeCar emits nothing but vapor(Credit: CNET Networks)
Hydrogen fuel-cell projects are usually only the realm of global automakers such as GM, Ford, and Honda, with enormous R&D budgets and a few thousand spare engineers. Boutique British carmaker Morgan is bucking the trend, however, with the unveiling of its LifeCar fuel-cell vehilcle here in Geneva. The car is powered by four electric motor/ generators, which in turn are driven by electricity from a four-stack hydrogen PEM fuel cell provided by QinetiQ, a British defense technology company. Morgan claims that the LifeCar diffentiates itself from other fuel cell cars through improved efficiencies: the fuel cell is designed to meet crusing-speed engine demand, while the car's regenerative braking system is apparently up to five times more efficient at converting energy into electricity thanks to the use of ultracapacitors. According to Morgan, the LifeCar gets an equivalent of 150mpg, a maximum range of 250 miles, and has a top speed of 80-85mph. This last statistic is a pity: if it could make it to 88mph, it could probably go back in time as well.
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