Recharge Wrap-up: 2015 Honda CR-Z now on sale, Daimler and Linde building hydrogen stations in Germany
Daimler and Linde are teaming up to build hydrogen fueling stations in Germany. The automaker and gases and engineering company, with the help of a few oil and gas companies, plan to install 13 new stations by the end of 2015. The installations precede a push by Daimler to get more fuel cell vehicles on the road. “From 2017, we are planning to bring competitively priced fuel-cell vehicles to market,” says Daimler’s Herbert Kohler. “So now is the time to build a nationwide fuelling infrastructure.” Linde will supply the stations with fully renewable hydrogen. Read more in the press release below.
In 1899, an EV set a world landspeed record, and Wired has revisited the story with a nice look back at the “La Jamais Contente” and its driver, Belgian engineer Camille Jenatzy. Jenatzy built an electric car to race in a hillclimb, which he won while clocking a top speed of 17 miles per hour (measured the old-timey way – without radar guns). Just a few weeks later, another man set a landspeed record of 32 miles per hour, beginning a back-and-forth series of setting new records. Then, on April 29, 1899, “The Red Devil,” as Jenatzy became known as, surpassed 100 kph (62 mph) when his torpedo-shaped electric car set a record of 65.8 mph. It was powered by two 25-kilowatt electric motors. Read the whole story over at Wired.
– Compact dimensions provide sporty handling and around-town agility
– Hybrid powertrain offers spirited performance with a EPA highway fuel economy rating of 39 mpg1 making the CR-Z both fun and frugal
10/08/2014 – TORRANCE, Calif. — With sleek and sporty styling paired with spirited performance and high efficiency that lives up to its sport hybrid moniker, the 2015 CR-Z went on-sale today with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) starting at $20,1452.
The CR-Z is powered by a 1.5-liter i-VTEC® engine with Integrated Motor Assist (IMA®) electric motor, paired to either a short-throw 6-speed manual transmission or sport-tuned continuously variable transmission (CVT) with paddle shifters. Engine and motor combined peak output is 130 horsepower2 and 140 lb-ft of torque3 (127 lb-ft4 on CVT models).
Both the standard CR-Z and the feature-rich EX trim come standard with Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®, Bluetooth® Audio, rearview camera, an Expanded View Driver’s Mirror, AM/FM/CD/USB audio system with six speakers, automatic climate control, power windows and door locks, remote entry and cruise control.
TRIM MSRP5 EPA Fuel Economy Ratings1
(city/highway/combined)
CR-Z 6-speed manual $20,145 31/38/34
CR-Z CVT $20,795 36/39/37
CR-Z EX 6-speed manual $21,990 31/38/34
CR-Z EX CVT $22,640 36/39/37
CR-Z EX 6-speed manual with Navi $23,490 31/38/34
CR-Z EX CVT with Navi $24,140 36/39/37
For those wishing to raise the CR-Z’s fun factor even further, Honda Performance Development (HPD) offers a full range of track-proven, street-reliable performance upgrades and accessories. These include front brake, sport suspension and exhaust kits, limited-slip differential, clutch, 18-inch alloy wheels and spoilers. For more information visit: automobiles.honda.com/cr-z/hpd.aspx.
For More Information
Consumer information is available at automobiles.honda.com/cr-z. To join the CR-Z community on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/hondacrz. Additional media information including detailed pricing features and high-resolution photography of the 2015 Honda CR-Z is available at hondanews.com/channels/honda-automobiles-cr-z.
1Based on 2015 EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your actual mileage will vary depending driving conditions, how the vehicle is driven and maintained, battery pack age/condition and other factors.
2 130 horsepower @ 6000 rpm (SAE net plus electric motor).
3 140 lb-ft @ 1000-2000 rpm (SAE net plus electric motor).
4 127 lb-ft @ 1000-3000 rpm (SAE net plus electric motor).
5 MSRP excluding tax, license, registration, $790 destination charge and options. Dealer prices may vary.
Third-party trademarks: The Bluetooth word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc., and any use of such marks by Honda Motor Co., Ltd., is under license. Pandora, the Pandora logo and the Pandora trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of Pandora Media, Inc. Used with permission.
Grand Coalition for hydrogen: Daimler, Linde and partners to build new hydrogen fuelling stations in Germany
– Daimler/Linde joint initiative enters implementation phase
– 13 new refuelling locations by the end of 2015
– Sustainable sourcing of hydrogen (H2) secured
– Supported by the German National Innovation Programme (NIP)
Automobile manufacturer Daimler and gases and engineering company The Linde Group will team up with oil and gas companies TOTAL, OMV, Avia and Hoyer this year to significantly increase the number of hydrogen fuelling stations in Germany. To this end, the two companies are investing around EUR 10 million in ten fuelling stations each. On 29 September, the first of the Daimler- and Linde-initiated public fuelling stations for fuel-cell vehicles was officially opened at a TOTAL multi-energy fuelling station on Jafféstrasse in Berlin-Charlottenburg. The following locations have been earmarked for additional stations by the end of 2015:
TOTAL:
– Geiselwind, Bavaria, on the A3
– Fellbach, Stuttgart region
– Ulm
– Karlsruhe
– Neuruppin, Brandenburg, on the A24
– Cologne-Bonn Airport
– Berlin city centre (upgrade of the existing fuelling station at Holzmarktstrasse)
OMV:
– Greater Munich area
– Greater Nuremberg area
– Greater Stuttgart area
AVIA:
Stuttgart-East
Hoyer:
– Leipzig, in the vicinity of the A14
“We are pleased to be driving this expansion of Germany’s H2 fuelling network,” comments Dr Andreas Opfermann, Head of Clean Energy & Innovation Management at Linde. “We are making a valuable contribution to the successful commercialisation of fuel-cell vehicles while supporting initiatives like the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) and ‘H2 Mobility’.”
“There is no question that fuel-cell technology is reaching maturity. From 2017, we are planning to bring competitively priced fuel-cell vehicles to market. So now is the time to build a nationwide fuelling infrastructure. The aim is to enable motorists to reach any destination in Germany in their hydrogen-fuelled vehicles. This initiative is a huge step forward on the journey to a truly nationwide H2 network,” states Professor Herbert Kohler, Vice President Group Research & Sustainability and Chief Environmental Officer at Daimler AG.
Negotiations on the details and construction of the remaining seven refuelling locations with additional partners are at an advanced stage. The National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW) is supporting the project as part of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology National Innovation Programme (NIP).
Linde already secures half of the hydrogen for existing CEP fuelling stations from “green” sources, and it will power the 20 new stations with fully regenerative hydrogen. The gas is obtained from crude glycerol – a by-product of biodiesel production – at a dedicated pilot plant at Linde’s gases centre in Leuna. The certified green hydrogen obtained in this way produces far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventional methods. Linde also has other sustainable sources at its disposal like bio natural gas and water electrolysis using wind-generated electricity, as part of the ‘H2BER’ project for example.
From 2017, Daimler AG plans to bring mass-produced competitively priced fuel-cell electric vehicles to market. To speed up technology optimisation and minimise investment costs, the company formed an alliance with Ford and Nissan at the start of 2013 for the joint development of a drive concept. Experts reckon that in 2018, well over ten thousand fuel-cell vehicles will populate European roads.
By the end of 2015, the number of H2 fuelling stations supporting this growing fleet in Germany is set to reach 50 with the support of the Federal Ministry for Transport along with partner companies and organisations (see http://www.now-gmbh.de/en/presse-aktuelles/2014/50-h2-refuelling-stations.html). Furthermore, the ‘H2 Mobility’ initiative, which Daimler, Linde, TOTAL and OMV are also part of, agreed last year on a detailed plan of action to expand the network to around 400 stations by 2023.
In July this year, Linde opened the world’s first small-scale production facility for hydrogen fuelling stations in Vienna.
