Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) had already announced, in 2021, that it intends to explore the possibility of using, for its heavier vehicles, electrical mechanics whose energy would be produced on board, through hydrogen fuel cells, the traditional fuel cells. It has now moved forward with the hydroelectric Land Rover Defender, the first model of the group to use this technology, developed by the project partners.
Electric vehicles do not necessarily store the energy they need in the package of batteries they carry, since there is another way to power the motors. What JLR has done now is try this alternative, produce electricity on board fuel cells using hydrogen and storing it in a small battery – with 5% to 10% of the capacity that would be needed if only accumulators were used – since fuel cell cars need some time to start converting hydrogen into electrical energy.
The project in question is known internally as Zeus and was developed by JLR in collaboration with AVL, Delta Cosworth and Marelli. THE fuel cell It develops 90 kW, equivalent to 122 hp, and is installed at the front, mounting the Defender with two electric motors, one for each axle, with 200 hp per unit. The battery that guarantees cold starts, as well as moments at full throttle, trying to exploit the 400 CV, has a capacity of 16.7 kWh and is housed under the platform.between the front and back benches.
JLR is currently developing a platform for battery electric vehicles that can be easily converted to fuel cell electric models. Generate electricity from hydrogen may be less efficient but will be a good alternative for heavy vehicleslike the Defender, and that requires a long range, even in difficult terrain conditions. With the fuel cellDefender avoids carrying between 800 and 1000 kg of batteries, in case the package It has a capacity between 120 kWh and 150 kWh. However, it will only be able to operate in a country and, above all, in a region where there is a network of green hydrogen service stations and with a degree of purity close to 100%.
Source: Observadora
