Ford engineers optimistic about fuel cell test fleet

Ford has fielded a fleet of 30 Focus Fuel Cell Vehicles in seven U.S. cities and in Canada and Germany. The cars, powered by fuel cell stacks from Ballard Power systems, have demonstrated promising performance and have been for the most part robust. More importantly, customers indicated they enjoy driving the vehicles. I actually saw one of these going down the road recently, and two things surprised me: the car looked exactly like any other focus, aside from the large FCV lettering on the side, and it sounded more like my vacuum cleaner than a car. The vehicles actually send sensor data back via satellite to Ford engineers who review it daily. The majority of the problems with the Focus FCV were remedied with software adjustments. I wonder if these adjustments can also happen through satellite communication. Articles like these prove fuel cell vehicles are becoming technologically more mature, however significant work is needed to bring the cost down, improve hydrogen storage, and develop a hydrogen fuel infrastructure.
[Source: Azom.com]