Volkswagen has introduced two world premieres for the Challenge Bibendum 2007 held in Shanghai, China: a Passat Lingyu and a Tiguan Hymotion. Both of them are powered by fuel-cells.
The Tiguan Hymotion complements the just-released Tiguan range of models. The powertrain is a fuel cell able to produce 80 kW but the system has 100 kW (136 HP) in total thanks to lithium batteries which store braking energy and release it for acceleration purposes or at low speeds, making it a hybrid. 0-60 is about 14 seconds and you can store up to 3.2 kg of hydrogen behind the backseats.
The Passat Lingyu was developed in China by VW engineers working with researchers from the University of Tongji. The specs are very interesting as well: it has a similar hybrid configuration, with a fuel cell that develops 55 kW with a motor able to produce 88 kW (120 hp) with peak energy coming from the lithium-ion batteries located below the backseat. The fuel cell is located in the floor and regenerative braking can be used to charge them. Performance is adequate: 0-60 in 15 seconds with a top speed of 140 km/h (90 mph).
VW also introduced the 2008 Jetta BlueTDI that produces less NOx and the Passat BlueMotion.
[Source: VW Germany (link is in German)]
