BOC'S DOLPHIN-SHAPED CAR MAKES A SPLASH

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BOC'S DOLPHIN-SHAPED CAR MAKES A SPLASH
24 September 2006 - BOC Gases

The BOC Gh2ost, being tested on the remote island of Shetland, off the north coast of Scotland, is expected to be able to travel around the world on less than the equivalent of two gallons of petrol; using 25 watts, a fraction of the power a light bulb uses.

The car, shaped like a dolphin, is being hailed as the most efficient vehicle ever to move on wheels, and its only emission is water. The breakthrough heralds a new age of clean, virtually silent road travel, according to experts.

But don’t expect to get anywhere quickly yet. It travels at just 11 miles per hour (18 kp/h) and to accelerate to its top speed of 15 miles per hour (25kp/h) may take five minutes.

Now Britain’s BOC Gh2ost car, will attempt to break the mile per gallon world fuel efficiency record of 10,705 miles per gallon later this week, during the Shell Eco Marathon at the Grampian Transport Museum in Alford, Aberdeenshire.

John Carolin, BOC’s global director for hydrogen energy, said: “It sounds unbelievable how little power is used to keep the BOC Gh2ost moving, but it demonstrates the impact of careful design and is a valuable lesson for car makers in the future.

“Hydrogen power could create a pollution and noise free environment and bring vital transport solutions to people in poorer parts of the world which is why this research is so important.”

The car’s body shape is described as looking like a tear drop, or dolphin, and has been crafted by racing car designer Hugo Spowers using carbon fibre and lightweight aluminium.

Scottish fuel cell company siGen, based in Aberdeen, is building the car and supplying the fuel cell technology that enables the car to run on hydrogen.
Carolin added: “Petrol vehicle emissions are a major contributor to rising levels of greenhouse gases, and the depletion of fossil fuels. Hydrogen is odourless and tasteless and is the most abundant element in the universe.”

The BOC Gh2ost car runs on a hydrogen fuel cell, which was invented in 1839 by Sir William Grove. The process of generating electricity through fuel cells is similar to using a battery, but where a battery relies on an internal chemical fuel supply, the fuel cell can be fed continuously by an external energy storage tank.

Now Transport for London is investing in hydrogen-powered vehicles. It introduced three London buses, powered by BOC hydrogen, in a pilot scheme earlier this year.
Last year the BOC Gh2ost, the new car’s predecessor, missed the record which is currently held by a team from France. But the BOC Gh2ost has been completely redesigned to meet the challenge.

http://www.boc.com

About: BOC Gases
Through its PGS line of business, BOC supplies gas and related solutions to the chemicals, petroleum, glass, water services, electronic packaging, fibre optics, hydrogen energy, metals and food industries. BOC helps meet customer needs in a variety of ways, from the supply of a single gas or application through to designing, constructing and operating fully integrated gas and utilities schemes.

The BOC Group, which serves two million customers in more than 50 countries, is one of the largest and most global of the world's leading gases companies. It employs some 44,500 people worldwide and had annual sales of over £4.3 billion in 2003. Further information about The BOC Group may be obtained on the Internet at www.boc.com

The BOC Group has an international portfolio of companies grouped for management control and reporting into three lines of business: Process Gas Solutions, Industrial and Special Products, and BOC Edwards. It also has a specialist logistics business, Gist.

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