VW Passat Lingyu added to California fleet
V olkswagen Group of America has announced that 16 Passat Lingyu fuel cell vehicles will participate in the California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP), a major FCV demonstration project based in Sacramento.
These prototype vehicles, which will take part in fleet demonstrations, were developed in China and made their dรฉbut at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The vehicles are being added to the existing fleet of eight Volkswagen fuel cell vehicles already at the Partnership. In total, these 24 vehicles create the largest fleet of fuel cell cars from a single manufacturer at one location anywhere in the world, says Volkswagen.
The company worked with scientists at Tongji University in Shanghai to create these fuel cell vehicles, which are based on one of China's best-selling Volkswagen platforms. The Passat Lingyu is capable of travelling at highway speeds up to 145 km/h (90 mph) and as far as 235 km (146 miles) on a single tank of fuel.
'These vehicles logged about 80 000 km (50 000 miles) in Beijing -with zero harmful emissions,' comments John Tillman, program manager for Volkswagen's US Advanced Powertrain Research Program. 'We can think of no better place to next exhibit this environment-friendly technology than at the California Fuel Cell Partnership.'
In addition to working with the CaFCP, the company also operates a number of university research projects in the state. In a quest toward sustainable mobility, Volkswagen Group is exploring a number of new technologies to achieve greater fuel efficiency and reduce harmful emissions. Its commitment to the environment also covers the entire lifespan of a car, from the earliest stages of the manufacturing process to the vehicle's final trip to the recycling yard.