Dynamics in Behavioral Response to Fuel-Cell Vehicle Fleet and Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure An Exploratory Study

(CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. A key motivation for alternative-fuel vehicles, such as FCVs, is climate change, and recognition is growing across the globe. Approximately 14% of GHG emissions come from the transportation sector worldwide (1). GHG emissions from transportation are expected to increase rapidly over the next few decades. Between 2000 and 2030, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that energy use and CO2 emissions will increase by approximately 50% in developed countries (2). Transportation supply and demand management strategies are being explored to reduce GHG emissions, particularly with innovative engine and vehicle technologies. However, user response to the latest of these approaches is not well understood given limited vehicle production and availability. To further behavioral understanding of hydrogen FCVs and infrastructure, researchers at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, partnered with MercedesBenz to conduct an exploratory driver study of 24 Mercedes-Benz FCVs deployed in fleet settings in 2006. The Mercedes-Benz FCV is a hybrid fuel-cell–electric vehicle with a hybridized fuel-cell–battery power system that is linked to an electronic motor–power controller propulsion system. This hybrid differs from gasoline–electric hybrids, in which the propulsion system is hybridized. The FCV employs a 72-kW (97 hp) proton-exchange membrane fuel-cell system, a 1.4-kW-h and 15-kW (20-hp) nickel– metal hydride battery, an electric motor with torque rated at 210 N-m (156 ft-lb), and approximately 2 kg of gaseous hydrogen stored at 5,000 psi. The vehicle has a rated 160-km range and a top speed of approximately 137 km/h. Mercedes-Benz has deployed approximately 100 FCVs worldwide. About 25 FCVs were placed in California with participating forprofit companies, nonprofits, governmental agencies, and universities, including one that was delivered to UC Berkeley. The demonstration of the vehicles is supported in part by a 5-year U.S. Department of Energy program titled Controlled Hydrogen Fleet and Infrastructure Demonstration and Validation Project. Presented here are the results of a longitudinal survey of the attitudes and perceptions toward hydrogen and alternative-fuel vehicles of F-cell fleet drivers. The study included three survey phases to examine potential trends in F-cell driver perceptions over a 7-month period. The participant sample was drawn from for-profit companies, governmental agencies, nonprofits, and universities in California and Michigan, where the vehicles were placed for study. Researchers examined safety perceptions, limited range, and vehicle performance. The study also investigated two hypotheses Dynamics in Behavioral Response to Fuel-Cell Vehicle Fleet and Hydrogen Fueling Infrastructure An Exploratory Study