The team at Volkswagen has an eye towards the future; they are looking well beyond the internal combustion engine and fossil fuels. With the mid-point of oil depletion possibly 10 to 20 years away (according to the German Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials), VW is looking to develop cars that don’t require traditional fuel sources. Their Fuel and Powertrain strategy encompasses the traditional sources like oil and diesel, natural gas and renewable like electric and hydrogen fuel cell cars. The VW team is determined to have one foot in as many doors as possible, so they can kick start new development with whatever technology proves to be the most efficient.

 

We had the unique opportunity to take a drive in one of VW’s future powertrain technologies, the hydrogen fuel cell. This technology was used in VW’s Passat model, which was first used in the Olympic games in Beijing.

 

At first glance there is nothing about the Passat Lingyu that indicates the emerging technology within, and that’s a good thing. Consumers want cutting age technology in their cars, but they don’t need them to look like rejects from a Sci-Fi series.

 

The first thing you notice about the Passat Lingyu is that the car is very quiet. Standing next to a fleet of Passat’s sounds like the runway at an airport; a kind of whistling of air from the engine. The car delivers a smooth ride, is comfortable and attractive.

 

The only real negative here is that this technology is still years away from retail deployment, so don’t expect to drive one of these yourself for at least five years or more.

 

In case you are wondering how this technology in the Passat Lingyu works, we have a breakdown from the technicians at VW:

 

 

Currently there are 22 Hydrogen stations and over 130 Fuel Cell vehicles all operating in California.

 

For more info on the Fuel Cell vehicles, check out the California Fuel Cell Partnership

 

For more info on VW, head to the official site: Volkswagen America