Tiguan HyMotion Hydrogen Road Tour Travel Blog

CBS Morning Show Segment

Watch me explain the latest hydrogen technology on the CBS Morning Show.

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VW on the CBS Morning Show

Here are some photos from our segment with the CBS Morning Show, where I met with anchor Harry Smith to talk about the Hydrogen Road Tour and VW's Tiguan Hymotion.

Here's Harry Smith with the Tiguan.

Meeting with New Yorkers

Click here to see the full set of photos.

Another successful day on the road!

We had an overwhelming response in Connecticut with about 250-300 people at the CCAT facility in East Hartford. At this ride and drive event, Connecticut’s Lt. Governor, Michael Fedele and State Representative Denise Merrill rode in our Tiguan HyMotion. Cheryl McQueary, Deputy Administrator for Research and Innovative Technology Administration, US Department of Transportation, drove the vehicle and explained the technology to the elected officials.

About 150 people joined us at Proton Energy Systems. Proton is a provider of the type of hydrogen infrastructure needed to make this technology viable.

While at Proton, we debated the next 94 miles of our drive. While we all wanted to get the hydrogen vehicles out on the road, we had heard that traffic was pretty bad, and decided it was better to truck the vehicles. If there had been a hydrogen fueling station en route – or even in the city! – we would have driven, but the decision to ride our regular fuel vehicles highlights the constraints caused by lack of infrastructure.

As it turns out, we made a wise decision not to drive the vehicles. It took me about an hour to get across the city and the Holland Tunnel traffic lived up to its reputation.

I finally arrived at Liberty around 4:30 pm and loaded up some videos that I hope you enjoy.

It's an early start on Wednesday, I hope you catch us on the CBS Early Morning Show between 7 and 8 am.

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Off to a successful start

Well, day one is for the history books. We’re here in South Windsor fueling up for the night, and I think there’s general agreement that we had a successful start to the tour.

About 45 people attended the kick off event, including Senator Olympia Snowe. There, like at the rest of the stops, the number one question was, “What can we do to make this happen?” These are the types of questions this tour is supposed to highlight, and having a number of reporters at the event is a good sign that there is interest in this technology.

We had a smooth drive out of Maine, driving about two hours in overcast weather to Billerica, Massachusetts. I wasn’t really sure how the ride would go – if each vehicle would head out on its own – but this truly was a caravan. With limited fueling along the way, if one of the other drivers was low on fuel, we’d all slow down to help conserve until we made it to the next stop.

I did hit some traffic on the way into Cambridge – thanks to my days at MIT, I wasn’t surprise by the traffic, and I remembered enough of the city to get around. Well, to be honest, I remembered some of the city, my GPS remembered the rest.

The traffic in Cambridge was a piece a cake, however, compared to the storm on our way to South Windsor. At one point I couldn’t see more than 200 feet in front of me, and just kept my eyes on the taillights of the vehicle directly in front of me. The Tiguan handled great in the rain, but the weather did slow us down. We arrived in South Windsor about 30 minutes behind schedule.

It’s just about my turn to fuel. It’s been a long day, but a good one. Check back soon, I'll have videos and photos posted from the day.

Gearing Up...

So here we are at Fort Allen Park finishing up the kick-off activities.

It’s a little more comfortable here than yesterday afternoon, when we showcased the vehicles at the beautiful Portland Head Light. It felt like we were at the edge of the Earth, and with more than 2,000 miles and an entire continent ahead of us, that seemed a pretty apt description.

Thinking about 13 days on the road seems pretty intimidating, even with all the excitement from the other participants. The notion seems more reasonable in the first light of morning, and I know I’ve got good company with this HyMotion Tiguan and a couple new playlists on my Ipod.

But more on that later…Let me introduce you to the Hymotion Tiguan.

This Tiguan is no stranger to challenges like this one. It was originally showcased at the Shanghai Motor Show and the 2007 Michelin Challenge Bibendum. Bibendum included a 170 km road rally, and technical tests that included performance tests such as acceleration, maneuverability and noise. It also looked at environmental objectives such as fuel efficiency and emissions.

So, I know I’ve got a great vehicle to drive, but the upside is that it’s also comfortable. Not only will I be cruising along with zero emissions, but the interior is exactly the same as the Tiguan you’d buy at a dealership. All the creature comforts for this 13-day trek.

Which brings me back to the Ipod. I wonder how many miles I’ll get per song. The average might be a little better on the open road, with higher speed limits. With 107 horsepower this thing can get up to 93 miles per hour. If only we were on the Autobahn.

It looks like it’s time to head it up. The kick-off is just finishing up and we’ve got 236 miles before we call it a night in South Windsor, CT.

About the Tiguan HyMotion

The Tiguan HyMotion concept features a fuel cell system integrated in the engine compartment capable of 107 horsepower. With an assist from the electric motor, the Tiguan HyMotion advances to 134 horsepower. The top speed of the Tiguan HyMotion is 93 mph and it accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in about 14 seconds.

A lithium ion battery with a charge capacity of 6.8 Ampere-hours (Ah) serves as an auxiliary energy storage device with a maximum power output of 22 kW. The battery is charged by recovered braking energy (recuperation) or by the fuel cell. This increased functionality and efficiency does not impair the interior space of the vehicle. The battery system is installed in the trunk beneath the dual cargo floor available on the production Tiguan. The 700 bar hydrogen tank was integrated in the area beneath the floor in the rear bench seat and cargo area. It can hold up to 3.2 kilograms of hydrogen (H2).

The Tiguan HyMotion is nearly silent when driven, and it is emissions-free.

Putting H2 Fuel Cells in HyMotion

Is Hydrogen a fuel for the future? Well, we sure believe it is, and we’re putting the rubber to the road to prove it. For the next 13 days, we’re driving a Volkswagen Tiguan HyMotion vehicle to 31 cities in 18 states to demonstrate that hydrogen-powered vehicles can meet the needs of American drivers.

We’re blogging along the way to tell you what we’re up to, who we’re meeting, and what people are saying about hydrogen-fueled transportation. Check in with us!