Volkswagen is presenting the Touran HyMotion with fuel cell drive system at the World Environment Day taking place from 1st-5th June 2005 in San Francisco (USA). This provides a further opportunity for international visitors to experience this advanced and environmentally friendly technology of the future. Volkswagen sees the testing and further refinement of fuel cell vehicles as a key element of its current development activities.

The United Nations established the World Environmental Day (WED) as far back as in 1972, when 113 countries reached agreement on making an active contribution towards protecting our planet. By way of concrete examples the exhibitors aim to bring environmental topics closer to the public and show what impact their research and lines of action can have on the life of mankind and nature.

Based on the successful Touran compact van, the further developed Touran HyMotion provides a forward look at an environmentally friendly drive technology of the future. The advantage of fuel cell drive systems is immediately obvious: they do not create any exhaust emissions. The requisite energy is generated by the chemical reaction of oxygen with hydrogen, and the only waste product produced is an environmentally friendly one, namely pure water.

WED visitors have the opportunity to experience at first hand the very latest technical development by Volkswagen and at the same time gather information for themselves on this environmentally friendly technology through dialog with specialists and engineers from the Volkswagen company.

The Touran HyMotion’s 80 kW electric motor gets the energy it requires from a modern combination of fuel cell and electric battery, and is capable of accelerating – virtually free of noise and vibration – from zero to 100 km/h in just 14 seconds, en route to a top speed of 140 km/h. This is made possible by a second power source in the form of a nickel-metal hybrid battery that hooks up steplessly when required and provides the Touran with extra motive power.

By means of cooperational activities with international universities, Volkswagen will be additionally intensifying its investigation of alternative drive technologies in the interests of proving the series-production readiness of this environmentally friendly development in the long term.

This year the World Environment Day is taking place for the first time in the USA, coinciding with the founding of the United Nations 60 years ago in San Francisco. Strictly speaking, the WED is a multiplicity of events spread over a period of five days, namely 1st–5th June, and has now been providing a platform for the presentation of cutting-edge technologies in a major city every June for the last 33 years.

This year’s WED constitutes the world’s largest presentation of vehicles featuring fuel cell drive systems. A collaborative venture involving industry and government and aimed at fostering environmentally friendly technologies in the automotive industry, the CaFCP is present with 23 fuel cell-driven vehicles – among which is the Touran HyMotion – at the California Tomorrow Festival. In addition to this, CaFCP members provide explanations and information on the respective technologies as well as on the significance of government participation in connection with environmental protection. The event follows the Hydrogen Highway Network initiative, by way of which a network of charging stations is to be set up for environmentally friendly vehicles.

All government and communal bodies are called upon to organise events aimed at providing motivation towards an environmentally conscious way of behaving and doing things. The focus here is on local activities realised by local authorities and schools, companies, environmental associations and other organisations. Responsibility for coordinating the worldwide activities lies with UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), an organisation headed by Klaus Töpfer, the former German environment minister.