The Fiat Seicento Hydrogen prototype participated in the first reliability race for hydrogen-powered vehicles, coming 2nd among vehicles in its category (fuel cell) and taking 1st place among compressed hydrogen-powered vehicles. Final points took into account total fuel consumption, the fuel consumed to vehicle weight ratio and any penalties accumulated during the race.

The event was organised by the Montecarlo Automobile Club under supervision of the IAF (International Automobile Federation) and took place on Saturday, April 2nd. Cars started out from Lugano at 9 a.m. and covered a mixed motorway-main road itinerary totalling 410 km, taking them through Turin, Cuneo, Col di Tenda and Val Roia to arrive in the Principality of Monaco at 4pm.

Fiat participated with the Hydrogen research car, with an axle-power output of 30kW, top speed of 130 km/h and an autonomy of 200 km with hydrogen at 350 bar. It was driven by two research engineers - Paolo Marchese and Roberto Aimasso - from the Fiat Research Centre Vehicle Department's Fuel Cell team.

Presented in 2003, the Fiat Seicento Hydrogen prototype uses hydrogen fuel to feed a Metallic Hydride stack (weight 20 kg) capable of producing 48 V electrical energy, with a maximum power output of 20 kW. The Fuel Cell is part of a hybrid system equipped with a 30 kW electric traction engine. Furthermore, the Fiat Seicento Hydrogen incorporates innovative solutions such as the special dynamic compressor developed by the Fiat Research Centre, which delivers a very high dynamic output, low noise and high efficiency; it doesn't produce any polluting emissions nor does it generate carbon dioxide (CO2).

In the medium to long-term, Fuel Cell technology seems to be a solution for environmental problems associated with cars, although it must be said there's still a long way to go and the road ahead will present many technical and economic challenges.

Fiat Auto, however, is investing in this technology and, working as part of an international team, is developing and evaluating the various technical solutions and problems associated with motor vehicle applications.

Always at the forefront when it comes to respect for the environment, today Fiat Auto is focusing on natural gas engines, which are one of the company's guidelines for the future. Evidence of this is the wide range of "Bipower" products, designed to respond to the needs of both professional operators and the general public: from the Multipla to the Ducato, from the Punto to the Doblò, in the Panorama and Cargo versions.

A common feature for all "Bipower" models is integration of two fuel systems - petrol and natural gas (CNG). In fact the vehicles are designed to operate normally with natural gas: petrol is always used to start the engine, after which the fuel feed system immediately cuts over automatically to natural gas. This way the petrol fuel feed system remains efficient but is only used when starting up or when natural gas is running low (when the gas cylinder pressure is nearing the minimum operating limit). However, drivers can always switch over to petrol at the push of a button.