Hydrogen Car

[ihoss.com]

Flashlackey, nie Indivision, was the one that had the Hummer photo. TGLC drove a smaller car... initially I thought it was a 300zx with Nismo Turbos... but it's something else.

http://board.flashkit.com/board/show...9&postcount=53

Ha, I know everything about you!

[Incrue]

As far as the other side of it...it's not an internal combustion engine (a la gasoline)...it is an electric engine which is powered by the hydrogen chemical reaction - and yes...'tis pretty cool.
http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-cla...fcx-works.aspx

This is better than the old one but still makes no sense to me, since the energy the reaction hydrogen+oxigen giving water liberates is the same as the one you need to get the hydrogen out of the water
So why dont just fill a batery instead

[mneil]

Two things make this better than 1) other hydrogen cars 2) better than electric cars.
1) its safer. All the hydrogen can be converted to energy in the back of the car. No fuel lines to add to the danger of hydrogen. Also, the whole process involving the hydrogen is inside some fortified tanks and away from passengers if there were some freak accident.

2) If you set up hydrogen filling stations you can use a hydrogen car just like a gasoline car. The electric cars however have a range limit. I couldn't as easily road trip across the country in an electric car as I could a hydrogen car. The process of charging the batteries in the electric car takes longer; even at places that have the capabilities of doing a rapid charge.

[gerbick]

http://board.flashkit.com/board/show...9&postcount=53

Ha, I know everything about you!

You do know he was joking, right?

[Incrue]

Two things make this better than 1) other hydrogen cars 2) better than electric cars.
1) its safer. All the hydrogen can be converted to energy in the back of the car. No fuel lines to add to the danger of hydrogen. Also, the whole process involving the hydrogen is inside some fortified tanks and away from passengers if there were some freak accident.

2) If you set up hydrogen filling stations you can use a hydrogen car just like a gasoline car. The electric cars however have a range limit. I couldn't as easily road trip across the country in an electric car as I could a hydrogen car. The process of charging the batteries in the electric car takes longer; even at places that have the capabilities of doing a rapid charge.

Looks cool but still unpractical because this is all AFTER you solve the problem of finding hydrogen
As i said before, the energy the hydrogen releases is the same one you spend before to get it out of water.

[liliPo]

What can I say .... nice.....

[hanratty21]

As i said before, the energy the hydrogen releases is the same one you spend before to get it out of water.

Today, this is true. The idea is to innovate outside of the restrictions that exist today. Someone else will work on a less energy intensive way to extract H from H20. Once that's done, you'll be the only one left driving a Ford Pinto.

[FlashLackey]

Seems like it should be possible to somehow create a synthetic chemical process to make gas rather than relying on fossils. I'd be curious to learn what the scientific obstacle is to synthetically creating what is in crude oil.

[mneil]

Well, they make ethanol from corn. Problem with that is people need to eat!

[FlashLackey]

Right. But, there are some differences too in the chemical qualities of ethanol and gas from crude. Why can't they just synthesize it similarly? Maybe they can but it's expensive?

[hanratty21]

Well, they make ethanol from corn. Problem with that is people need to eat!

I keep hearing this argument, but since corn looks the same in your poop as it does when it goes in your mouth, is this really considered "eating?"

[jAQUAN]

If you consider how much high fructose corn syrup you ingest each day, you're practically made of the stuff. How far off is people powered cars?

[TallGuyLittleCar]

hydrogen can be made with algea farms. Although it is a little trickier than making biodiesel.

[gerbick]

I thought switch grass was better for ethanol production?

[hurricaneone]

Well, they make ethanol from corn. Problem with that is people need to eat!

What about using water for sourcing hydrogen - people need to drink?

The key problem with hydrogen is that unless it is made at source (taken from water in a tank that you carry around, much like gasoline) and used immediately, the storage itself takes a disproportionate amount of the energy represented by the H.

For example, you can only store 20 percent of the energy per unit volume with hydrogen at 700 bar (liquified) that you can store with gasoline. Then you have the distribution problems, including keeping it super-chilled, then the power required to keep it liquid, which (per unit volume) of hydrogen represents 15 percent of the energy of any given tank - this is an irreversible loss.

Clean - yes. Efficient? Like a broken clock.

The best alternative is batteries, once developed to hold a decent charge, they offer the most efficient translation of stored power to wheel-on-road energy, if only because they have the least transfer points. Essentially, battery, generator, driveshaft.

Just that they cost too much (currently) and as mentioned, don't offer the range. Yes, the Tesla is getting there and good for them, but it'll be a while before I consider putting my name down for one of those.

[mneil]

I thought switch grass was better for ethanol production?

Switchgrass is no good because they need that stuff at Jamba Juice for the customers to mull over.