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Detroit, 2:36 AM
Mon Dec 7
13 posts in the last 24 hours
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12/18/08
12/18/08
So while hydrogen will provide use with a more sustainable source of fuel, it doesn't do much about Global Warming.
12/18/08
At least I hope they will before everything we hold near and dear is regulated out of existence.
12/17/08
They've been doing this for some time on tractor/trailers, where they have an onboard hydrogen generator powered by the main diesel engine. You pour water into the tanks and as you drive hydrogen is generated, then injected into the engine. This improves the fuel mileage a remarkable amount.
No hydrogen is stored onboard, therefore greatly reducing the risk of hydrogen.
Storage of hydrogen is risky, expensive and cumbersome. It doesn't make sense for a mass produced, practical passenger car to employ this method.
Why is hydrogen risky? Hindenburg.
12/17/08
Energy production: With all the wind turbines on the ocean, it's also damaging to the environment, the aqua marine sea life, birds, etc.
Energy STORAGE X! AT EVERY STAGE! It takes energy to keep it cool & liquid! During transportation, shipping, highly specialised containers & vehicles.
Then it must be kept cooled & compressed INSIDE the car itself! Question? What happens when you go away on vacation & the battery dies? The hydrogen expands, leaks, KABOOM!
Imagine a multiple car pile up on the freeway? The rescue team will need second thoughts about how to assess the situation.
Laptops are already exploding! Imagine surrounding them with HYDROGEN???
A scientist told me THE MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY THING YOU CAN DO IS DRIVE YOUR CAR INTO THE GROUND due to all the energy inputs involved.
Now if we can only have an unbiased, non-political debate about the most efficient energy source?
Also, I would love to see these cars tested on taxi fleets in Siberia, Finland & Canada in -50 Celcius!
When does the Stig take it on the track?
12/18/08
You'll never get straight talk on what makes the most economic and environmental sense.
Of course maintaining your existing car and driving it for decades is far more friendly to the environment than buying a new "eco" car every few years.
But try and tell that to the Hybrid Marketing Team.
12/17/08
12/17/08
Hmmm
There's no intelligent reason to distance yaself from a Front driver.
Front drive, is efficient, compact and aerodynamic.
12/18/08
12/17/08
The problems with purely electric vehicles is the current limitations/reliability/service cycles/costs of the batteries. I am also concerned in how the batteries of say a Tesla would fare in real world driving in the Northeast with its associated temperature extremes. Would the service range of a Tesla (220 miles ideal) drop drastically in extreme cold climates? Again, an infrastructure needs to be in place to accomodate electrics. And if a purely electric vehicle runs out of juice, there is no real quick way to recharge them?
There is some research for a hybrids using capacitors instead of batteries for accelaration assistance and this seems probable (currently prohibitively expensive)
I really do not know the answer as to what will supplant gas/diesel vehicles in the future. However, the technology will have to offer the same benefits as current vehicles do.
12/17/08
Again, Mercedes has been running a fleet of hydrogen buses since 2004 all over Europe, and setting up fueling stations. Not so in the jerkwater US.
12/18/08
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12/17/08
The difference is in the storage of fuel. Hydrogen is far more volatile than gasoline therefore requiring far more safety precautions. The storage cells are expensive and cumbersome, making them rather redundant for practical passenger car use.
Hydrogen is one of the most dangerous things we could fuel our cars on, there are far better alternatives.
12/17/08
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12/17/08
Sure thing - just stick a setup like the one in this link into the back of your El Camino: [www.autobloggreen.com]
12/17/08
kudos for honda to build the FCX, but i doubt it will handle like a s2k.
12/17/08
12/17/08
As promising as this technology is, how long will it take for hydrogen pumps to show up everywhere? It's not that convenient if you can only drive it within a 100 mile radius of the only hydrogen pump in the country.
12/17/08
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12/17/08
What about them? BMW makes a Hydrogen 7 series, too.
12/17/08
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12/17/08
Interesting, but not entertaining.
Now show me a video of the FCX doing a burnout, then I'm all eyes/ears.
12/17/08
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12/17/08