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Get ready for hydrogen car revolution

iol motoring -- Industry has been eyeing hydrogen for decades as a source of automotive energy, because the gas produces no fossil-fuel-type emissions when it is burned in fuel cells.

Water vapour issuing from the exhaust pipe is the sole sign of activity inside the cells as they quietly convert chemical energy into electricity.

That power then drives electric motors, often mounted on the wheel hub at the ends of the axles, to provide motion. Hydrogen propulsion has the edge over the all-electric solutions currently being tried out, and in the end it may outlive them all.

The technology has so far found its way into some expensive buses and forklift trucks, but no hydrogen-powered car has gone on sale despite the collective efforts of Honda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Opel to develop one.

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Submitted Feb 07, 2013 By: aservant

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SVmike Champion Author California Posts:1,569 Points:319,195 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 5:03:59 PM Ignore SVmike Report Abuse Hydrogen is not going to power any significant number of vehicles for decades. See link: http://www.edmunds.com/autoobserver-archive/2008/02/fuel-cell-experiment-misses-the-bus.html 3 hydrogen fuel cell buses. Costs were 32x that of diesel. $50 per mile compared to $1.61 per mile. Fuel costs were 10x.
nru Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:1,726 Points:980,300 Joined:Feb 2006	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 1:59:34 PM Ignore nru Report Abuse Seems like a good place for a subsidy
DimitrisIL Champion Author Chicago Posts:1,496 Points:520,725 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 1:01:58 PM Ignore DimitrisIL Report Abuse Numberous efforts from many automobile manufactures but we need to see and be able to buy these cars. Make it REAL!
CPGas1815 Champion Author Michigan Posts:6,027 Points:1,099,605 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 1:01:48 PM Ignore CPGas1815 Report Abuse Hydrogen is our planet's most abundant resource but these revolutionary vehicles will definitely be far more than I could ever afford.
bicycler Champion Author Ontario Posts:14,815 Points:2,598,445 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 12:00:53 PM Ignore bicycler Report Abuse Perhaps Toyota is putting so much energy that they are neglecting their current cars and they are falling into the recall pile!
mastermariner Champion Author Texas Posts:4,236 Points:492,035 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:58:30 AM Ignore mastermariner Report Abuse Step in the right direction
Asbury09 Champion Author Iowa Posts:7,198 Points:1,527,380 Joined:Jan 2009	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:50:44 AM Ignore Asbury09 Report Abuse this technology is still in the early stage of development, especially when you look at the manufacturers involved
Double_Golden Champion Author San Francisco Posts:2,545 Points:602,460 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:49:59 AM Ignore Double_Golden Report Abuse ok, but don't set the price too high...
crep1291 Champion Author Ottawa Posts:2,576 Points:480,635 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:33:34 AM Ignore crep1291 Report Abuse Hydrogen isn't that expensive. With a kg of H2 costing anywhere between $2 and $10 (depending on method of production) and containing 141MJ of energy, it would be like paying 0.60-2.65$/gal for gas in a car that gets 25% efficiency, assuming the FV vehicle is 90% efficient. The problem is the cost of the fuel cells.
Billbop Champion Author St. Louis Posts:2,782 Points:1,449,190 Joined:Jun 2004	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:31:16 AM Ignore Billbop Report Abuse ANYTHING is better for than Big Oil manipulating prices. When technologies like these mature and actually compete on a level playing field is when Big Oil loses it's power to manipulate.
q2 Champion Author Alberta Posts:2,019 Points:377,070 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:21:22 AM Ignore q2 Report Abuse not in my time
LongPlay Champion Author Albuquerque Posts:4,233 Points:1,237,350 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:20:53 AM Ignore LongPlay Report Abuse Don't hold your breath! Hydrogen is hard to make and most people do not want a high pressure tank of hydrogen in their car. This is very inefficient compared to other energy sources.
maciek Sophomore Author Illinois Posts:143 Points:1,091,160 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:20:03 AM Ignore maciek Report Abuse It is not gonna happen any time soon !
dad2two Champion Author Dallas Posts:3,525 Points:746,620 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:18:25 AM Ignore dad2two Report Abuse This technology is on it's way up. Electric cars are just a stopgap.
Car54BC08 Champion Author British Columbia Posts:4,239 Points:1,507,415 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:16:42 AM Ignore Car54BC08 Report Abuse Ballard has been doing this for years and years
peakkeller Champion Author Colorado Springs Posts:1,674 Points:774,325 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:15:17 AM Ignore peakkeller Report Abuse Still quite a way aways. Only 50 refueling stations in Germany by 2015, new auto models planned for release in 2015, 2017 and later...
alfaromeo Sophomore Author London Posts:168 Points:314,960 Joined:Feb 2004	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:09:50 AM Ignore alfaromeo Report Abuse Ready? I don't think so.
bouncing4fun All-Star Author Sacramento Posts:587 Points:144,990 Joined:Jun 2012	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:08:34 AM Ignore bouncing4fun Report Abuse ok
HawaiianGuy Champion Author Idaho Posts:9,512 Points:3,076,755 Joined:May 2003	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:08:33 AM Ignore HawaiianGuy Report Abuse Hmmm. Let the rich folks be the guinea pigs for this new technology. As for me, I'll stick with diesel.
trekmanKY Champion Author Kentucky Posts:1,085 Points:356,285 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:08:16 AM Ignore trekmanKY Report Abuse Interesting!
ddaz46 All-Star Author Akron Posts:551 Points:188,580 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:07:53 AM Ignore ddaz46 Report Abuse Keep the prices reasonable and people will buy into it.
Chinto12 Champion Author Illinois Posts:1,019 Points:407,060 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:07:43 AM Ignore Chinto12 Report Abuse Maybe for my grandson - he is 5
babyjudy Champion Author Tucson Posts:2,716 Points:558,810 Joined:Sep 2011	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:07:28 AM Ignore babyjudy Report Abuse Yes to hydrogen,
Bigtex09 Champion Author Dallas Posts:4,273 Points:1,156,360 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:06:24 AM Ignore Bigtex09 Report Abuse try natural gas too
K9LO Champion Author North Dakota Posts:2,664 Points:539,980 Joined:Nov 2010	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:04:30 AM Ignore K9LO Report Abuse The fuel cell will work. It is an older technology. Burning straight Hydrogen is used by the space program only and that will be the great part of the hydrogen revolution once storing the fuel is accomplished.
Infamoussteve Veteran Author Illinois Posts:476 Points:40,240 Joined:Jan 2013	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:02:58 AM Ignore Infamoussteve Report Abuse This is a step in the right direction.
donny47 Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:2,651 Points:984,465 Joined:Feb 2009	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:01:25 AM Ignore donny47 Report Abuse if it works?
JaegerWMeister All-Star Author Twin Cities Posts:790 Points:336,065 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 11:00:29 AM Ignore JaegerWMeister Report Abuse Do it, but do it well.
dlzastera Champion Author Minnesota Posts:4,495 Points:1,020,420 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:59:30 AM Ignore dlzastera Report Abuse You can make a add on kit yourself.
ramshot412 Champion Author Riverside Posts:20,132 Points:2,463,140 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:59:22 AM Ignore ramshot412 Report Abuse Okay.
Cellsite Champion Author Appleton Posts:1,223 Points:283,925 Joined:Jun 2012	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:51:04 AM Ignore Cellsite Report Abuse I love how over 3/4 of this article extols the good points of a hydrogen-fueled car, such as "because the gas produces no fossil-fuel-type emissions when it is burned in fuel cells." Yeah? What about the energy consumed in producing the hydrogen? How about the energy consumed in producing the tanks and parts necessary to make this work in a car? Ahhh... not as green as made out to be. I do think this concept has more potential than a battery-powered EV, but when the car can be bought for $20,000, can run 300 or more miles on a fill-up, there are an abundance of hydrogen filling stations, and it only costs $30 to fill 'er up, THEN it will sell like hotcakes.
Hugo40 Champion Author Kentucky Posts:7,614 Points:1,615,055 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:43:01 AM Ignore Hugo40 Report Abuse Too expensive at this stage.
zimowski Champion Author San Jose Posts:6,656 Points:1,581,540 Joined:Nov 2007	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:42:59 AM Ignore zimowski Report Abuse Sunds promising but no mention of cost.
scottydoesnt Champion Author Chicago Posts:3,767 Points:527,445 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:42:42 AM Ignore scottydoesnt Report Abuse Baby steps. Why is it that everyone wants to start an "revolution" overnight ?
Wolfwings Champion Author Delaware Posts:8,725 Points:1,773,540 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:40:00 AM Ignore Wolfwings Report Abuse Still under examination. Too costly by far, and, as yet, unproven in large quantities of vehicles.
BEngr Champion Author Illinois Posts:6,696 Points:1,576,940 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:39:38 AM Ignore BEngr Report Abuse I'm not ready and it looks like it will be a few more years for this to take place.
bluebird1 Champion Author Toronto Posts:15,720 Points:3,105,200 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:39:19 AM Ignore bluebird1 Report Abuse Believe it when I see it & the infrastructure behind it. Hydrogen has been talked about for what - about 30 yrs - & electric has been on the horizon was about 100 yrs!!!
Wizrd03 Champion Author Illinois Posts:8,137 Points:1,629,410 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:39:03 AM Ignore Wizrd03 Report Abuse A fuel cell powered EV is what I would wait for. The battery powered cars will never have the range we would expect and with the recent problems Boeing is having with their LI-Ion batteries, I'm not going there either.
racerdj Champion Author Indianapolis Posts:9,800 Points:2,053,650 Joined:Jun 2003	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:38:50 AM Ignore racerdj Report Abuse I hope this technology pans out for the public!
Tanner_1 Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:1,536 Points:456,040 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:38:30 AM Ignore Tanner_1 Report Abuse Now all we have to do is find someone who can make it happen!
paulp24 Champion Author Harrisburg Posts:4,527 Points:819,625 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:36:19 AM Ignore paulp24 Report Abuse This hydrogen revolution has been talked about for 20 years...not very optimistic its ever gonna happen.
emernal Champion Author St. Louis Posts:6,922 Points:2,010,070 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:35:43 AM Ignore emernal Report Abuse This is what I am waiting for.
bbthegun Champion Author San Diego Posts:5,968 Points:1,678,165 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:34:32 AM Ignore bbthegun Report Abuse Hope it's a little more substantial than the EV car revolution (that wasn't).
truckpdlr Champion Author Tucson Posts:2,940 Points:1,093,290 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:34:04 AM Ignore truckpdlr Report Abuse Not for me yet
jimgraham Champion Author Akron Posts:10,357 Points:1,976,785 Joined:Oct 2007	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:33:57 AM Ignore jimgraham Report Abuse The future of hydrogen power is in the future. We will be chasing it forever!
sydb7 Champion Author Atlanta Posts:3,542 Points:1,916,730 Joined:Mar 2003	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:33:37 AM Ignore sydb7 Report Abuse Another alternative! There is no one solution! No magic bullet!
mswillia Champion Author Milwaukee Posts:2,618 Points:570,625 Joined:Feb 2010	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:32:01 AM Ignore mswillia Report Abuse sounds nice, where does the hydrogen come from? Typically from Electricity. Any conversion process has losses.
joezIN Champion Author Gary Posts:1,663 Points:331,810 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:30:42 AM Ignore joezIN Report Abuse ok
divebomber Champion Author Nebraska Posts:6,063 Points:1,809,350 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:28:24 AM Ignore divebomber Report Abuse THIS IS OUR FUTURE!
photobuddy Champion Author Washington Posts:1,620 Points:370,255 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Feb 7, 2013 10:27:57 AM Ignore photobuddy Report Abuse Sounds interesting but there are still a lot of questions to answer