Hydrogen
Fuel Cells and Vehicles - The dream that has been chased by companies
and governments for years. It's almost here...
Imagine mass producing a hydrogen car that does not pollute the
environment... it's only emission is pure clean water coming from
the tailpipe.
By using hydrogen as
a fuel (in a fuel cell) greenhouse gases that cause global warming are almost
completely eliminated in cars and vehicles.
Hydrogen fuel systems are high efficiency, low
polluting and can be used for transportation, heating, and power
generation in places where it is difficult to use or get electricity. Some
people use a hydrogen fuel cell generator for remote locations
July 2008: Hydrogen Bacteria
to fill your gas tank
I just saw this
articled about a Russian biology professor Sergey Markov from Austin
Peay State University had discovered a way to product hydrogen fuel for
cars and vehicles by using photosynthetic bacteria. The
purple bacteria currently grows in lakes, ponds, and mud. The
prototype bioreactor he build will mix the bacteria with carbon monoxide
and water to make hydrogen.
“This is very attractive for
industrial application because photosynthetic bacteria can produce
hydrogen using solar light and water and we have plenty of solar light
and water around,” he said.
He's received a
grant from the U.S. Department of Energy - but says more finance and
support is needed.
May 2008:
Check out www.ultracapacitors.org This is promising new technology for
energy storage. Ultra capacitors will be used along with any new
hybrid electric vehicle and the new BMW Hydrogen Car.
Honda announced today that they
have the first hydrogen fuel
cell powered vehicle for the
general public. It will be
the HONDA FCX Clarity to a
limited number of people in
California. The four-door
sedan, powered by a hydrogen
fuel-cell stack, will have zero
exhaust-pipe emissions and a
range of 270 miles.
General
Motors also announced recenlty
that it would begin testing of
it's Equinox hydrogen fuel cell
vehicles using US consumers in
early 2008. Ten of the vehicles
in the pilot, called Project
Driveway, will be used by
Walt Disney in California,
GM said.
BMW
Hydrogen 7 - Proves this technology isn't far away
The
BMW Hydrogen 7 will soon be rolling the streets of London.
BMW Group
Head of Government and Industrial Affairs, John Hollis, said: “The
use of the BMW Hydrogen 7 at the Revolve Brighton to London rally
marks yet another step towards hydrogen powered cars becoming an
everyday reality on the streets of this country.
“Zero emission motoring is no longer a dream and this car proves the
technology isn’t as far away as some skeptics may think. We
want to kick-start the debate about the future of personal mobility
and the importance of hydrogen as the definitive fuel. The
opinions of politicians and other influencers are important in
driving this forward to ensure that hydrogen-power comes to fruition
as soon as possible.”
Detail on
the BMW Hydrogen 7 - The Hydrogen 7 is based on the BMW
7 Series and comes equipped with a bivalent internal combustion
engine that is capable of running on hydrogen or gasoline.
In the hydrogen mode the car emits nothing more than water droplets.
It is powered by a 260hp 12-cylinder engine and will do zero to
62mph in 9.5 seconds before going on to an electronically-limited
143mph top speed.
The car has a cruising range in excess of 125 miles in the hydrogen
mode with a further 300 miles under petrol power with a conventional
74-litre petrol tank and an additional hydrogen fuel tank holding up
to 8kgs of liquid hydrogen, stored at -253 degrees Celsius. Engine
power and torque in the Hydrogen 7 remain exactly the same
regardless of which fuel is in current use, says BMW.
Advantages
and Disadvantages of Hydrogen as a Fuel
What are the advantages of hydrogen?
Low production of greenhouse gas and emissions
(lower than current combustion engine) - it can be at almost zero
emissions depending on if renewable energy was used in it's
production
Zero emissions from fuel cells using hydrogen gas
directly
High efficiencies when compared to internal
combustion engines
Low noise
Low vibration
High quality electricity
What are the disadvantages of hydrogen?
Currently it is expensive. Large-scale production
will reduce its costs
Range is limited with current fuel storage options
Current small distribution channels - California is
making some serious progress
Many improvements are expected as this technology
becomes more mature
February 2007 - The
Tide Is Turning - Cleaner Fuel
Hydrogen
Fuel Cell Hybrids were the top choices for car buyers in a recent
survey. The United States has the most hybrid fans (50.9%)
compared to France (46.9%) - according to the German research firm
PULS. The German market choose diesel engines at the vehicle
of the future 18.4% of the time. Corporation says that it can take nearly any waste and turn
it directly into a gas rich in hydrogen that can in turn be converted to
"ethanol, synthetic diesel fuel and other higher alcohol fuels."
In China..
50% of the vehicle purchasers prefer hydrogen fuel cells compared to
5.2 who preferred diesel engines. The tide is turning in the
world towards cleaner hydrogen energy...
December 2006 -
Waste to Hydrogen
Startech
Environmental Corporation says that it can take nearly any waste and turn
it directly into a gas rich in hydrogen that can in turn be converted to
"ethanol, synthetic diesel fuel and other higher alcohol fuels."
Startech claims its plasma converter system "safely and economically
destroys wastes, no matter how hazardous or lethal, and turns them into
useful and valuable products." Now, that's a pretty grandiose claim, and
I'm not convinced that vaporizing medical waste is completely safe. The
Department of Energy has given Startech some grant money to study hydrogen
from coal.
Startech, which is based in Connecticut, has waste-to-gas production
plants in China, Japan, Australia Panama, and a small plant in Bristol,
Connecticut. The company also claims to be able to make ethanol from old
tires. In a press release issued today, the company dedicate seven
paragraphs detailing how Ford is building a truck with a hydrogen internal
combustion engine, even though they have nothing to do with Ford or
hydrogen engines.
Trash to steam plants to produce electricity have been proven to work, but
I'm wary of companies (such as this) claiming to convert any kind of waste
to hydrogen or fuel. Organic waste yes, but not any kind of junk.
September 2006 -
Hydrogen and the Wind
GM recognizes that the
ultimate success or failure of fuel cell vehicles will be inextricably
linked to hydrogen production from renewable resources.
In an editorial in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, GM chief engineer
Matthew Fronk says that creating hydrogen by harnessing wind power
supports the company's work on fuel cell vehicles. Put simply, automakers
recognize that without an abundant hydrogen supply, there will be no
market for fuel cell vehicles.
Wind energy and hydrogen production have natural synergies that together
make a strong economic (and environmental) argument. The aptly named Wind
Hydrogen Limited of Australia explains that excess wind energy can be used
to electrolyze hydrogen, which can then be used to create electricity when
the wind isn't blowing.
However, the hydrogen could instead be used to power a regional network of
hydrogen fueling stations. One of the difficulties of commercializing wind
energy has been the higher cost (in some places) relative to electricity
from coal or nuclear power. But wind companies could make more profit by
selling the hydrogen as fuel. Geography is also a limitation of wind
energy as sending the electricity from remote locations via transmission
lines is expensive. Hydrogen that is created in remote areas could be
distributed to the surrounding community, which would likely favor buying
locally instead of having fuel shipped from foreign destinations.
GM has made the biggest gambit of its life in investing in fuel cells as
the "vehicle engines" of the future. Now the company is in the
uncomfortable position of advocating against using products from their
cozy oil friends and instead embracing alternative energy. How the company
transitions to alt energy backer will likely determine its future.
September 2006
- BMW will lease Hydrogen Cars
BMW is going to make a limited number of Hydrogen Series 7 sedans
available for lease starting next year. To my knowledge this is the
first fleet of hydrogen powered vehicles that will be made available to
consumers.
The cars will have tanks for storing liquid hydrogen and gasoline,
according to Reuters. The BMW Hydrogen 7 will emit only water vapor when
burning hydrogen in the combustion engine. BMW, like many auto
manufacturers, is looking at hydrogen ICEs for the short-to-long term as
fuel cell vehicles are still too costly to manufacture.
The vehicle has a 260 hp twelve-cylinder engine and will accelerate from
0-62.1 mph in 9.5 seconds and tops out at 143 mph, according to BMW.
And, unlike fossil
fuels and traditional gasoline, hydrogen is available in virtually
infinite supply.
BMW will also have a gas tank for those situations and times when you
cannot fine any hydrogen fuel. The automobile will have the range
of 125 miles in hydrogen mode. This is an important step towards a
pollution free vehicle.
In 2008, BMW will have a sedan powered by a hydrogen internal
combustion engine. The carmaker is working on hydrogen research with
energy company Total, which will open three hydrogen fueling stations in
Europe.
APRIL 2004
-
California to Pave the Hydrogen Highway
California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger announced on April 20, 2004 his vision for the California
Hydrogen Highway Network and signed an Executive Order outlining
that vision.
"The goal of the California
Hydrogen Highway Network initiative is to support and catalyze a rapid
transition to a clean, hydrogen transportation economy in California,
thereby reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and protecting our
citizens from health harms related to vehicle emissions. We have an
opportunity to deal with these problems by investing in California's
ability to innovate our way to a clean hydrogen future, thus bringing
jobs, investment, and continued economic prosperity to California. We
have an opportunity to prove to the world that a thriving environment
and economy can co-exist." (Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's California
Hydrogen Highway Network Action Plan)
California took a symbolic
first step toward a statewide "hydrogen highway" with the
dedication of a fueling station Tuesday, as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
gave an executive order creating a public and private partnership to
build a
hydrogen highway in California by 2010.
"Californians invent the
future, and we are about to do it again," Schwarzenegger said in a
prepared statement. "We have an opportunity to prove to the world that a
thriving environment and economy can coexist. This vision for California
is real and attainable; however, it will take time, so we must plant the
seeds now." He said he hoped to create jobs through more hydrogen research
and to "prove to the world that a thriving environment and economy can
coexist.''
The executive order, which
Schwarzenegger announced at a hydrogen fueling station at the
Institute of Transportation Studies
(ITS) at the University of California at Berkeley, states that the
hydrogen highway can lead to energy independence, reduce global warming
and provide economic and work-force benefits to help California.
The California hydrogen
highway is an ambitious plan to line the state's highways with hydrogen
fueling stations in just six years and usher in an age of more
environmentally friendly vehicles.
The plan calls on academic
experts, the auto industry and the government to work together on a
hydrogen infrastructure plan. If successful the plan would ignite a
profound transportation transformation. Some have compared it to the
country's move from the horse and buggy to the Model T at the beginning of
the last century.
The hydrogen highway plan
states that a network of 150 to 200 hydrogen fueling stations
throughout the state would cost approximately $90 million, primarily from
private investment. No state funding for the project was announced in the
executive order.
A great video that shows how hydrogen fuel cells
work. It was produced by the company Ballard:
The
BMW Hydrogen 7 will soon be rolling the streets of London.
BMW is going to make a limited number of Hydrogen Series 7 sedans available for lease starting next year. To my knowledge this is the first fleet of hydrogen powered vehicles that will be made available to consumers.
