link When will these replace the gas cars (10 to 20 years?) Cann't wait until gasoline become obsolete. Toyota doubles hybrid's range FCHV model uses hydrogen, electricity By Yuri Kageyama • Associated Press • June 7, 2008 Post a CommentRecommend (1)Print this page E-mail this article Share this article: Del.icio.us Facebook Digg Reddit Newsvine What’s this? TOKYO -- Toyota has developed a new fuel cell hybrid, powered by hydrogen and electricity, that can travel more than twice the distance of its predecessor between fill-ups, the automaker said yesterday. The improved model's maximum cruising range is 516 miles, compared with 205 miles for Toyota's previous fuel cell model, the maker of the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury cars said in a statement. The FCHV-adv model, which received Japanese government approval Tuesday, will be available for leasing in Japan later this year, Toyota Motor Corp. spokeswoman Kayo Doi said. Pricing and other details weren't available, and overseas plans such as whether it will reach the U.S. market were still undecided, she said. Toyota makes a gasoline-electric hybrid version of the best-selling Camry sedan at the company's Georgetown, Ky., plant, where it also makes the Avalon sedan. The plant in Princeton, Ind., makes the Tundra pickup, Sienna minivan and the Sequoia sport utility vehicle. Fuel cell vehicles produce no pollution by running on the power of the chemical reaction when hydrogen stored in a tank combines with oxygen in the air to produce energy, with water as a byproduct. The FCHV-adv from the world's second-largest automaker also comes with an electric motor and works as a hybrid by switching between that motor and the hydrogen-powered fuel cell. The Prius hybrid was the company's first to switch between an electric motor and a standard gasoline engine. Fuel efficiency in the FCHV-adv was improved 25 percent with better braking and other changes, Toyota said. The new vehicle can also start and run in temperatures as low as minus-22 degrees Fahrenheit, it said. Getting a fuel cell to work well in cold weather is a technological challenge. Major automakers are working on fuel cells and other ecological vehicles, including electric cars and plug-in hybrids, which recharge from an electrical outlet. And consumer interest in alternative fuels is increasing amid soaring gasoline prices and worries about global warming. Rival Honda Motor Co.'s revamped fuel cell vehicle for leasing in California is rolling out of a Japanese factory starting this month. For 2010, U.S. automaker General Motors is planning a Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle, while Tokyo-based Nissan Motor Co. is planning electric vehicles for the United States and Japan. Fuel cell vehicles are usually marketed through leasing arrangements, since the technology is too expensive for most people to buy outright.
If Oil prices get us off the Middle East TEET faster than maybe George W and his bumbling war forced the world to deal with the diminishing Oil supply just in time. DD
Where does all the energy come from? I'm happy that it's zero emissions but hydrogen doesn't grow on trees.
they need to bring back the electric car before we attempt to rebuild our infrastructure to handle hydrogen... or ethanol like we seem to be stuck on currently.
There are plenty of hydrogen on earth, the trick is find a cheap process to harvest pure hydrogen, as technology improves I am pretty confident that can be done in the not too distant future.
Switch2hydrogen.com I ask you: Why do auto companies continue to make 'fuel cell' cars that are basically electric cars that are recharged by hydrogen, rather than use hydrogen as the direct fuel source that is combusted in the chamber? Why? Is it because they can't store the hydrogen in a stable way in the car as a gas or liquid? That's BS. If that guy at switch2hydrogen.com can figure out that hydrogen can be safely stored as a hydride, you can't tell me that the auto manufacturers can't. So, why?
I have no idea but could it be for technical reasons or financial reasons? Such as they already have the hybrid engines, so they do not have to design a new hydrogen engine? I am sure these companies have lots of smart engineers, so this is probably best current solution?
The reason oil is so important is because it is easily stored in mobile devices, if hydrogen can do the same thing, it would be the start of shift away from gasoline. I am sure everyone on this bbs would be happy. You could even use nuclear reactors to produce the power needed to process hydrogen generations.
from switch2hyrdogen.com: (and, again, after reading this... how is that this guy can figure it out, but the car companies can't?) Storage Since you can't make Hydrogen quickly enough to power a car in real time, you must produce it separately, and store it as you store your Gasoline fuel supply in your vehicle now. There are but 3 ways to do this: 1. Store the Hydrogen as a compressed gas. 2. Store the Hydrogen as a liquid. 3. Store the Hydrogen chemically bonded to a chemical. We'll cover each option in order. 1. If you choose to store the Hydrogen as a compressed gas, you'll need HUGE tanks, and many of them, since Hydrogen isn't very dense, so a tank really can't hold all that much. In addition, you'll be driving a giant bomb. In a collision, expect to die in a huge fireball/explosion. 2. Choosing liquid does solve the density problem since liquids are far more dense than gasses, so you can reduce the amount of tanks and their sizes required to power the car. The new problem that pops up is the fact the liquid Hydrogen in cryogenic... in short REALLY cold. It requires vacuum-thermos ( dewar ) tanks and vents to exhaust the boiling Hydrogen gas. You'll also have to find a source for liquid Hydrogen which is far more expensive than Gasoline. You've also now increased you danger factor when it comes to a collision. Not only will you have more Hydrogen gas spewing around that's going to explode and burn, but you'll also have a liquid spraying about that's over 400 degrees below zero. Once you add in the added complexity of the system due to the cryogenic liquid, your vehicle will wind up being a giant, low efficiency, rolling bomb that costs more than your house, and costs far more to run than it did on Gasoline. 3. The 3rd option is simply the only way to go. There are materials call Hydrides that absorb Hydrogen like a sponge absorbs water. Typically, the tanks are filled with granulated Hydrides, and Hydrogen is pressurized into the material. Hydrides have many advantages over liquid & gas. One is that the density of the Hydrogen stored in the Hydride can be GREATER than that of liquid Hydrogen. This translates directly into smaller and fewer storage tanks. Once the Hydride is "charged" with Hydrogen, the Hydrogen becomes chemically bonded to the chemical. Even opening the tank, or cutting it in half will not release the Hydrogen gas. In addition, you could even fire incendiary bullets through the tank and the Hydride would only smolder like a cigarette. It is in fact, a safer storage system than your Gasoline tank is. Then how do you get the Hydrogen back out? To release the Hydrogen gas from the Hydride, it simply needs to be heated. This is either done electrically, using the waste exhaust heat, or using the waste radiator coolant heat. Our kits heat the Hydride tanks electrically, and as soon at the Hydride is sufficiently warm, Hydrogen is released from the tanks and the on-board computer detects the presence of Hydrogen pressure. The fuel system remains in "Hydrogen" mode until the tank pressure begins to drop. If the tanks run out of Hydrogen, the engine will seamlessly switch over to Gasoline, which enables the car to run conventionally until the Hydrogen tanks are refilled. Using Hydrogen, the only exhaust products produced are water vapor and a tiny amount of Nitrogen Oxides. It's about as clean burning as you can get.
Hydrogen can be used as a fuel in existing engines. It takes MUCH more effort, time, and expense to design and produce a hybrid engine, than it does to use hydrogen as a fuel in existing engine designs. So... again... Why?
yea yea yea . . . until you paying 5$ a gallow for AquaFina Generally speaking .. .you will trade one TEET for another TEET BUT D*MMIT IT WILL BE AN AMMMUURICAN TEET! Rocket River
This isn't something to make light of, really.... If we want the dollar to ever be worth anything again, we have to stop exporting cash by the oil tanker-load.
That kit at switch2hydrogen.com comes with its own, solar-powered hydrogen generator, which would generate your fuel at home while you drive around in your car. You would be making your own fuel! Hydrogen is NOT more expensive to produce. So... again... Why?
It takes 50 kwh to produce one kilogram of hydrogen by electrolysis, depending on water temp. Solar panels are still over a dollar per watt.... you do the math.
I'm confused. Why are solar panels priced per watt? Should they just be priced by size, or something?
Because the power generated and money spent are likely what people are concerned with when buying solar panels, especially when you start talking about economies of scale. Because of the cost, rarely is area or size the limiting factor.
