Posted on 11/19/2014 2:35:31 PM PST by ckilmer
“Well if we had a brain, we’d have nuke plants coupled with desalinization and electrolysis.”
Hydrogen is still very difficult to store or ship. So there would never be a large hydrogen production plant coupled with a nuke plant. Now, it could be argued that nuke plants could provide cheap electricity, which is easily shipped to our homes...and we could use ‘in home’ electrolysis set-ups. However, just speaking for my own personal situation -the cheapest power in my neck of the woods (eastern Kansas) is coal. We have a nuke plant, and the power from it costs more than the coal plant.
Agreed. My son follows cars and the industry and points to one problem with Hydrogen- it takes a lot of electricity to make Hydrogen from electrolysis. So they potentially pollute more than gas..
Fuel cells are a far better alternative than a pure electric car. The Achilles heal of all electric cars is the battery. Batteries have a lmited range and take too long to recharge.. Imagine taking your electric car on a long trip and having to stop every few hundred miles or less and waiting an hour or more to recharge compared to a quick fill up of hydrogen.
Politicians love to fetishize about ‘hydrogen fuel cells’...
...and they have no idea what they’re talking about.
I love my gasoline powered A6 but would consider an alternative fuel source vehicle.
Since they are claiming a 3 minute fill-up, they are talking about liquid hydrogen. My Honda holds 17 gal of gasoline. This liquid hydrogen powered vehicle would require a 6x17=102 gal tank i.e., a trailer is required to carry the liquid hydrogen. When you need a fill-up just pull into a station and hookup to a new trailer.
I assume they compress the hydrogen.
(Just don’t tell anyone that takes energy)
Who can afford to buy an Audi?...
Never answered is how do you refill the hydrogen? Currently almost any idiot can refill the gas in their car. Worn nozzles aren’t much of a problem. But with any compressed gas you need a trained person and connections that are in perfect shape. Do they currently let a person refill their own propane tanks? No.
A person who owns an upscale garage. Takes care of all of the time it’s going to spend in one also.
Just as soon as they get the hydrogen mines and the hydrogen pipelines in full operation, the idea becomes entirely feasible.
The supply and distribution of hydrogen is the big bottle neck now.
Hydrocarbon-fueled internal combustion engines are still the most highly developed and widely available propulsion system on this planet.
More’s the pity. This concentration of engineering capability has sort of stunted the development of other, and potentially much more efficient, means of providing independent propulsion power.
Personally, I would prefer to develop an EXTERNAL-combustion engine, with a full regenerative cycle, reclaiming most of the heat created by burning fuel, and coupling it to an hydrostatic pump system to provide propulsion to the wheel drive.
An example of an external-combustion power unit would be either a steam engine or a Stirling-cycle hot air engine.
We are in a position to launch the production process as soon as the market and infrastructure are ready.”
...
Which means never. Yet another company playing PR tricks.
Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Cars Not Viable, Says Volkswagen CEO:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1083046_hydrogen-fuel-cell-cars-not-viable-says-volkswagen-ceo
As well as that cure for cancer which is always "right around the corner".
Big frigging corner, that one.
What? You mean to tell me that Audi isn’t really going to build these cars?
I’m shocked.
“Can you say “ Hindenberg”? In an accident that car will go off like a Roman Candle”
You mean this car will be coated in fabric and aluminized buterate dope? That could be very dangerous and might cause a Hindenbutrg type fire where the hydrogen later caught fire as well.
...The only reason some automakers are pursuing hydrogen technology is for marketing purposes, that lithium batteries are superior mass and volume-wise for a given range, and that fuel cells are too expensive, Musk capped it all off with the safety issue. "Hydrogen is quite a dangerous gas. you know, it's suitable for the upper stage of rockets, but not for cars," he said.
Given these safety problems, why do you think these companies are wasting money on this?
Wonder how Elon would be doing if Tesla couldn’t make all their profit off those bullsh_t electric vehicle credits they sell to other manufacturers....
So, it's got mediocre horsepower, mediocre acceleration and a top speed that would have Corollas passing it on the Autobahn.
Nothing about range, either.
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