Thanks! Pinging Uncle Dave!.........
About that “energy density/kw thing....
Yo do NOT need a “KW of storage” for every “KW of power” you produce in an automobile. As has been stated—any given IC engine is normally rated in PEAK, or “momentary” power output. IOW—a corvette MAY INDEED be able to produce 500 horsepower, for a FEW SECONDS..BUT—if you were to try and get that amount of power for ANY length of time, THREE things would happen: 1- you would destroy the engine in SHORT order, 2—you would burn through 20 gallons of gas in a few MINUTES and 3—you would be DEAD, as the car would be moving at above 200 MPH and most likely impaled into a tree or building somewhere.
So—auto engines are good for SHORT burst of power, for a short time and then, they typically produce maybe 15% of that power, for normal “driving”. Therefore—if a FC car had a 200HP motor, needing say, 150KW to run, it would NOT need a 150 KW fuel cell— a 30-40KW stack would suffice-so long as it could produce 150KW for a short time for acceleration.
Case in point.
The GM EV1 electric car, had a battery stack of less than 20KW and a motor of about 100KW. That stack was able to provide that motor with the FULL 100KW of power needed for normal needs, for about 75 miles or so. BUT—since that stack was a “storage” medium and NOT a “generation” medium, RANGE was SEVERLY limited—which ultimately put an end to GM’s electric car.
With a FC the “storage” is in the FUEL TANK—and so, driving range is only limited by the amount of FUEL one can carry—JUST like a “normal car”.
Properly done, a fully developed FC car would be as easy to refuel as a normal car—and probably the EXCAT SAME way!!