FUEL CELL OR FOOL SELL?
Fuel cell or Fool sell?
Why have we not seen a fully functioning hydrogen fuel cell car yet? For a while the fuel cell was deemed to be the saviour of the planet and the answer to our transport woes, yet all we got was the petrol-electric hybrid, a car that barely manages to improve on the ordinary motor car, despite all the Hollywood buyers and “green” publicity. I got in a Prius the other day, and was instantly asked where the nearest petrol station was. I suggested the driver switch to electric power, but was told “you only get a couple of miles on electric alone” – not the impression one is given from the press eh?
Apparently, Honda may change all that. In January, Honda announced that it would begin production in Japan of its fuel cell FCX vehicle within the next three to four years. This new FCX design, appears to be comparable to a petrol-engined vehicle in power and range – and it looks good. I don’t know about you, but I think the Toyota designers must have been given a brief which said “make this car stand out – ugly if necessary” Have a look at this:
Still, there is the issue of refuelling. Only California is committed to building fuel stops for hydrogen vehicles. As for the other stumbling block, the need to create hydrogen, using lots of energy in the process: Honda has overcome that one very neatly: It has coupled the announcement of the FCX production with the latest generation of its Home Energy Station (HES). The Home Energy Station uses regular natural gas as its base fuel, reforming it into H2 to fuel the FCX at home. But that's not all it does:
The system is equipped with fuel cells that generate and supply electricity to the home, and is configured to recover the heat produced during power generation for domestic water heating. In addition to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by some 40 percent, the HES system is expected to lower the total running cost of household electricity, gas and vehicle fuel by 50 percent.
This is miles ahead of the petrol-electric hybrid; the ability of the PHEV to function as a home power source when needed makes it more useful than simply an advanced form of transportation. It makes power generation more local, and enables individuals to put power back into the grid at low-demand periods – thus making the smart-grid a local reality.
Why have we not seen a fully functioning hydrogen fuel cell car yet? For a while the fuel cell was deemed to be the saviour of the planet and the answer to our transport woes, yet all we got was the petrol-electric hybrid, a car that barely manages to improve on the ordinary motor car, despite all the Hollywood buyers and “green” publicity. I got in a Prius the other day, and was instantly asked where the nearest petrol station was. I suggested the driver switch to electric power, but was told “you only get a couple of miles on electric alone” – not the impression one is given from the press eh?
Apparently, Honda may change all that. In January, Honda announced that it would begin production in Japan of its fuel cell FCX vehicle within the next three to four years. This new FCX design, appears to be comparable to a petrol-engined vehicle in power and range – and it looks good. I don’t know about you, but I think the Toyota designers must have been given a brief which said “make this car stand out – ugly if necessary” Have a look at this:
Still, there is the issue of refuelling. Only California is committed to building fuel stops for hydrogen vehicles. As for the other stumbling block, the need to create hydrogen, using lots of energy in the process: Honda has overcome that one very neatly: It has coupled the announcement of the FCX production with the latest generation of its Home Energy Station (HES). The Home Energy Station uses regular natural gas as its base fuel, reforming it into H2 to fuel the FCX at home. But that's not all it does:
The system is equipped with fuel cells that generate and supply electricity to the home, and is configured to recover the heat produced during power generation for domestic water heating. In addition to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by some 40 percent, the HES system is expected to lower the total running cost of household electricity, gas and vehicle fuel by 50 percent.
This is miles ahead of the petrol-electric hybrid; the ability of the PHEV to function as a home power source when needed makes it more useful than simply an advanced form of transportation. It makes power generation more local, and enables individuals to put power back into the grid at low-demand periods – thus making the smart-grid a local reality.
posted by Jambutty at 4:50 pm
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