Electric vs. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars

Today at work I did just a couple minutes of research about hydrogen fuel cells and this so called "Hydrogen Economy" that we keep hearing so much about. I wanted to see how well hydrogen stacked up against what I knew about the efficiency of pure electric systems for transportation. (cars stupid) Just a couple Google searched led me to this article by Ulf Bossel. I have never heard of this dude before but I can already tell that I like him. You don't have to read the whole thing to get this point and I don't recommend reading the whole thing because your brain might explode. All you need to do is scroll down to the top of page 3 where he gets to the good part. Below is a quick summary of the very bad news for all the people who ignorantly backed hydrogen as the "Fuel of the Future."

Power Plant to Wheel Efficiency In Cars
Gaseous Hydrogen Fuel Cell 22%
Liquid Hydrogen Fuel Cell 17%
Hybrid Diesel 25%
Hybrid Diesel W/ SOHC Extender 33%
Battery Electric 66%

So why do the big car companies seem so hot for hydrogen fuel cell cars? They know all this shit. Don't fool yourself. They want to keep building the same old thing they always have. They know how to do that. They know how to make money at that. Except Ford I guess who is losing billions of dollars every year. They don't think they are going to make as much money selling electric cars. Now, why is that I wonder? Electric cars have far fewer moving parts. They don't need: air filters, radiators, coolant, transmissions, oil changes, timing chains, etc. No explosions, no exhaust pipes And they don't need tune-ups. They are simpler to build and way easier to maintain. Sounds great doesn't it? The car companies don't think so. That is FACT.

If the people were properly informed about this they would be screaming for these cars. Imagine spending less than $40 for a whole month of driving, not just a tank of gas. This stuff scares the pants of a lot of big industries. That is why there are no retailers selling these cars. All the technology is there. No R&D needed and battery technology is only going to get better and better but the batteries we have now will work just fine. The car companies know that if they back hydrogen it will be years and years before the technology will be ready and they will have to start actually building anything. That is precisely what they want. Is that what you want?

--Adam

P.S. I hope this post isn't too long for everyone. I have more to write too but I had to stop somewhere.

Theodore Roosevelt Quote

Here is a nice little quote from our 26th president that caught me as a little cute.

To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.

-- Theodore Roosevelt

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. It goes with the territory I'm in these days.

--Adam