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."
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.
Power Plant to Wheel Efficiency In CarsSo 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.
Gaseous Hydrogen Fuel Cell 22%
Liquid Hydrogen Fuel Cell 17%
Hybrid Diesel 25%
Hybrid Diesel W/ SOHC Extender 33%
Battery Electric 66%
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.
posted by Adam Ritenour at 6:09 PM
1 Comments:
I began as you did, but I started with biodiesel in the search bar and moved on to hydrogen fuel cells. First, a comment about petroleum based fuels. Until a year or two ago, the cost of gasoline and deisel was at such a cost that tended to leave comsumers complacent about wanting or even needing a change. Now that oil prices are raging out of control and the cost is almost unbearable, consumers are crawling out of the woodwork looking for a place to complain. I agree with you on the notion that oil companies and automotive industry leaders are quite happy with their situation. It is my belief that all these years, that the oil companies and auto industry has bought up patents and squelched new found technologies that would make fuel consumption more affordable and energy efficient. So, why would I believe that the same attitudes towards the newest innovations would be treated in any other way? Ok , enough about that. I believe that hybrid cars are being used to lure consumers into the illusion that less oil consumption will cure the crisis. Then, as consumers become accoustomed to the sutle changes, the big boys will make it nearly as impossible to operate these hybrids and the cost will remain as horrid as it is now. Geez I blab alot. Ok one more thought. I find it difficult to find information that tells the true operating cost of new fuel alternatives. I usually see them compared to oil products, and generally compared at MPG. If we are comparing apples to apples, then those comparisons might be accurate. I want to see studies that reflect the cost of energy in relation to the miles traveled.I'll try an example. I drive a van(ford) that gets 18 mpg on 87 octane fuel. Today as I type, gasoline is $2.76.9 per gallon. My math tells me that it is costing me (fuel wise) 15.38 cents per mile. Now if im driving an electric car over that same mile, then how much will it cost me. Or, if I'm using s hybrid and doing the same. I would like to keep all comparisons on the same scale. Not mpg but CPM ( cost per mile) Cost per mile across all fuels is the only true comparisons of any real value. Now i'll shut the hell up.
thanks for listening,
byndhlpng (beyond helping)
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