Back before I retired, so over 12 years ago, my company installed a hydrogen-powered generator as a backup, or possibly primary (can’t remember) power source for one of our new central offices in NJ. Telephone equipment runs almost entirely off huge lead-acid cells strung together in series, but those are charged by big rectifiers that run off AC from the power company, with generator backup. That office was the only one I know of, so I presume the setup was either really expensive or they simply didn’t want to replace existing systems that still worked.
What ya wanna bet they’ll discover that the water left on the road attracts the endangered San Bernardino Spotted Hop Toad to their doom on the roadways, so it’ll be banned, in CA anyway.
Toyota has been working on fuel cell technology for 20+ years. To wit, the fuel cell powered hostlers that have been operating in the Port of Los Angeles for the past 3-4 years. Not as sexy as the clip in the OP. But, the technology is out there. And it works.
The rub is that fuel cell technology is not profitable for the Big Oil companies that own our politicians...
Toyota is working on 2 approaches. These vehicles use a power cell which uses a chemical reaction between H2 and O2 from the air to generate electricity to run electric motors. The other is an internal combustion engine that burns H2 instead of gasolline. It emits only water as exhaust. Either method eliminates the huge batteries and cut's out China's huge advantage in lithium.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
There is a night and day difference between a hydrogen fuel cell which produce electricity and a hydrogen ICE. The problem with a hydrogen ICE is range. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles get three times the range.
I’m wondering if the left is going to accept this technology and let it happen?
Ol’ All Gore and friends have been making boatloads of money on predictions of a world flooded by rising seas…. Wont using water lessen that threat and steal the thunder?
Osky
A woman's heart is the hardest rock the Almighty has put on this earth and I can find no sign on it.
Allis Chalmers, the tractor company had a hydrogen tractor running in the 1960s. It didn’t do 0 to 100 in 2.2 seconds. It ran in a few agricultural shows and everything was handed (sold?) to NASA. I don’t know if it generated enough power to drag a plow or not.
Hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas at 20% hydrogen 80% gas with no ill effects at the burner tips. Hydrogen can be separated out of the natural gas with a separation tower at an end point as hydrogen will go to the top. It can then be liquified at this end point to be used in hydrogen cars. No new transportation needed.
Germany is doing this already to eliminate 20% of the natural gas they were importing from Russia, and they can also separate it to be used in cars. They use excess wind energy from windmills in the North Sea to manufacture the hydrogen. Excess meaning when the wind is blowing but usage of power is below the wind power production. They use the water to extract the hydrogen.
With hydrogen fuel cells the range is 900 miles+ thus not needing to fill up as often. Water is he end result, which can be dropped on the roads as you drive. Roads might be wet all the time. OR, they could have the water drain from the fuel cells into a tank which can be offloaded when they get a refueled with hydrogen. This would help with water shortages in the Southwest, as hydrogen fuel could be made in East Texas or Louisiana and sent west via the natural gas transmission system and east via the natural gas transmission system. They could also make hydrogen using the Great Lakes region.
Anyway, hydrogen might be a solution, but the extraction separators would have to replace the gasoline terminals. Also storage of hydrogen in liquid form (-400 something) is hard. Every gas station would have to have a huge insulated tank installed. Any trucks, will have to have insulated tankage. There are some trucks now and storage, but it is mostly used by NASA on rockets. Transmitting as a gas via the natural gas system is the easiest way, but it still has to be liquified to go into vehicles. Eventually natural gas might be completely replaced by hydrogen. However, burner tips would have to have steel wool pads installed on them to let people know when a burner is burning as the steel wool would glow red. Hydrogen burning is invisible.
Again, any solution to carbonless fuel, whether electric, batteries, or hydrogen, will take 30+ years to implement. The Greenies don't understand and it can't be forced. Infrastructures, range, cost of vehicle and fuel, all have to be addressed.
Diesel trains might be the easiest to switch to hydrogen. They have electric engines. The diesel generators could be replaced with fuel cells. An insulated tanker could be pulled along behind the locomotive. Solar panels could be placed on the tanker top with a small reliquification system to reliquefy any hydrogen boil off. A hydrogen car could be plugged in at night to reliquefy hydrogen boil off from the fuel cells when they are not producing electricity.
Diesel trains might be the easiest to switch to hydrogen. They have electric engines. The diesel generators could be replaced with fuel cells. An insulated tanker could be pulled along behind the locomotive. Solar panels could be placed on the tanker top with a small reliquification system to reliquefy any hydrogen boil off. A hydrogen car could be plugged in at night to reliquefy hydrogen boil off from the fuel cells when they are not producing electricity.
Has anyone done a transport tonnage comparison between trains and over the road haulers? Considering what trains move and how comparatively few of them there are what is the point in that development? I could be wrong again.
Osky
A woman's heart is the hardest rock the Almighty has put on this earth and I can find no sign on it.
The latest hydrogen fuel cell technology uses a Platinum/Cobalt design that is more cost effective to manufacture. Not only do they not wear out, but fuel cells are not dependent on Chinese rare Earth elements. This is the biggest problem with battery powered EVs.
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