Can hydrogen power, fuel cells, or electric power give the same range and hp/torque we have in our cars now?

Question

I am also wondering if they can help us reduce weight of vehicles as well and give cars better handling characteristics. And when it comes to range, is there a way to recharge an electric/hydro/fuel cell car's energy supply at some sort of station within the same time it takes to fill a car's tank with fuel?

Answer 1

Most of the answers have correctly focused on electric vehicles because hydrogen technology is still several decades from being a viable fuel source for cars. There is a promising technology in aluminum alloys - when you combine an aluminum-gallium alloy with water, it produces hydrogen. Then you'd just have to load up on aluminum alloy pellets and water to refuel. However there are potential challenges with this technology, such as the amount of heat produced by the process. It's the most promsing source of hydrogen I've heard of, because otherwise you need to build the infrastructure to transport and store hydrogen, which is a huge obstacle.

http://www.physorg.com/news98556080.html

In terms of electric vehicles, the Tesla Roadster has been discussed. It performs like a sports car and gets 200 miles/charge, so hp/torque is no problem, and range is rarely an issue (how often do you go further than 200 miles in a day?). However, the $92,000 price tag is a bit nuts.

A more affordable electric vehicle is the ZAP Xebra at about $10,000, but it can only go 25 miles/charge and 40 mph

http://zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=188

However, it appears that with a lithium-ion battery upgrade they will soon be able to achieve 100+ miles/charge, and perhaps be modified to reach higher speeds:

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070726/aqth082.html?.v=16

ZAP is also teaming up with Lotus Engineering (who helped design the Tesla Roadster) to create the ZAP-X Crossover. There will be 2 models coming out in 2008. The first will be able to go up to 100 miles/charge and 100+ mph for $30,000:

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070622/aqf032.html?.v=9

and the second will be able to go 350 miles/charge, 155 mph, and 0 to 60 in 4.8 seconds for $60,000:

http://zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=4560

They also claim that these cars will be able to recharge in 10 minutes, though that's something I'd have to see to believe.

Nevertheless, it appears that the near future of electric cars is bright.

Answer 2

These alternate technologies are really still under development in many ways soo..

So the answer is maybe they can give the same power and range ...

I think it is unlikely that any "pure electric" vehicle can be charged within the same time it takes to fill a car's tank with fuel (I read recently that Lithium Ion batteries are not used in cars because they can explode or catch fire if charged too quickly).. now hydrogen on the other hand .. quick fillup but maybe a little more dangerous..

But the real controversy is the cost!

The link to Tesla Motors given by another response says the car has great specs.. but it costs $100,000 and it will not be available as a production model until 2008!

Fuel cell cars are under development and are experimental so they still cost $1million each or so..

Contrast this with a "typical" family car... $20-25K new, fuel readily available, fast to fuel, relatively cheap, lots of power and torque, long life, easy and relatively cheap to maintain,

Admittedly as the new technologies get more common costs will go down.. but it is unlikely that they will ever really reach the same relatively cheap cost as our current automobiles..

Am I advocating not trying.. no.. but lets be realistic ..

Answer 3

To those who complain about the Tesla needing 3.5 hours to charge, I simply ask are you driving (or conscious for that matter) 24 hours a day? The Average person SLEEPS for 8 hours a day, during which time their car is generally sitting in their garage/driveway. Now I agree that the Tesla is pricey, but so are the standard gas cars that have the same specs that the Tesla does. Comparing the high performance racing ability of the Tesla and a family sedan is comparing apples to oranges. It is simply the flashy vanguard of electric vehicles, a showpiece of what can be accomplished.

So the answer is yes they can, but for the moment you have to chose between cost, range, and speed.

Answer 4

Everyone wants to believe that there is something sinister in the conventional piston internal combustion engine. Further all want to believe that there are alternate technologies that can at least equal if not greatly outperform (via better fuel economy, cleaner emissions, lower over all cost, etc.) the conventional piston internal combustion engine. Some believe there is a "great conspiracy" among oil and auto companies to preserve the status quo rather than lead to improvements.

In reality the above hype is not borne out in fact. Numerous technical companies, Universities, Governments, and related organizations have been actively pursuing alternatives for many reasons. No one has yet been able to deliver.

Fuel cells promise 90% efficiency, 3 times better that conventional piston engines. To date no long term performance has been observed and fuel cells are not considered marketable.

Electric power vehicles do not have a range over approximately 100 miles and recharging takes over 8 hours. Batteries need to be replaced in 24 - 48 months at costs over $2000 which makes this technology at the current time unmarketable on a major scale.

Hydrogen has to be made. Using conventional hydrocarbons as a source, although feasible, is a waste of hydrocarbons. Using water as the source is achievable but no large scale facility has been developed, suggesting there are many problems yet to be solved there. Storage and fueling vehicles with this gas is another difficulty that has to be resolved and to date is not.

The short answer is we have, as a world, yet to come up with something better. This does not mean to stop trying; rather it means that we have yet to achieve the needed breakthroughs.

Answer 5

With current technology, no. The Tesla cost US$90,000+. It has a range of 200 miles, which will not even get me from Dallas to Houston. Then, it takes 3.5 hours to charge. This is simply not competitive with anything. For about $20,000 less, I can by a Corvette Z06 that will outperform the Tesla, go 250 miles on a tank of gas and only take 5 minutes to refill. With a highway mileage of about 17 miles per gallon and a fuel cost of $3.50/gal, I can buy 97,000 miles worth of gasoline with the savings.

Answer 6

Here is an answer to the Elecirc cars.
http://www.teslamotors.com/performance/performance.php
They have a range of over 200 miles
Fully charging the batteries takes 3.5 hours, but they can use ordinary outlets.