English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

2007-12-28 01:23:50 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Environment Alternative Fuel Vehicles

13 answers

A hydrogen vehicle is a vehicle that uses hydrogen as its on-board fuel for motive power. The term may refer to a personal transportation vehicle, such as an automobile, or any other vehicle that use hydrogen in a similar fashion, such as an aircraft. The power plants of such vehicles convert the chemical energy of hydrogen to mechanical energy (torque) in one of two methods: electrochemical conversion in a fuel-cell, or combustion :

* In combustion, the hydrogen is burned in engines in fundamentally the same method as traditional gasoline cars.
* In fuel-cell conversion, the hydrogen is reacted with oxygen to produce water and electricity, the latter of which is used to power an electric traction motor.
and many of them are expensive , so thats why people stick to the old gasoline ones ,

2007-12-28 01:35:42 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2 3

Hydrogen cars are currently not practical for several reasons.

1) Fuel source. Currently the only reasonably efficient method of extracting hydrogen is from natural gas, and the process creates as much CO2 as burning gasoline, so there's no benefit. Theoretically it's possible to get hydrogen from water, but to break the atomic bonds requires a ton of energy - far more than you get by burning the hydrogen.

Until we solve this fuel source problem, hydrogen cars will not be a viable solution.

2) Infrastructure. You need a way to transport and store hydrogen so that cars can refuel with it. Building such an infrastructure would cost billions of dollars, especially considering the dangerous flammability of hydrogen gas.

Even if we solve the fuel source problem, the infrastructure problem poses another major hurdle for hydrogen cars.

Electric cars have much more potential. They're currently far more environmentally friendly, the technology is advancing rapidly, and the infrastructure (power grid) is already in place.

2007-12-28 03:36:34 · answer #2 · answered by Dana1981 7 · 3 0

Hydrogen cars are not going to do well right now, because you cannot find a place to fill them up with liquid hydrogen anywhere, espicially at a reasonable price.

However, a company by the name of Aptera is making a new car for purchase next year (in California only at the moment because of the size of the company) that will get 120 miles for the total electric and will cost $1 to $2 for a complete recharge overnight, and they are making a hybrid that will get varying mileage (they estimate around 300 MPG for the people that travel 100 miles a day and above 1000 for those that do less than 50 miles per day) that also utilize the same price for charging the engine a night.

The truly great thing is, the man who makes them wants them to be affordable to every home, so with all the bells and whistles (touch screen music station, 180 degree rearview camera system, etc....) it will not cost over $30,000.

http://www.aptera.com

I might make a road trip to Cali. to get one of these things next year.

2007-12-28 14:46:18 · answer #3 · answered by flamespeak 4 · 3 0

The Hydrogen fiasco is like the gun lobby, the gun lobby says everyone should have a gun and to make them safe just don't let them have bullets, the Hydrogen thing is much the same, here, you can buy or lease a car but where you get the fuel is your problem.

2007-12-29 05:51:15 · answer #4 · answered by groingo 4 · 2 0

The Germans are running hydrogen powered cars, either Mercedes or BMW, I'm not sure which, are doing long term testing, but there are major problems involved.

2007-12-28 06:08:28 · answer #5 · answered by loonykev 2 · 0 0

Where are they?
Here you go, BMW Hydrogen 7, the world’s first hydrogen-powered luxury saloon car.

2007-12-28 16:09:22 · answer #6 · answered by Sam 2 · 1 0

They're too expensive. Why not invest in the world's cleanest operating car that runs on compressed air and it plans to be for sale next year?
" After fourteen years of research and development, Guy Negre has developed an engine that could become one of the biggest technological advances of this century. Its application to Compressed Air Technology(CAT) vehicles gives them significant economical and environmental advantages. With the incorporation of bi-energy (compressed air + fuel) the CAT Vehicles have increased their driving range to close to 2000 km with zero pollution in cities and considerably reduced pollution outside urban areas.
The application of the MDI engine in other areas, outside the automotive sector, opens a multitude of possibilities in nautical fields, co-generation, auxiliary engines, electric generators groups, etc. Compressed air is a new viable form of power that allows the accumulation and transport of energy. MDI is very close to initiating the production of a series of engines and vehicles. The company is financed by the sale of manufacturing licenses and patents all over the world."

2007-12-29 06:04:39 · answer #7 · answered by SilentDoGood 6 · 0 0

Hydrogen is the most dangerous explosive gas known to man,what happens if u have a wreck????

2007-12-29 04:26:46 · answer #8 · answered by JOHNNIE B 7 · 2 1

BMW is working on one that can burn either gasoline or hydrogen. Jay Leno tested it.

2007-12-29 06:37:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

THey're in the hydrogen parking lot! FIrst one on the left.

2007-12-31 09:55:21 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0