Reindeer are so last year, Santa gets a hydrogen powered sleigh!
US Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters along with a portly gentleman in a red suit unveiled what is claimed to be the world's first hydrogen powered sleigh yesterday, just in time for Christmas. According to Peters, the sleigh is a hybrid that can operate either under the tractive effort of reindeer or hydrogen fuel cells. They are claiming that the new sleigh is quieter, which makes for less intrusive nighttime deliveries. I guess the compressor whine is less than pounding 32 hooves on the roof. The secretary granted a "Hydrogen Prototype Vehicle Waiver" so that the new vehicle can be operated in US airspace this weekend, if you believe in that sort of thing. I wonder where they put the hydrogen tank? They must be using the new Honda vertical fuel cell stack to get that kind of range.[Source: US Department of Transportation]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Howard Lee Harkness 3:27PM (12/21/2006)
Santa Claus and the Hydrogen Economy some major factors in common -- they are both works of fantasy, and nobody with any real-world intelligence believes in either of them.
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Tim 4:28PM (12/21/2006)
Which end of the reindeer are they getting the fuel from? Maybe it's Santa? Oops, wrong fuel, but nobody light a match anyway. HO HO HO. Merry Christmas!! Aren’t fantasies like the Hydrogen Economy wonderful!
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CM 4:42PM (12/23/2006)
Of course! No need for 10,000 psi tanks or liquid H2 tanks (ultra chilly, even for north pole elves). Just use a honkin' big balloon! No need for reindeer lift, the H2 provides plenty. Of course, the aerodynamic drag increases, so deliveries may be slow...
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