Business Week: The Hy-Light, the reinvention of the auto industry?
Before the comments get out of control, I do not think that the Hy-Lite from Michelin and a few other companies based in Switzerland will reinvent the auto industry, as is suggested in the source article. It would be a pretty easy argument that saying such is a gross over-statement of the technology in this vehicle. However, while many of the concepts have been done before, I can't really think of another example where they have all been combined in one vehicle. Speaking of those technologies, what we have here is a hydrogen fuel cell providing electricity to ultracapacitors which in turn power small electric motors in each wheel. Each of those motors can also recapture energy lost in braking, commonly referred to as regenerative braking. Again, established stuff, but still pretty innovative. I gather from the article that there is some high-tech electronic wizardry which might supply traction control or stability control. I still have a few questions regarding the vehicle, though. Does the fuel cell provide enough power to drive the vehicle without any energy storage, ie, batteries? The article mentioned capacitors, but are they critical to the operation of the vehicle? How much unsprung weight do the in-wheel systems add, and at what detriment to drivability?
In any case, the idea of having a sustainable power station in each home could certainly have merit. Whether the best solution for that power is using solar cells to provide the electricity needed to break hydrogen loose from water is up in the air. The question is always asked, and deservedly so, why not use the electricity that is required to crack the hydrogen from its source to charge an electric vehicle? I guess the market is being developed now in hopes of a breakthrough in hydrogen production and storage. I am not suggesting that this won't happen, mind you. I am sure some of our more vocal commenter's will suggest that very thing, though!
Hat tip to Linton!
[Source: Business Week via Hugg]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Peter 4:31PM (5/09/2007)
Ultracapacitors, a fuel cell, and two separate wheel motors? The reason nobody has combined these technologies before is that each one, individually, is enough to make a car prohibitively expensive. This is a cool proof of concept but it is a long way off from being in anybody's garage.
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PeakVT 4:58PM (5/09/2007)
In-wheel motors are good if there are space restrictions (or for mega earth movers - http://www.mining-technology.com/contractors/transportation/getrans/getrans1.html) but for everyday road cars I don't see the point. For safety reasons most cars will have a large crumple zone at the front for the forseeable future, a space that might as well be filled with electric motors, ICEs, capacitors, and so on.
OTOH, ultracapacitors in a series hybrid configuration might be a very good combination since electric power is needed (and collected) in bursts. Larger burst discharges would mean a smaller ICE. The tradeoff would probably be no electric-only operations.
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Tim 5:00PM (5/09/2007)
The free market will decide the best technologies and ALL deserve their day in court. Wheel motors, maybe. Ultracapacitors, maybe. Hydrogen has had its day in court and was found guilty of being a very dirty and extremely inefficient battery once the entire energy cycle was taken into account.
When each individual can produce, compress, store and transfer the smallest known molecule efficiently AT HOME as efficiently as they can now handle electricity, then we may need a new hearing. MAYBE!!
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Chris M 5:00PM (5/09/2007)
The report implied that the car has two tanks, one for H2 and the other for O2. The only practical reason to do that is if they are using alkaline fuel cells, which are very sensitive to CO2.
I also suspect this may be a two seater, as the fuel tank (and oxygen tank?) would take up a lot of space.
The performance figures are unimpressive, with 300 Km (186 mi) range per fillup, 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 12 sec, top speed 139 km/h (80 mph) The Tesla Roadster does far better at a fraction of the price.
The Hy-Light was designed by researchers totally unconcerned by practicality or price.
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bdeflaviis 5:28PM (5/09/2007)
If hydrogen has had it's day in "court" how come so many car companies are still working on the concept?
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Chris M 6:15PM (5/09/2007)
Good insightful question bdeflaviis.
There are several reasons:
a) Governments are providing billions in research funds, and the auto companies like to get that money.
b) It distracts the public and congress from being too concerned about the poor fuel economy of the vehicles they are currently selling. (Don't worry about gas prices, Clean cheap H2 is coming really soon! Yeah, right.)
c) It allows them to put off major changes (always 'Just one more little problem to solve") and helps perpetuate a) and b)
d) It allows the company to "greenwash" and appear to care for the environment, without actually having to change a thing. It also helps politicians to greenwash, too.
e) The engineers and researchers that know how bad H2 fuel really is don't dare speak up and risk their careers. Better to pretend that all is well and all problems will be solved "really soon".
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jcwinnie 9:18PM (5/09/2007)
@bdeflaviis: Because fossil fuels contain hydrocarbons... hydro as in hydrogen. The Hydrogen Highway is a way (eventually) to let go of the ICE paradigm without letting go of the coal or oil profits. Capiche?
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CM 9:35PM (5/09/2007)
jcwinnie, you got one I missed.
The oil companies are all enthused about H2, as they plan to provide this profitable new fuel, as well as the methane (CH4) that will be used to make it. (no, they won't use electrolysis - too expensive, would cut into their profits!)
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Der Alte 1:39AM (5/10/2007)
I agree with Chris M. It makes no sense to have a home generating station to take electricty from the grid, just to break the hydrogen loose out of your water to make hydrogen, just so your car can turn it back into electricity again to power the vehicle. You are expending extra energy with no net benefit.
Hydrogen would be great if we had pools of ready made hydrogen in the ground to draw from. We don't. On Earth we have to make it and the process takes a lot of energy. That's notwithstanding the problems of storage and transmission. Then there are problems with the fuel cells....they only last a few years until the platinum membrane goes caput. Yes, batteries must be replaced too, but they are much easier and cheaper to produce. The arguments against hydrogen are long and hard to refute.
Battery electric vehicles for commuting and biofuel plug in hybrids for those who have to travel longer distances are the most practical ways forward. Eventually the world will wake up and realize this...unfortunately not until billions more have been squandered on the fantasy of hydrogen. Science and research can do many things...but changing the laws of physics is not one of them.
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mikeinBuilding7 7:48AM (5/10/2007)
Hydrogen is a Big Oil solution, to keep their control of the fuel distribution system. Period.
Realistically, a Plugin Electric Hybrid( Bio-Diesel ) is the best way to go short term. Long Term? All Electric Plug-in. With more Nuclear, Solar and Wind Generation. And like Germany, if you add in the cost of clean up of Oil or Nuclear, it's cheaper to reset the USA to be 100 percent SOLAR, using Electric cars.
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TDIMeister 6:50AM (5/10/2007)
"The article mentioned capacitors, but are they critical to the operation of the vehicle? How much unsprung weight do the in-wheel systems add, and at what detriment to drivability?"
Without capacitors or some other form of energy storage, where will the regenerated energy go? It needs to be stored somewhere. The fuel cell is not a reversible device like capacitors and batteries are.
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SenatorPerry 8:16AM (5/10/2007)
Realistically we have a lot of extra power at night with Nuclear plants. We currently use pumped storage where we pump water into large lakes with the extra power and then drain it off during the day to meet peak demand. This process could be adjusted for the production of hydrogen.
My hope was to have an easily exchangable battery system where you can use solar panels on your home's roof to charge batteries and switch between two of them. While you are driving on one, the other charges. Then we can use Hydrogen for long distance travels and rainy days.
Each night at dark a sensor will determine if the solar was able to charge your vehicle's batteries to full. In the event it didn't, pull some power from the grid to top them off.
That was my hope anyway... Hydrogen was my hope to eliminate Natural Gas heating.
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