Mommy, what's that hydrogen zamboni doing?
OK, technically this thing there on the right is not a Zamboni (because that's a trademark and all that), But, c'mon, would you really know what I meant had I used the technically correct "ice resurfacer" in the headling? That's what I thought.I've never really given much thought to how, ahem, ice resurfacers are powered. They come out onto the rink between periods, everyone has a good cheer at the funny boxes on wheels and then heads for the can.
But these vehicles are being used indoors (well, not all of them) and most of Zamboni's lineup is powered by standard propane-fueled engines (this one is electric). Burning fuel inside creates a potentially unhealthy situation, so getting rid of those fumes is a good idea.
Enter the U.S. Department of Energy and its incessant drive to make hydrogen vehicles work for America. The DOE supported the University of North Dakota's Energy & Environmental Research Center, through its National Center for Hydrogen Technology, in creating the fuel cell-powered eP-ICEBEAR. The vehicle has been demonstrating its capabilities in ice rinks across America since 2005. The Icebear is powered by a 5 kW PowerFlow fuel cell power module made by Nuvera Fuel Cells and has been well-received as far as I can tell. No word yet on when these will be offered for sale, even though Nuvera folks were hoping it'd be "soon" back in 2005.
Also, since we all know that the only thing hydrogen vehicles emit is water (or water vapor), how does that affect the vehicle's job? It'd be really cool if the "exhaust" is actually used to resurface the ice.
Related:
[Source: DOE]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joseph 8:23PM (6/04/2007)
Good for testing low-temperature fuel-cell capability, I guess.
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Tim 5:07PM (6/04/2007)
Most readers of Autobloggreen seem to understand that Hydrogen is a red herring and a way of stalling our transition off fossil fuel while stealing our tax dollars from foolish politicians for “research”. DOE is no exception. I wonder how much of the general population understands how stupid "They Hydrogen Economy" really is.
http://www.oilcrash.com/articles/h_scam.htm http://www.physorg.com/news85074285.html
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COINTELPRO 2:00AM (6/05/2007)
Look at the convoluted process to to extract, pipe, ship, refine, transport oil to the market. Hydrogen can be made internally without imports utilizing renewable energy. In 20 years, the gird will be radically greener.
Hydrogen can be made from water and sold equivalent as gas with recent technology. Since most people travel less than 50 miles a day, having battery capacity for 300 miles is a waste. A small AFV recharging engine (utilizing the same mass produced ICE parts) could be used for the occasional long trips.
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GreyFlcn 12:58PM (6/05/2007)
The ironic thing is that Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, and Tower Automotive already use quickcharge Electric Forklifts for their entire fleet.
http://www.posicharge.com/ford.html
http://www.posicharge.com/5-0.html
And Tower Automotive serves:
BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Fiat, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Honda, Renault, Nissan, Hyundai Group, Isuzu, Mazda, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo
http://www.towerautomotive.com/02.htm
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