GM will provide the fuel cell Equinoxes to customers for free
General Motors is planning to start handing over keys to fuel cell powered Equinoxes to customers of their Project Driveway program in just a few weeks' time and, unlike Honda, they don't plan on charging drivers for the privilege. GM is building up to 150 of the hydrogen-fueled crossovers for what is probably the biggest fuel cell vehicle fleet test to date.
Project Driveway is expected to last for up to three years with the initial batches of vehicles going to customers in California, New York and the Washington, DC areas. Some of the Equinoxes will also be shipped over to Europe where they will be badged as the HydroGen 4. While Honda has leased their FCXs for $500 a month, GM will provide the vehicles and fuel for no charge.
[Source: Popular Science and General Motors]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Grant 5:22PM (2/01/2008)
ZPE?!? Talk about a Sci-fi boondoggle. A nice array of pseudo-scientific buzzwords, you have thrown around, Tim, but ZPE, if you read the definition of it in a proper science dictionary, would be all the power you need to drive an electric vehicle, WITHOUT wasting it on the extra steps of cracking Hydrogen out of water, etc.
And, no matter who you ask in any field of endeavour, current researchers and experimenters always "Stand on the shoulders of giants.", using the technology and theories of prior, successfull inventors to develop new ideas and tech.
Now, back onto the topic...
Delivery of any fuel, whether gasoline, hydrogen or electricity, always requires a change in our structure, it is just a matter of determining if the cost of the infrastructure is worth the savings, both environmentally and otherwise.
MY personal preference has always been the idea of a pure electric commuter vehicle, with a plug-in electric (possibly with that smart E-Flex of GM) for travel. With predominately electric energy requirements, I could even, at a later time, add wind, water or solar generators to my home to offset any source generation pollution that would be caused (coal burning, nuclear, etc.) by my increased electrical consumption. IMO this would be a better all round solution, rather than continuing to use liquids and gases that need to be transported and stored and made safe.
PS: Interesting comments of the explosivness between gasoline and Hydrogen, but most chemists can prove that gaseous hydrogen is far , far more volatile than liquid gasoline, as is any flammible material. And you can research the fact that normal cars are not explosive (barring gas leaks and such) unless suitably armed with a Hollywood special effects kit. (Check out Mythbusters, for a fun example!). Liquid fuels, in an enclosed container, burn, not explode. Only when allowed to mix freely with O2 (after becoming gaseous), will liquid fuel explode.
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SpinDaddy 9:41AM (8/22/2007)
Okay so, how long until the anti-H2 crank types who read this blog start dumping on this?
Let me get this out of the way first: Lighten up. Let's see where the r&d takes GM, Honda, etc.
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Tim 10:29AM (8/22/2007)
I used to be one of those anti-Hydrogen types, HOWEVER…
Call me crazy, but there is MUCH ongoing research into improving the efficiencies of water dissociation via milliamps of pulsed low voltage electricity combined with ultrasound to tap into zero point energy to dissociate water at the molecular level without breaking the 2nd law of thermodynamics. Combined with nanotech, this method appears to produce enough H2 “on demand” to run a fuel cell and power a vehicle without storage tanks!
I’m NOT talking about over unity! I’m talking about taping into the Zero Point Energy which physicists have known about for almost 100 years. Albert Einstein theorized this in 1910 and it’s NOW almost ready for prime time.
http://www.peswiki.com/index.php/Zero_point_energy
http://www.peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Zero_Point_Energy
If we could only get past the entrenched cartels and “scientific” community dogma, we just may some day prove that Illness is NOT from God, the world is not flat, that man can indeed fly, split the atom, go faster than sound, go into space, go to the moon and so on. Are there NO new sources of energy?
Never give up! Never surrender!!!!!
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mike 11:40AM (8/22/2007)
- Hydrogen still losing on EFFICIENCY, only a Fool would coutinue to bet on Hydrogen.
- GM shouldn't be Wasting Money of this BS. They've got Real Hybrids to build.
- Is GM going to come up with the money to convert all those Gas Stations?
- If GM has got money for this program then they should have money to bring back the EV1.
Is that what you were asking for "SpinDaddy"?
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Hamster 12:34PM (8/22/2007)
Its free to prevent a lawsuit. Cann't sew a company over a free gift. If you blow up in your "gift" thats your problem.
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Tim 12:36PM (8/22/2007)
mike- Take a look at the links I posted and review the information with an open mind. There is an excellent presentation on tapping into zero point energy with many, many references. I believe they are on to something.
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Tim Russell 12:42PM (8/22/2007)
Now Mike know who your calling fools, off the top of my head Toyota, Honda, GM and Ford are all doing H2 fuel cell research. Honda is probably the greenest larger car company when you look at product mix. Toyota with it's green cred. due to the Prius, fools? Ford and GM may be behind Yota and Honda for greening their fleets but efforts are being made. I wouldn't call them fools for anything except being a bit slow on the draw. OK point made.
EV1 ain't coming back. E-Flex is the way forward for GM. The H2 research is worth it for one reason. E-Flex can use many sources to generate power, a gas/diesel genset or H2 fuel cell. Much of the research for electic motors, control electronices etc. lends itself to H2 fuel cells E-Flex or no and pure BEV.
There are many problems to overcome for H2 to be a good energy storage medium. Maybe it will never work or breakthroughs could happen tomorrow to change the picture. One can hope but I'm on the fence. Losts of problems to overcome but then BEV's have them too.
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Kardax 1:04PM (8/22/2007)
I'll take one :)
I was worried about the price of the fuel, but since GM is providing it for free that's a non-issue.
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Hamster 1:15PM (8/22/2007)
Anybody want a free Ford Pinto?
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Harry C. Risher 2:18PM (8/22/2007)
Anyone want a free Chevy "Fireball" Pickup Truck?There's still millions of these explosive ,sidesaddle fuel tank GM "bombs'on our roads just waiting to explode on a minor side impact! These GM "Fireball' hazzards makes any reference to the long gone pinto look stupid,insignificant, and outdated! GM did an excellent PR job of covering up these potential 'bombs',but anyone driving one can be badly or fatally burned with a minor side impact! Hope these new ones are more safe-but they are free for some reason-hope it's better engineered!!??
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A.Brien 2:28PM (8/22/2007)
Only h2(hydrogen) can be made and consume in limitless quantity. The problem is the trading of it.
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mike 4:28PM (8/22/2007)
Tim, I took a look at your links, and this sentence has some relevance:
Group is pursuing a major research project to develop an electrical generator that only requires liquid nitrogen to operate. Research involves superconductivity, magnetic energy, and flux gates for harnessing Zero Point Energy.
So, you may some day produce electrical energy from ZPE, but, then again you've got to store it, either in Hydrogen or Battery tech. Batteries are still more efficient and battery tech is improving every year.
With batteries, no one need change the current infrastructure, as a hydrogen Build Out would require. Plus, hydrogen is a bit explosive isn't it?
As for the EV1, GM has done Great Research in coming up with the Parallel hybrid, now it's time to get it into a large cross section of autos, including one the size of the EV1.
Hydrogen is just PR BS while they drag their feet to sell that last barrel of oil for the biggest V8, no V10 no V12's they can build. And if these companies are so strapped for cash how is it they can afford to continue to build these super expensive, LOW VOLUME, huge gas guzzling engines? Again, I'd bet there's Hidden Subsidy's from Big Oil, just like the Microsoft/Dell relationship blocking Linux, the Supplier is attempting to control the Marketplace instead of the Consumer.
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mike 4:32PM (8/22/2007)
Oops, I meant SERIAL hybrid.
GM has done Great Research coming out with the Serial Hybrid.
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Don 4:34PM (8/22/2007)
I love the fact that GM is researching hydrogen seriously...I've far more interest and hope in it than I do ethanol.
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Hamster 4:47PM (8/22/2007)
I have far more interest in Moon fuel than the perpetual motion machine. I am being sarcastic - just in case.
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Joseph 6:11PM (8/22/2007)
As much as hydrogen totally sucks, who wouldn't love to get their hands on an extremely expensive prototype, that's greener than most cars on the road (cough, electric cars, cough) all high-tech and all, and FREE!
Unfortunately, like 99.99% of the U.S. there isn't a hydrogen fueling station nearby, so I won't have the car in the driveway. But If I did, and was rich, think about the posibilities...I can have a bunch of hybrids, a Tesla Roadster, and a free foo-I mean fuel-cell car!
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Tim 6:00PM (8/22/2007)
mike- The point is that they believe they have discovered a way to tap into ZPE to disassociate water and gain more usable electrons from the resulting H2 than they initially put in. Electrons + ZPE + ultrasound = much greater volume of H2 for fuel cells than simple electrolysis with more electrons than were initially put in.
Hello: NEW POWER SORCE!
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Hamster 7:01PM (8/22/2007)
Tim, I am sure you breakthrough this.
You have been against Hydrogen from the beginning because you knew it was a big oil scheme to sell more converted natural gas.
This is the same thing. This is a way for nuclear industry to build large powerplants with billions of dollars and then to maintain their toxic waste for more billions. Of course they say that it is more "energy" efficient rather than long-range cost efficient.
Meanwhile solar and wind research get zip.
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bioburner 8:43PM (8/22/2007)
GM love them hate them but this shows that they are DOING SOMETHING about the "gas" problems this country runs in to every summer, or after a well placed hurricane. Still think GM is a dinousar? Battery leasing deals for the VOLT and now free cars/free fuel. Out of the box thinking-yes. What are the jerks at Ford and Chrysler doing? Crying like little babbies about CAFE!
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Chris M 9:28PM (8/22/2007)
Hmm, why do you think GM is doing this? Charity? Nah, GM just wants to hide the true cost of the car and the true cost of H2 fuel. After all, if Congress found out how overpriced and impractical H2 fuel cell cars really were, they just might cut off all funding for this boondoggle and redirect it to something more useful. Hey, it could happen - Congress once cut off funding for supersonic transports, and the subsequent sad economic history of the Concorde proved that Congress made the right decision.
As for "building up to 150", I'm betting the number will be far less, considering the precarious financial position of GM. They will make just enough to satisfy enough celebrity H2 supporters who will lobby their government to keep the H2 research funds flowing. Even 150 is just a fraction of the number of EV1s that had been leased.
If the GM "Project Driveway" was really doing research to gauge the potential public reaction to H2 fuelcell cars, they wouldn't be hiding the real costs.
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