DOE launches $1 million Hydrogen Prize
Honda FCX Clarity - Click above for high-res image gallery
Steven Chu, head of the United Stated Department of Energy, doesn't want to spend huge sums of government money investing in hydrogen technology. That much is certain after Chu decided to slash DOE funding into hydrogen research, though a good deal was later restored in separate sessions by the House and Senate.
In any case, the DOE has just announced a new program with a $1 million prize to anyone that can devise a breakthrough hydrogen storage system by 2011. Though hydrogen proponents may argue that the costly high-pressure storage tanks aren't a major stumbling block (or at least won't be within the next few years), the reality is that a more cost effective solution would be a boon for hydrogen vehicles.
Though a million bucks isn't exactly chump change for the vast majority of us, it pales in comparison to the tens of billions of dollars regularly pumped into the research and development of alternative fuels and technologies. Details of the program are slated to be released any time now at www.hydrogenprize.org.
Gallery: Honda FCX Clarity
[Source: Green Car Advisor]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Mark Kiernan 3:08PM (8/26/2009)
Now Greg go and spend you time trying to make a breakthrough with this instead of spamming here on ABG.
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Tim 7:33PM (8/26/2009)
$1 Million... pppfffffftttttt.
Steven Chu's politically paying off "green" crony Obama supporters by giving the some of OUR money. This is a good example of crony capitalism in action.
BlackbirdHighway 3:17PM (8/26/2009)
I've got the answer! Just run the hydrogen through a fuel cell, and then store the electricity in a lithium ion battery!
:-)
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lne937s 5:39PM (8/26/2009)
I have a better idea. We are getting our hydrogen from fossil fuels. Those fossil fuels (any hydrocarbon-based compound) can easily be converted to methanol- which is the easiest compound to make from syngas. Methanol is easily transported as a liquid at room temperature and contains more hydrogen by volume (but not by mass) than liquid hydrogen. But when you take into account the heavy tanks to store hydrogen, the total mass ends up being higher for hydrogen anyway. The best way to store hydrogen is by combining it with carbon atoms.
Why should we convert methane to hydrogen and CO2 and then have to compress it with great energy loss for storage and difficult transfer when it is easier to leave it as CH4 and liquify it or convert it to CH3OH? You can run a fuel cell directly off the methane or methanol- see the Nissan forklift below. There is no need to seperate out the hydrogen before use in the fuel cell- it just wastes energy and makes it harder to store and move.
It would be best if you put Methanol as an option at gas stations, the same way Ethanol is today- (cars are designed to run off a mix of it already). Then infrastructure would be easy. If fuel cells have a future, it will probably be through methanol.
Look up "methanol economy"
Serge 11:47AM (8/27/2009)
In addition to methanol, hydrogen can be stored easily when chemically bonded with carbon and oxygen as ethanol. We just happen to know fairly well how to produce ethanol from renewable sources (the sun).
Bring on the direct methanol/ethanol fuel cells!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_methanol_fuel_cell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_methanol_fuel_cell
Doug 3:18PM (8/26/2009)
I think the prize money is just enough to buy one hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.
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Ghen 4:38PM (8/26/2009)
It isn't much money for sure. Anyone researching hydrogen power is burning through money like that on a yearly basis.
polo 5:08PM (8/26/2009)
The prize money wouldn't even buy the hydrogen car shown in this picture.
Basically they're encouraging amateurs to produce highly explosive volatile compounds in their garages.
phez 6:12PM (8/26/2009)
$21,000 to lease a Clarity.
Sean 6:58PM (8/26/2009)
@phez
Honda is leasing it at a loss to gather data. It is a million+ dollar vehicle.
Chris M 10:23PM (8/26/2009)
Phez: There is no "purchase option", at the end of that lease, Honda will politely say "Please return our million dollar car, pronto, or face grand theft charges..." After 3 years of average driving, the fuel cell will be nearing the end of its lifespan, so Honda will carefully recycle the car, especially that platinum rich fuel cell.
phez 10:59PM (8/26/2009)
Is there a purchase option for any hydrogen powered vehicle on the market now?
Chris M 2:48AM (8/27/2009)
"Is there a purchase option on any hydrogen vehicle?"
Nope. The few that are actually available to the public are leased only, no purchase, and that is due to the high price and experimental nature of the beast. Even the tiny little underpowered "Riversimple" H2FC city car will be lease only for a staggering 20 year lease!
Those few leases are only available to people living in select areas. If you don't live near a H2 fuel dispenser, forget about it.
phez 7:01PM (8/27/2009)
So I'm only paying $21k, what's the issue? How is that different than leasing a normal vehicle?
Chris M 7:51PM (8/27/2009)
The difference is that most leases cost less than that, and have a "purchase option" at the end where the leasee can buy the vehicle at a discount, if they choose. In most cases, the purchase option price is less than the cost of an equivalent used car, so it is quite common to take the purchase at the end of the lease.
phez 8:16PM (8/27/2009)
I see. So you've run out of arguments? Do you honestly believe the Volt will cost less than $21,000 to lease? Have you ever even leased a car before? Just stop, honestly. The only one you're fooling now is yourself.
Chris M 8:58PM (8/27/2009)
No, I've just decided to leave the best argument for last. That $600 per month lease is highly subsidized by government research grants and does not in any way reflect the actual cost of the vehicle. The GM "project driveway" is giving free leases and free fuel for 3 months, even more highly subsidized - even you can't believe they'd end up being "free" based on a free lease program!
But Toyota IS leasing their FCEV-adv fuel cell vehicle at a cost that reflects the true cost - about $7,500 per month. That's $270,000 for a 3 year lease. No mention of a residual, but I'd estimate it would be about $140,000. Not surprising that only government agencies with money to burn are eligible for that lease.
Greg Blencoe 3:21PM (8/26/2009)
Jeremy,
I definitely agree that any improvement in hydrogen storage would be great for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. I just want people to realize that Toyota already has a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (mid-size SUV) that can get 431-miles of real-world range and has the same trunk and passenger space as the gasoline-powered Highlander.
Furthermore, Justin Ward from Toyota has said that the company's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle released in 2015 will have costs that will be "shocking" to most people in the auto industry. And Irv Miller from Toyota has said the company's goal is to produce a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in 2015 that will be "affordable."
Therefore, this shows that Toyota has made great improvements with using lower-cost materials in their 10,000 psi high-pressure hydrogen tanks which have indeed been expensive in the past.
Greg Blencoe
Chief Executive Officer
Hydrogen Discoveries, Inc.
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meme 3:43PM (8/26/2009)
"I just want people to realize that Toyota already has a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (mid-size SUV) that can get 431-miles of real-world range and has the same trunk and passenger space as the gasoline-powered Highlander."
And it only costs $8,000 per month to lease. Huzzah!
"Justin Ward from Toyota has said that the company's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle released in 2015 will have..."
Wait -- you're telling me that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are "just five years away"? Wow, I've never heard *that* claim before! Certainly not every year for the past 10-15 years, no sirree!
Jeremy Korzeniewski 3:43PM (8/26/2009)
Greg, I won't disagree that Toyota has done an impressive bit of engineering on its current Highlander FCV. Having driven it once, albeit briefly, I can say that it's a nice ride. Still, those storage tanks are ultra pricey and not terribly space efficient. I'd bet that Toyota is working on its own solution to the issue as we speak.