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Recent Comments:

Hydrogen cars + math. Worth the trouble? {Autoblog Green}

Dec 1st 2009 4:19PM Zubrin's costs are probably too low.

Electrolyzers have an efficiency of about 70%, but that is before before expending the energy to compress the resultant hydrogen gas to 10,000 psi (not 5,000 psi), at least if you want a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle with any decent range.

LA Preview: CMT-380 plug-in diesel hybrid supercar uses microturbine, li-ion batteries {Autoblog Green}

Dec 1st 2009 4:13PM Is 30kW enough capacity?

Seems undersized for a car.

Consumer Federation of America pushing CAFE to climb to 45 mpg by 2020 {Autoblog Green}

Nov 28th 2009 4:48PM I'm skeptical of rapid adoption of charging stations - how do you persuade OEMs to use fast-charge (much more expensive) batteries?

AFAIK, the fastest I'll be able to charge a Volt will be via whatever my dryer circuit can deliver (220V, 30A?)

Prediction: In 2015, fuel cell vehicles "will be cheaper than a Rolls-Royce" {Autoblog Green}

Nov 24th 2009 2:38PM Sticking a 100-mile battery pack (even in an 18-wheeler) with a fossil-fuel powered genset (gasoline/E85, diesel or natural gas) is still cheaper (for both capital & operating costs) than using a fuel cell.

Why bother with fuel cells at all given the above?

Would a hydrogen economy be good or bad for the water supply in the U.S.? {Autoblog Green}

Nov 24th 2009 1:56PM Hydrogen from electrolysis is too expensive.

Hydrogen for vehicle fuel cells will continue to come from natural gas.

Journo experiences Volt's electric-to-hybrid transition, says it needs improvement {Autoblog Green}

Nov 22nd 2009 11:30AM Sorry, but the cost (both capital and operating) rules out PEM fuel cells.

At best they are only about twice as efficient as an ICE, currently cost 100x as much as an ICE, and also use a much more expensive (and hard to handle) fuel.

If some bright engineers could adapt for vehicle use a fuel cell that can directly burn a more complex hydrocarbon (natural gas/LPG, or ideally a liquid fuel) then fuel cells would have a better chance in mass-market vehicle applications.

But again, fossil-fueled range extenders are so cheap to make and operate I don't see that happening by 2015.

STUDY: Air cars not worth it {Autoblog Green}

Nov 22nd 2009 10:52AM Mollar skycar!

Journo experiences Volt's electric-to-hybrid transition, says it needs improvement {Autoblog Green}

Nov 21st 2009 3:54PM While they are fun toys for engineers, PEM fuel cells will never be cheap enough to use in a mass-market vehicle.

In 2015 the range extender (if present) on an electric vehicle will be an ICE-based genset running on fossil fuel (gasoline/E85, diesel, or natural gas/LPG)

They are both cheap and able to use existing fuel infrastructures.

Toyota FCHV-adv cruises in California, wind-powered hydrogen on the horizon {Autoblog Green}

Nov 19th 2009 4:22PM If you want a range extender for your electric vehicle it will always be cheaper to use a genset running on fossil fuel (natural gas would be cleanest)

Rather than spending 6 figures for a fuel cell range extender.

Even "by 2015" the only range extenders on production electric vehicles will be those fueled by gasoline/E85, diesel, and natural gas.

GM fuel cell boss explains that the technology needs to pass final cost hurdle to production {Autoblog Green}

Nov 12th 2009 10:51AM It's technically possible, but inefficient to make hydrogen for vehicle fuel cells (themselved not very efficient either)

Costs are what kills vehicle fuel cells.

Both the cost of the fuel cell stack and other components (very expensive carbon-fiber storage tanks required for any decent range), the cost of building a refueling infrastructure, AND the operating costs are higher than alternatives.

If one needs a range extender for your electric vehicle, then simply choose a fossil-fueled genset (gasoline or E85) - run it on natural gas if you want it cleaner.

That option is a tiny fraction of the cost (both capital and operating) of any fuel cell range extender.


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