"NFM" (dk-nfm)
06/14/2019 at 12:20 • Filed to: None
3
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"NFM" (dk-nfm)
06/14/2019 at 12:20 • Filed to: None | 3
| 8 |
With the news that
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, I think it’s time to consider some important questions regarding vehicles propelled by the #1 element of the periodic table.
1. Can You Hoon?
Hydrogen Fuel Cells use a chemical reaction (basically Hydrogen + Oxygen = Water) to generate electricity, which is then fed to an EV motor. Given recent advancements in
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, the answer is a definitive yes.
2. Can You Wrench?
Someday the future is going to have 200k miles on the odo and be deteriorating in driveways around the world. Can you
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? Most of the mechanicals on our hypothetical future hydrogen daily drivers will be wrenchable under traditional circumstances. The big difference will be if you need to service the hydrogen storage system or the fuel cell, which does the actual converting of stored chemical energy to electrical current. In that case, you will have to vent any hydrogen remaining in the system (using an electrically grounded venting rig), then flush the pipes with clean inert gasses like helium and nitrogen. With a little effort and safety training, you should be able to keep yourself AND your garage from going up like the
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. I mean it’s either that or
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amirite?
3. Is It Good?
Where the rubber meets the road, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle emits two things: freedom and good old H2O. Imagine driving a feisty, zero emissions* AWD hot hatch with the torque needed to pull that pop up camper all the way to Valhalla. This is a future I can get behind.
The
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, a real hydrogen fuel cell car that currently drives around real California, claims it takes five minutes to fill the tank at the pump. That’s great compared to slower battery charge times. Also, hydrogen in a tank avoids the problem of range drop in
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experienced by battery vehicles. Both are great news if Valhalla is more than 250 miles away or located in New England.
4. Does it Fix the Environment?
That’s... up for debate. It all comes down to how the hydrogen is produced. Right now hydrogen is (relatively) affordable because it is made from natural gas. The Union of Concerned Scientists think that it is generally ok to good,
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.
A skeptic might point out that there is no hydrogen infrastructure outside California in the US, or that the very ok looking Toyota Mirai sedan starts north of $58,000. Those variables will necessarily change with investment and adoption. Ultimately green energy can be stored either in a battery or in a tank of hydrogen. Which will be better for the environment in 2100 and beyond? I’m not sure. But having options for those future E28 sleeper swaps can’t be a bad thing.
Will the future be hydrogen? So long as we can keep the
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, the answer is a big maybe!
Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
> NFM
06/14/2019 at 12:41 |
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I honestly feel hydrogen is a better long term solution than going electric.
IMO electric just moves the issue. Instead of vehicles producing the emissions, it shifts them to other places, most of which aren’t held to the same strin gent standards as vehicles, so in turn I see it being dirtier in the long run.
ranwhenparked
> Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
06/14/2019 at 12:55 |
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Doesnt hydrogen do the same thing? You need electricity to separate it, the electricity comes from somewhere. In the US, that mostly means natural gas, which is also mostly what's powering electric cars.
farscythe - makin da cawfee!
> Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
06/14/2019 at 12:57 |
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also the gubment here just figured out electric cars dont use fuel.. and as our fuel price is about 80% taxes thats a problem
so now they’re thinking about charging road tax by the mile (with no mention of that only aplying to electric vehicles) and assorted shit like that
you ruin everything lectric cars... you suck (its a given the gubment also sucks)
welp.... itll be a few years before they get something like that pushed through... so i’d better get me a car before they ruins it all
Future next gen S2000 owner
> Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
06/14/2019 at 13:13 |
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In theory, we would move to entirely renewable power generation sources. That’s the only way I see anything being effective. Anything and everything is produced or moves via electricity produced via renewable energy. And I mean world wide. Battery powered front end loaders in Chile digging up the lithium to battery powered ships all recharged via solar/wind/hydro.
Of course, that’ s an entire reworking of the electrical grid and huge leaps forward in battery density and recharge times. Who knows if we’ll ever get there.
For Sweden
> NFM
06/14/2019 at 13:43 |
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Battery e lectric passenger cars and fuel cell long-haul trucks.
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Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
> Future next gen S2000 owner
06/14/2019 at 15:58 |
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That’s kinda my point. As it stands now, moving vehicles to completely electric isn’t actually going to solve anything the way things are now . If anything, we should be focused on getting the system sorted before anything, that would benefit the environment far more IMO.
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Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
> ranwhenparked
06/14/2019 at 16:02 |
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Honestly, getting the system sorted should be priority #1 right now.
Once that’s sorted then they can start digging into what’s best for powering cars again.
sn4cktimes
> NFM
06/14/2019 at 21:33 |
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As someone who lives in Canada I like the idea of hydrogen tech. Batteries up here tend not to do super great when it hits -40°. Things gotta be plugged in or stored warm... I’m more than okay paying a company like Shell or Esso or Husky to supply me with Hydrogen and not bog our electrical grid down as every single car gets plugged in between 5-6 every day.