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On Fri, 21 Jan 2000 14:51:15 GMT, "Scott E. Sanburn"
<ssanburn@cleanweb.net> wrote:
> Just a quite note on gasoline: One of the engineers here at AEI has a
> husband who is an electrical engineer for a certain car manufacturer (I
> won't divulge too much) They have been working on hydrogen fuel cell
> cars. It has been so successful that the car company has scrapped their
> electric car program, and are going full steam into this. One of the
> neatest things about this is the fact that the car has just as much
> power as a gasoline engine, the emissions are water, etc. They had a
> test run for the Feds a few months ago, and it will be in production
> soon (I don't know for sure). I think this could be a giant step towards
> eventually, getting rid of gasoline, and using something cleaner. I know
> they ae developing a safe way of using hydrogen, but that is being
> spearheaded by another car manufacturer. If it doesn't pollute anymore,
> I wonder if you can try to attach this environmental tax to it?
> Something to think about.
FUp-to: geek.
There are two kinds of car that seem to be surging ahead right now.
There is the fuel-cell type, and the hydrogen type (which may also be
fuelcell, but whatever.)
Fuel-cells typically use hydrocarbons (ie, gasoline (but cleaned up),
alcohol/wood alcohol, whatever burns basically) and an redox reaction
with a catalyst to directly produce an electron flow. Essentially
they're a battery, where the working chemicals need to and can be
replaced as an ongoing process. the relationship between burning stuff
in one of these and in a fire/explosion as an IC engine uses is
something like the relationship between how our cells burn sugar and
how a fire burns sugar. Much more controlled, and much cleaner.
The hydrogen cars that I've seen use a metal alloy to store hydrogen
gas (which releases hydrogen when it warms and captures it when it
cools), which is then burned for a very hot flame (exhaust being hot
water only, literally), which is placed right next to a lot of solar
cells. The solar cells sitting right next to a 2000K heat source put
out a lot more than regular solar cells, of course.
Regular electric (lead-acid-battery-powered) cars are up to being
charged in one hour or so, but I don't see them catching on until
refilling is a lot easier, faster, etc.
The problem with hydrogen cars is where do you get the hydrogen?
Generally, you'll get it by electrolysing water into hydrogen and
oxygen, or by a chemical reaction from petrochemicals.
Jasper
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Message is in Reply To:
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| (...) Just a quite note on gasoline: One of the engineers here at AEI has a husband who is an electrical engineer for a certain car manufacturer (I won't divulge too much) They have been working on hydrogen fuel cell cars. It has been so successful (...) (25 years ago, 21-Jan-00, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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