Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckm
Yo, homey, I've never suggested that you buy a natural gas car or convert one. Let's go back and follow the thread. First, I said, "Actually, it is much more expensive than the currently most popular means of industrial hydrogen production: cracking natural gas." Your responded, "only if you ignore the cost of the natural gas which is HIGHER THAN GASOLINE." I then proved that you were incorrect regarding the relative costs of gasoline and natural gas. I'm simply trying to point you toward the only economic source of H2 for a car: bring a bottle onboard. That's been my point all along.
If you are absolutely deterimined to stuff an onboard electrolysis unit into your vehicle, by all means go ahead. The gains will forever be outweighed by the cost required (ROI is negative). I strongly suspect the battery weight will actually eat whatever mileage gain you would have otherwise gotten. Hence my offer of a bottle system design. You could install something that weighs, at most, 1/5th of your battery-based system. You'll have no recurring costs of replacing battery packs.
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Sorry man. you jumped into the middle of a fray with the CNG suggestions so I absorbed it into the discussion I was having.
ie as a suggestion for another fuel. Sorry that was my bad. Got carried away :-)
either way CNG is still more expensive than gasoline. the only way it could not be is if I did not have to buy the CNG specific equipment ON TOP OF the cost of non CNG equipment.
ie the cost of the equipment can not be ignored even in hypothetical discussions because in reality I would have to BUY that equipment.
SO for the average person CNG would cost MORE per mile than gasoline for the first 85 or so years.
then and ONLY then would CNG become cheaper than gasoline.
you can only say it is cheaper if you IGNORE the added cost of using it which in reality you can not.
Unless off course you got a CNG car for free or something. but that would be the exception and not the norm.
I don't know if it will be ROI negative though. if I get even a .5mpg increase it will be ROI positive very quickly. I am doubtful if I will get even that but its cheap enough and FUN enough to try. Plus I want a hydrogen generator anyway. I want to try my hand at making hydrogen balloons to loft camera platforms to near space (yeah another wishful dream project)
so its zero loss to me. no harm if I try squirting some into the car when not using it to fill balloons ehh? and the batteries are only $40 and good for 3-4 years if I don't abuse them so even they are quite cheap. Somehow I do not think adding 150 pounds of batteries is going to have THAT big an impact on my mpg. In fact I doubt I could even measure it.