[POLL] Would you drive a hydrogen-powered vehicle?

[Hermie]

If I had my own electrolosys machine that would separate the H2 from the O, and it performed as well as normal cars, yes.

[random_variable]

I've been waiting for the United Nuclear Hydrogen kit for awhile now.

United Nuclear - Hydrogen Fuel Systems

They claim that it can do 350+ miles in a hydrogen corvette using solar to provide conversion energy. With the kit you can also run gasoline, so no need to find a hydrogen fueling station.

If all of their claims are true (and if it is ever released) then I will be looking into buying one of their kits when it comes out.

[MD2000]

Can you make gasoline from solar energy in your back yard? Well maybe, but not easily or safely, and not with only water as a feed stock.

You can make hydrogen in your back yard with solar energy, and store it.
Yes you can.

Compressing it to high pressures so you can carry enough to get far is an issue, but put a large compressed air tank at say 200 psi, in the trunk, and you can pressurize it directly from the hydrogen generator.
In an efficient light weight vehicle, you should get 30-50 miles on a fill.

A standard gas engine can run nicely on hydrogen if the timing is advanced so it fires on TDC, rather than before TDC like when it is running on gasoline.
You just feed the hydrogen through a needle valve into the intake manifold with an adjustable pressure regulator, and off you go.

I want a fuel that I can make, and hydrogen is one of them.

Granted I could charge batteries with the same electricity and run an electric car, but then I have to make or buy an electric car, and buy and maintain the batteries.
One could also use fuel cells to run the electric car directly.
So many possibilities, and the exhaust is distilled water that you can drink.
Sounds a bit limited but something I can see my self doing if gasoline gets crazy expensive.

[hyperyaris]

Why would anyone not?? It is almost free energy, no pollutants, incredible mileage, and tons of torque! It outperforms any gasolione engine known to man.

[tjts1]

You've got to be kidding.

Originally Posted by MD2000

You can make hydrogen in your back yard with solar energy, and store it.
Yes you can.

Well maybe, but not easily or safely, and not with tap water as a feed stock.

[NiHaoMike]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

Wikipedia says the electricity->H2->electricity efficiency of a fuel cell is 30-50%. That's much, much worse than batteries. Sure, refilling is easier, but the environmental impact of H2 is too large.

Barring a major breakthrough in the efficiency of hydrogen production, such as low-temperature cracking of H2O as a waste-heat recovery process, I favor lithium and lead-acid batteries over hydrogen fuel cells.


http://www.hydrogenhighway.ca.gov/fa...elltowheel.pdf

The above link indicates that if you're using grid electricity to produce hydrogen, HFCV's pollute much more than conventional gasoline-powered cars. Better to buy a gas-sipper and a windmill, than a HFCV.

What if you used a rectifying antenna to get the electricity from radio waves? Then you'll just be using something that was once just wasted, right? No extra load on the grid and you'll be making hydrogen that you can sell. Probably more practical than directly powering the vehicles from the radio waves since it is much easier to do it on a tall, fixed pole with fewer limitations on cost, size, and weight.

Or what if someone figured out how to convert fat into hydrogen? America has a very large surplus of obesity. Actually, skip the hydrogen part and develop a fuel cell that runs directly from fat. (see My first official JOTD - CleanMPG Forums )

[chuckm]

Hydrogen is actually an indirect GHG gas. It binds to hydroxyl radicals, which would normally act to breakdown other greenhouse gases (methane + OH -> methanol or CO2 and water). Ironically, this action results in water vapor. Water vapor is direct GHG, and a powerful one at that, accounting for about 95% of the GHG effect. But that's one of the little known secrets of the global warming debate. After all, outlawing evaporation from the oceans is going to be an uphill battle.

[gone-ot]

...so long, little, white, puffy clouds?

...maybe Johnny Rae was right: "The Little White Cloud that C-R-I-E-D"

[ConnClark]

Originally Posted by NiHaoMike

What if you used a rectifying antenna to get the electricity from radio waves? Then you'll just be using something that was once just wasted, right? No extra load on the grid and you'll be making hydrogen that you can sell.

Except you start reducing the range that radio transmitters can transmit so they have to resort to using more power to transmit. You may not pay for it directly but someone will and some of that cost will find its way back to you.

There is no free lunch

[ConnClark]

Oh yes, I forgot to chime in on why I wouldn't drive an H2 powered car. The leakage of H2 from storage alone would wipe out the ozone layer if a population the size of california drove H2 powered cars.