Hydrogen Cars Versus Electric Vehicles
Jeff has sent in his thoughts concerning hydrogen cars versus electric vehicles and makes some good points.
Jeff: I’m an advocate of a clean energy near future as it sound you are. I’m interested in your thoughts on hydrogen-powered vehicles vs. simpler battery-electrics. It seems to me that battery electrics with latest generation batteries plus a quick-charge infrastructure would be more practical than overcoming the hydrogen hurdles.
It seems that a good use of hydrogen would be as the “batteries” to store excess generation of solar and wind plants to help match generation and demand. In other words, wind and solar would feed the grid but also create hydrogen through electrolysis when production outstripped demand. Then when demand outstripped production, fuel cells would be used to feed the grid. This would also be a way to in-effect transport electricity. Your thoughts?
HydroKevin: The standard that the Department of Energy (DOE) is looking for in hydrogen cars is that they have a range of 300 miles and can refuel in 5 minutes. This assures that in these two important areas that hydrogen cars can compete with gasoline-powered vehicles.
I would think the standard for electric cars must be the same, that they have a range of 300 miles and recharge in 5 minutes. The current vehicles from Tesla, Phoenix Motors, Zap and others don’t meet both of these criteria. Of course, in the future, they could and at this point will become very competitive if this happens.
In addition, if this happens, then powering the grid from renewable resources such as wind, solar, geothermal, wave and tidal energy and storing the excess energy has hydrogen will also be paramount to insure that electric cars aren’t being powered by dirty coal-fired power plants, defeating some of the reasons for going to clean burning vehicles. This is a scenario that many electric vehicle advocates have been envisioning and a reasonable direction the country could go if the technology falls into place.
But, I think another reasonable direction the country could go is to combine the best of both technologies and develop plug-in electric hybrid hydrogen cars. GM and Ford have both built prototypes of this kind of vehicle. Let’s also not forget that the future hydrogen refueling infrastructure may looking nothing like the current gasoline refueling infrastructure.
There may not be centralized production, storage and distribution of hydrogen like there is gasoline. In the future, hydrogen may be produced in a decentralized manner, on demand as needed right at the local refueling stations or at other facilities close by.
The future is wide open for these kinds of emerging technologies and that is why this field is so interesting right now to so many.
Filed under: Hydrogen Cars
FYI - The main reason hyrogen cars are being pushed by big car companies is the influence from gas comapnies. Poeple can recharge electric cars at home hence no more need for gas companies. Hydrogen cars need fuel stations that can hold hydrogen in liquid form. Gas companies will then convert gas stations to another money making machine for themselves.
Recharging electric cars at home is poor and inefficient solution. Where do you recharge your vehicle if you are away from home/trip? What about the cost of energy? What about the environment?Energy comes from ..power plants, which as of right now most of them here in the USA are using coal. What about the batteries? Car batteries contain lithium. Lithium, like all alkali metals is highly reactive. Mines that extract lithium are found all over the world and some of the largest of in Canada. However, the environmetal impact is devastating. Some of the nearby regions have no life or any kind. Do some research on the web and you’ll be shock. I don’t know if hydrogen is the permanent solution, but I tell you electric cars are NOT.
Electric cars are also not a good solution for areas prone to power outages. Who wants to be stuck at home, in the dark with a car that won’t move?
Well… as far as influence from gas companies goes, I hear your point, and that is most likely why the electric car was “killed”. I am not sure though about the car companies being driven by gas companies although there is some truth in that as well is unfortunately not so cut and dry.
With the latest trends in ever-rising gasoline prices (now at almost $5 per Gal), there is also a serious risk for car sales to drastically drop unless something “new” happens. Drivers will tend to hold on longer to the car they currently own. In the first place the cost of fuel rapidly drains the finances one could plan to put towards purchasing a new vehicle. Furthermore in times where the cost of fossil fuels seem to rise at rates that before one would have never imagine to be possible in the US, if a driver is thinking about getting a new vehicle it will surely take into consideration (more than ever in the past) the vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
So if the cost per mile will not become more affordable, it would definitely be less appealing for people to drive around since the impact of fuel for transportation will become much more noticeable causing each driver to become a much more cost-conscious driver and resorting to new transportation alternatives (car pooling, public transportation, etc)
Simply put a Hummer with an average 14 Mi/Gal efficiency will no longer be an attractive when we’ll start pay $10/Gal
(BTW I personally can’t stand those abominations)
Is True that most of the electric plants in US are running on coal, but there is a large amount of electricity being produced also by fossil fuels (thermoelectric) and nuclear plants… so an electric car could be powered by plugging it into that garage wall plug. But it sounds that no matter which power plant that electricity comes from, the electric car would be still (indirectly) polluting.
So far it’s indisputable that the “safest” and most affordable production of electricity comes from nuclear plants, although personally, with the single exception of hydroelectric may be, I don’t see any of the conventional methods (thermoelectric, coal, nuclear) of production of electrical power as clean or safe or low impact.