Archives:

Hopeful Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History

January 14, 2017 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Hopeful Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.

“Whatever one man is capable of conceiving, other men will be able to achieve” – Jules Verne After talking ‘organic horsepower’ in the previous article, let’s get back to mechanical horsepower and onto the long path of the history of hydrogen and fuel cells. As you may know, one-third of all automobiles were battery-powered electric • Read More »

From Polluting to Promising Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History

January 7, 2017 | By George Wand | Comments Off on From Polluting to Promising Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.

“True greatness is when your name is like ampere, watt, and diesel — when it’s spelled with a lower case letter.”    Richard Hamming It is also great that new automakers use old pioneers’ names, such as Tesla, Nicola, Faraday — and who next? It takes many great minds and many years to make a • Read More »

Inventive Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History

December 31, 2016 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Inventive Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.

May the New Year 2017 bring you good health, happiness and success. May autonomous vehicles keep us safe. May hydrogen be our gas in the future. May fuel cell cars be in your dreams and driveway.   “Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent.” Arthur Conan Doyle In retrospect, • Read More »

Festive Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History

December 23, 2016 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Festive Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.

A one-time diversion from the tedious, tiresome (NOT) history — includes fuel cells, though!! A Christmas story in three parts for the young and the young at heart – to read during the holidays ‘Twas the night before Christmas, and Santa was sad. He had wished for a small sportscar – an Audi TT at • Read More »

Exploratory Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History

December 17, 2016 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Exploratory Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.

“Three great actions; Explore, Experiment, Evolve.”                    Laila Gifty Akita The French Patent Number 731 gave Rivaz title to the use of combustible gasses, instead of steam, in a piston-type engine.  The combustion pushed a heavy piston upward in a cylinder.  Atop the piston is a toothed rod that engages with a gear wheel on • Read More »

Early Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History

December 10, 2016 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Early Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.

“Our duty is to preserve what the past has had to say for itself, and to say for ourselves what shall be true for the future.”         John Ruskin That awesome and humbling duty befalls historians. That said, this writer has experienced how much information is lost from as little as one-hundred, even fifty years ago, • Read More »

Optimistic Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History

December 3, 2016 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Optimistic Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”       Winston Churchill Uncertainty about the future exists everywhere; change creates hesitation. Should the government go ‘right’, should it lean ‘left’, should it turn ‘green’?  Which energy policy should be promoted?  Nature itself seems uncertain of where to go.  • Read More »

Confusing Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History

November 26, 2016 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Confusing Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.

“Regulations that shut down hundreds of coal-fired power plants and block the construction of new ones — how stupid is that?” was one of Donald Trump’s campaign utterings. What makes a light bulb glow? — “Hydro makes it glow”, many people will answer.  “We are running out of gas”, laments an environmentally concerned motorist.  Both • Read More »

Turbulent Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History

November 21, 2016 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Turbulent Times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.

As a history essay, this treatise will dig into details –and into my previous articles– to illustrate particular actions, events or episodes in hindsight – which is what history is all about. You may find some of the information in this and following short articles boring and tedious. Don’t despair, as more pieces of the • Read More »

Exciting times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History

November 17, 2016 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Exciting times – Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.

Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History Having just passed the second National Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Day, we will probe the history and heritage of both in a series of articles.   Exciting times. People around the world read all the newest information on Kevin Kantola’s extraordinary website. The second, electrifying transportation rEVolution since the Model • Read More »