“Science is not about making predictions or performing experiments. Science is about explaining.” Bill Gaede The first ‘Hypercars’ were built during the 1990s. GM and VW followed Amory Lovins’ guidance and undertook to make a car to his principles. The EV 1 was a bold experiment whose time had not yet arrived – lacking the • Read More »
Archives: History
Modern Pioneer Influences Hydrogen & Fuel Cell History
March 25, 2017 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Modern Pioneer Influences Hydrogen & Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.“I realized that energy was at the root of many security, development, and environment problems,” Amory Lovins Doomsday prophet, socio-economic genius or automotive planner? — Neither. — A modern day automotive pioneer: a thinker, not a tinkerer. In 1976, Lovins, a young man in his 20s, presented an essay to Foreign Affairs, titled “Energy • Read More »
Car Designer favours Hydrogen & Fuel Cell History
March 18, 2017 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Car Designer favours Hydrogen & Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.“A designer is an emerging synthesis of artist, inventor, mechanic, objective economist, and evolutionary strategist.” – Buckminster Fuller The 1973 oil embargo caused a number of changes in industry and society. It caused the (temporary) departure of the muscle cars and created an enthusiasm for small, fuel-efficient cars. It reduced highway speed limits, started • Read More »
Canada’s effect on Hydrogen & Fuel Cell History
March 11, 2017 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Canada’s effect on Hydrogen & Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.“I don’t think we’re going to see the price of oil going down in the near future, that’s the reality.” -Carly Fiorina, former Republican presidential candidate When fuel prices increase again –very likely– and supplies diminish –very certain– alternative fuels are the only alternative. Hydrogen and electricity are two such substitutes, and fuel • Read More »
Oil crisis’ effect on Hydrogen & Fuel Cell History
March 4, 2017 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Oil crisis’ effect on Hydrogen & Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.“We aren’t addicted to oil, but our cars are.” – James Woolsey, national security and energy specialist Wake up World! Do something! December 1973. Oil embargo. Panic. Fighting at the pumps. Mile long line-ups at refueling stations in cities everywhere. Petrol, petrol everywhere –underground-, but not a drop to burn. Frustration. — Is • Read More »
Countries advancing Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History
February 25, 2017 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Countries advancing Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.“A lasting lesson of the crisis years is the power of markets and their ability to adjust to disruptions, if government allows them to.” Daniel Yergin The 1973 oil embargo, the second oil crisis, got a large part of the world to think about how to manage its affairs with less and less of this • Read More »
Backyard testing in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History
February 18, 2017 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Backyard testing in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.“Electric cars are going to be very important for urban transportation.” Carlos Ghosn, CEO Nissan-Renault The back yard – behind factory buildings- is just where General Motors tested the first earthbound, – better to say road-bound – fuel cell electric vehicle. FCEV is Toyota’s term for the Mirai to clarify that a fuel cell vehicle • Read More »
NASA contributes to Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History
February 11, 2017 | By George Wand | Comments Off on NASA contributes to Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.“If we drive down the cost of transportation in space, we can do great things.” Elon Musk NASA was preparing for manned spaceflights. They were looking for a power source to provide spacecraft with electricity; batteries were too heavy, solar energy was still too expensive at that time (even for NASA) and nuclear energy was • Read More »
Field Test in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History
February 4, 2017 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Field Test in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.“Successful engineering is all about understanding how things break or fail.” Henry Petroski A well-known fact is that, in 1932, Dr. Francis Thomas Bacon, an engineering professor at Cambridge University in England, modified the lab paraphernalia, which had been used during Mond’s and Langer’s time. Bacon used a less expensive material for the electrodes and • Read More »
Tense Times in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History
January 28, 2017 | By George Wand | Comments Off on Tense Times in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell History | Filed in: History.You may have noticed a small change in the title. That adjustment might allows search engines to lead additional readers to one of our favorite subjects. A little known headline evaluation tool made all the difference. Certain words have ‘Emotional Marketing Value’, which so-called web crawlers pick up. The words in front of the ‘dash’ • Read More »