Hydrogen for much of anything for other than lab uses is not really practical. It takes a lot of energy to make it, store it, transport it, handle it, use it, etc etc. -- more that it will give up. So that means really expensive, and mostly very inefficient.
That energy has to come from somewhere, so it really is just another form of energy created by some other means (I think the 2 main methods are water electrolysis and reforming coal or natural gas in some energy-intensive process). I suppose if you had a lot of base-load nukes just churning out hydrogen that would be about the cleanest method, but the whole handling aspect is still very difficult, and check out the popularity of nukes even for direct power production. IF those pesky elements are dealt with, then hydrogen could be an interesting mobile fuel source, but the simplicity and energy density of fossil-based fuels (and the long-distance aspect of driving and relative safety of even highly-volatile gasoline), and the 100 years of development of IC engines, is a big hurdle to overcome. If you are interested in some fairly achievable methods of relatively clean energy production, check out Solar Power Satellites. It all comes down to the numbers, they have a way of getting in the way of great ideas, even when accommodating the various externalities involved. --R Not to say it could not be done Gary Hurst wrote: > that's a shame. a hydrogen hybrid would be great to catch on about now. > > i'm sort of thinking the internal combustion engine is dead. just a > question of how soon. > > On Mon, Sep 8, 2008 at 2:05 PM, John Robbins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > >> Gary Hurst wrote: >> >>> i'm wondering how far we are from hydrogen cell cars? >>> >> A LONG way away... The auto industry as a whole has admitted that was a >> huge failure. All the R&D for *automotive* fuel cells has moved to >> hybrids. Industry is still actively pursuing fuel cells for other >> applications, but fuel cells in cars is basically not an option until >> there is a major breakthrough. >> >> John >> >> >> _______________________________________ >> http://www.okiebenz.com >> For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ >> For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >> http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com >> >> > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ > For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
