Saturday, September 10, 2005

Ok, I don't know were to go with this Hydrogen powered bike

I saw this bike in my LAST Popular Mechanics (I moved in April, and this is the first one I've seen since, AND they made sure it was in it's special cover letting me know that I wasn't going to get another) and I wanted to know a little more, so I "YAHOO'D" it (I'm not a Lib, so I don't google any more than I have to).

I searched for ENV Hydrogen power and found a page about it.

Like I said, I'm not sure which way to go. If you don't know about Hydrogen supplies, it sounds pretty good:

Fuel Cell Technology Facts

* Fuel cells provide point of consumption power generation, removing the costs and power losses associated with the transmission and distribution of electricity.
* Fuel cells can be built incrementally to match demand and are equally efficient at both small and larger scale.
* Fuel cells have higher energy conversion efficiencies than most other technologies: 45-55% of energy converted to electricity.
* Fuel cells are capable of generating heat as well as power: in this combined heat and power mode (CHP mode), energy conversion efficiencies exceed 90%.
* Fuel cells have dynamic load-following characteristics and can be built modularly for added reliability. They have none of the intermittency issues affecting wind and solar technologies.
* Fuel cells are easy to maintain as they have no moving parts.
* Fuel cells produce zero emissions if hydrogen is used as a feedstock, and significantly reduced emissions if hydrogen is produced from reformation of hydrocarbon feedstocks.
* Fuel cells are modular. Effectively, you can keep adding to the sandwich up to an optimal configuration. At this point other stacks can simply be bolted on – and on and on! A fuel cell the size of a toaster could power a typical domestic UK home.
* The USA wants to see hydrogen fuel cell cars on US roads by 2015 and has pledged to spend more than $1.5 bn (£900m) over five years to help develop the technology.


And scientifically it is probably a good idea, BUT if you know how you get the hydrogen you look at several other points.
  1. Hydrogen is dangerous- more dangerous than natural gas. Does the name Hindenburg ring a bell? ( OK, now that I have the MSM required scare the chit-out-of-you done) There really isn't ALL that much there, so I can't see much of a problem.
  2. The thing is, that Hydrogen power sounds kinda like "Free energy"- if you don't know where it comes from. (I'm not sure I NEED to go into this, since if you're reading this on a computer you should know your basic science. BUT) You get Hydrogen from water! Yes, it's the "H" in H2O. To separatete the "H" from the "O" you simply boil it with electricity! WOW, the wonders of science. The problem comes with the next point.
  3. The cost of producing Hydrogen. On a large scale it could be cost prohibitiveve, since it takes more energy to split the water moleculeses than it (the fuel cell) can produce. It also makes your electric meter spin like a top.
  4. Range. From the article, it seems limited- like the battery powered vehicles. 100 Mi. at 5oMPH? Tim Taylors lawn mower could beat that.
So, Like I said- how do we want to play this?

(UPDATE 2:53PM) AS Aelfheld reminded me- Yahoo is responsible for assisting the Chicoms to send a reporter to prison.

Guess my new search engine will be Ask Jeeves.

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