Update: GM May Hunt for Fuel Cell Development “Efficiencies”
Archive for the ‘Fuel Cells’ Category
GM Boss: F1’s New Rules are Greenwash
Published on March 5th, 2009
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“Racing is one of the few things that can foster innovation faster than war”, said GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz during a bloggers round-table discussion on the eve of this year’s Geneva motor show.
Describing some of the future challenges that will be faced by global manufacturers such as General Motors, Bob lamented the fact that auto racing – a sport with the potential to inspire significant innovation through competition – has become so tightly regulated in order to prevent teams from gaining significant advantages, that from a manufacturer’s perspective it provides little benefit beyond pure marketing.
Honda FCX Clarity On Main Street of Sundance Film Festival
Honda, one of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival’s official sponsors, parked their hydrogen fuel-cell powered FCX Clarity right in the middle of Main Street Park City. The car has been getting a lot of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ by most passer-bys, which may explain why the attendants looked slightly uncomfortable when I asked how much the car costs and how many are actually on the road. Read the rest of this entry »
Earth to Congressman Massa: That’s Not What “Efficiency” Means
Last week, Famous DC was the first to report on New York’s recently elected congressman Eric Massa’s poorly-conceived environmental publicity stunt. Massa’s plan was to drive from his congressional district in New York to Washington DC in a hydrogen fuel-cell powered car. In other words: an efficient, leisurely, and environmentally responsible drive across 300 miles of the American Northeast.
“What,” you may be asking, ”could possibly go wrong?”
Plenty.
More on why we should never, Never, NEVER elect public officials who are bad at math after the jump.
Plug-In Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Has 6 Minute Recharge Time
Burbank — the only city in Los Angeles County named after a Dentist (thank you Wikipedia!) — can now claim that it’s more than just the “media capital of the world.” They’ve been chosen as one of only two test markets in the US for the introduction of a zero-emissions, ultra-quiet, plug-in hybrid electric hydrogen fuel cell bus. And here’s the clincher: it can recharge its batteries in just six minutes.
Michigan Students Set World Record for Longest Flight by Fuel Cell Powered Plane
A group of students from the University of Michigan have set a new world record for the longest flight ever by a fuel-cell powered plane.
Late last month the team, known as SolarBubbles, flew the $2,500 plane (video) around a field in Milan, Michigan for a total of 10 hours, 15 minutes and 4 seconds - smashing the previous 9 hour record held by a Californian engineering company.
Honda Debuts FC Sport Hydrogen Fuel Cell Concept Sports Car at the 2008 LA Auto Show
Honda today revealed an environmentally friendly, three-seat, supercar design study concept called the FC Sport based on Honda’s modular V Flow hydrogen fuel cell stack.
The vehicle builds on the same hydrogen technology being used in the FCX Clarity — Honda’s “production” hydrogen fuel cell vehicle currently being tested in limited release by a couple hundred hand-picked owners in the US, including celebrities like Jamie Lee Curtis.
Metal Alloy Hydrogen Tank is 60% Lighter Than a Battery
A Dutch researcher has developed a magnesium, titanium and nickel alloy that has huge potential as a hydrogen storage tank for cars of the future. On a relative basis, the weight of a storage tank made from this alloy would be 60% lighter than a lithium ion battery that could take a car the same distance.
One of the major stumbling blocks of hydrogen cars (fuel cell or otherwise) involves the storage of hydrogen on board. Hydrogen is very combustible and poses an extreme fire/explosion danger, especially when stored as a highly compressed gas.
Latest Information on GM’s Equinox Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle
On September 15, 2008, I published an article here entitled “GM’s $1.5 Million Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicle Wont be Available For At Least 10 Years,” and the information for the article was taken directly from my own experience, as I had seen the Equinox Fuel Cell being promoted that same morning, near where I work in Washington D.C.
After looking at the vehicle I had a conversation with a representative near the information booth, and it was a result of that conversation that spawned the article.
Well, Pete Barkley, who has been working for General Motors for the past eight years in Advanced Propulsion, was kind enough to leave a comment on the article, clarifying a couple inconsistencies and offering us some more information and a test drive.
Never one to give up a good opportunity, I’ve been in contact with him and true to his word, he is giving me the opportunity to drive the Equinox myself, and has granted an interview and will allow me to photograph and publish any pictures I take.
UK University Demonstrates ENV, World’s First Hydrogen Powered Motorbike
Earlier this week, a team of scientists at Loughborough University demonstrated the ENV, the world’s first ever hydrogen-powered motorbike (video).
Instead of a standard fuel tank, the ENV (short for Emissions Neutral Vehicle) contains an onboard fuel cell that can be filled with hydrogen in just three minutes. The cell then converts the hydrogen to electricity, enabling speeds of over 50 mph, and a range of 100 miles, with no emissions except warm air and water.
