GM’s Equinox Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Makes a stop at the International Trade Center, and I get a first hand look. The car costs approximately 1.5 million dollars to produce, and by General Motors estimates, wouldn’t be available for sale for another 10 to 15 years.
Editor’s Note: This post is a guest contribution by Adam Shake.
It was an overcast Friday morning in Washington D.C., and stepping off the Metro at the Federal Triangle stop in Washington D.C., I had been thinking about how Global Warming was contributing to the strength of Hurricane Hannah. Hurricane Ike was right on her coat tails, and looked to be like one of the largest Hurricanes on record.
Rounding the corner of the International Trade Center to enter the building from Pennsylvania Avenue, I saw an S.U.V. parked on the plaza with a small shelter positioned near it. Inside the shelter were stacks of brochures and four people standing beneath it, staying out of the impending rain.
Intrigued, I stepped over to the vehicle to have a closer look. The doors were open, showing a spacious interior and well designed dash board. The vehicle was running, and idling quietly as I stuck my head into the front seat, inhaling that new car smell. Read the rest of this entry »
This has resulted in a kind of chicken-and-egg situation, where car companies, such as fuel-cell pioneers Honda, are reluctant to mass-produce hydrogen-powered cars until a comprehensive refueling system is established, and infrastructure providers won’t move until there are enough cars to make stations economically viable.
A team at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have revealed a potential revolution in hydrogen cars, after driving 650 miles on one tank of liquid hydrogen. In a recent test, the scientists set a new world record after they installed a super-insulated hydrogen gas tank in a standard Prius hybrid that was able to keep a full load of the liquid without evaporating for six days.
The tank, weighing in at around 300 pounds, removes a heck of a lot of obstacles to the advancement of hydrogen-powered cars. Current versions, such as the fleet of hydrogen-electric Toyota Prius’s used by various city governments across Southern California, run on compressed hydrogen gas, and have a limited range of around 80 miles between refuels. Even a pretty unambitious three-gallon tank fills the entire trunk of a Prius, yet still only enables a range of approximately 200 miles, not really enough to compete with gasoline-only vehicles. Read the rest of this entry »
Mazda’s newest hydrogen rotary engine will take to public roads in Japan for testing this year. The company says the vehicle is the world’s first hydrogen hybrid car with a dual-fuel system, enabling the use of either hydrogen or gasoline.
The Japanese government has given Mazda Motor Corporation permission to test the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid minivan on public roads in that country. The next step will be commercial leasing in Japan during this fiscal year. Read the rest of this entry »
Honda has started rolling the first US specification FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell sedans off a production line in Japan to be delivered to a small group of hand-picked high-profile California test customers. Leases to these customers, including Jamie Lee Curtis, are scheduled to begin in July.
The combined sales plan for the US and Japan calls for a few dozen to be leased the first year with about 200 total units leased over the next three years.
Despite claims to the contrary, it seems like General Motors is getting more and more involved in the refueling business. GM has already invested heavily in two different cellulosic ethanol companies (Coskata and Mascoma), and has now partnered with Clean Energy Fuels Corp. to open a hydrogen fueling station near the Los Angeles Int’l Airport (LAX). The station will be located at Clean Energy’s compressed natural gas (CNG) facility and should be operational by the fall. Read the rest of this entry »
FCHV-adv Hybrid Boasts Twice the Range of the Previous Model
There are lots of reason to want to live in Japan, but being able to lease the new Toyota Fuel-Cell Hybrid sometime this year is now high on my list. Later in 2008, Toyota will release their new FCHV-adv model, which reportedly has a maximum cruising range is 516 miles (compared with 205 miles for Toyota’s previous fuel cell vehicle). This improved model uses both the hydrogen-powered fuel cell and an electric motor, and has improved performance partially due to better braking efficiency.
Also, Toyota claims they’ve managed to outsmart one of the challenges of using a fuel-cell auto: low temperatures. The FCHV-adv model can start and run in temperatures as low as -22 degrees Farenheit.
Toyota spokeswoman Kayo Doi announced that pricing and other details weren’t available, and overseas plans are still undecided. But the sooner these cars hit the road — anywhere in the world — the better for the whole planet.
Fuel saving scams, er, devices, have been around for a long time, and now that fuel prices are soaring again, we decided it would be a good time to take a look at a few of the most popular and interesting ones out there.
Put six-gallons of water in your fuel tank and drive anywhere you wish. The only thing you’ll need to replace, is a bit more water.
Last May, I wrote about Jim Hunt, a student at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, Illinois concerning his plasmatic induction system that turns water into hydrogen gas to fuel your vehicle.
Today, the system works, and Jim is looking for a company to manufacture and market his invention. His patent is secure, the system is proven and now ready to produce. Read the rest of this entry »
Here´s a throwback to this year´s North American International Auto Show:
At this year´s Detroit auto show, GM’s Cadillac division displayed their Provoq Concept car, an electric vehicle powered by an onboard hydrogen fuel-cell . The electrical system, part of GM’s so-called E-Flex architecture, is supplemented by lithium ion batteries that supply added torque during acceleration. Six kg of compressed hydrogen will provide an estimated 300 miles of driving range.
Another one making its debut at the Geneva Auto Show, the Morgan LifeCar is a concept vehicle by the venerable British car maker that “will demonstrate that a new step in vehicle architecture is enabled by the use of a fuel cell hybrid power train.” Morgan not only wants to take a step away from the notion that a “green car” must sacrifice style and power, but also towards “[lowering] the entry barriers for a vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.” Not exactly sure how a hybrid of any kind means “zero emissions,” or how much hydrogen refueling is required (one of the main entry barriers for fuel cell technology), but will keep an eye on developments for answers (or hope to get them from you!).
Collaborators on the LifeCar concept include Oscar Automotive, Cranfield University, QinetiQ, Oxford University, and Linde AG.
Gas 2.0 digs into the viscous world of biofuels and the fast-paced transit arena, exploring the technologies and substances that are the future of transportation.
Honda has started rolling the first US specification 
There are lots of reason to want to live in Japan, but being able to lease the new Toyota Fuel-Cell Hybrid sometime this year is now high on my list. Later in 2008, Toyota will release their new FCHV-adv model, which reportedly has a maximum cruising range is 516 miles (compared with 205 miles for Toyota’s previous fuel cell vehicle). This improved model uses both the hydrogen-powered fuel cell and an electric motor, and has improved performance partially due to better braking efficiency.
Another one 
