160 replies to this topic

[Burnard]

so how does that honda concept work then? the one they had on top gear?

this one

http://world.honda.com/FuelCell/

You fill the tank with hydrogen from the pump (posibly liquid hydrogen), and it is pumped into the fuel cell and mixed with oxygen from the air which is made by plants, and this creates the energy to create electricty, which im going to use to power an electric chair to kill you because you should know this stuff from GCSE physics.

[minidream94]

but the thing is, we never got taught this as the "bad boys" in the class would distrupt the class and so couldnt learn.

anyway, how about we use rocket fuel? would get use to our destination quicker

[Bungle]

do rockets have to stop at traffic lights etc ?

is there any fuel duty and VAT on rocket fuel ?

[1984mini25]

i truely think that H2O power is the way forward in terms of power for vehicles. I mean its a never going to run out

Have you seen some of the prices for a litre of bottle water

[minidream94]

thats why you go to the river but like its been said you cnt use normal water

[Burnard]

rocket fuel IS hydrogen!

[Dan]

Yes I'd though that some of the above was a joke, that's why I edited out all the stuff I put but unfortunately for me Burnard quoted it!

There is a name for the type of reaction where the same quantity of energy is released performing the reaction one way as is consumed reversing it. I can't remember the name, but hydrogen / oxygen isn't one. It takes more energy to split them than is released in joining them I believe, it's all to do with entropy probably. Most things are.

Fuel cells are very, very, seriously old technology. They have been around for decades, they are what electrically powered the lunar landers and countless other high technology machines. Car manufacturers and governments seem to love them but they will demand a complete overhaul of the existing transport infrastructure. A far better solution is a hydrogen fuelled internal combution engine. It provides the same benefits in terms of emissions, similar energy output, greater losses however in terms of having a transmission and frictional losses in the engine and pollution associated with lubricants and fluids but the actual experience of dealing with, owning and operating a vehicle would be largely unchanged. The hard part is the fuel. Producing that much hydrogen would demand a lot of electricity (or a lot of the precursor chemicals needed for other hydrogen producing reactions). How do you store it? How do you transport it? Liquid hydrogen is one of the most dangerous and volotile substances mankind has dealt with. The storage tanks for it at rocket lauch sites tend to have several miles of nothing around them as a precaution. Imagine an lH2 transport tanker turning over on the motorway, it would make Buncefield look like a firework. You must have seen the film of the Hindenburg disaster, and that was gasseous hydrogen at nearly atmospheric pressure burning relatively slowly. So cryogenically storing it as a liquid is not realistic on this scale. Companies are working on methods of trapping it in salts and in other states where it can easily be extracted for use, making it harmless in its stored state. That is the big thing that needs to be solved. There are a few liquid H2 filling stations around the world, and California is supposed to be bringing them in large scale but realistically it's this that is holding everything back.

[Foolish]

A very good point, after all hydrogen is basically the fuel source for the Sun. Could be quite interesting to witness the stellar event that would be one of those tankers going up. Could turn out to be the Earth’s first foray into sustained nuclear fission. Would solve the problem of solar power, when it creates a new star here on planet Earth. But you would need a bigger motor to get through all that extra gravity knocking about.

[MalcolmB]

Hydrogen seems like a great fuel at first glance, but like Dan said it takes a great deal of energy to produce it in the first place, then it takes even more energy to compress it into a small enough volume to fit in a fuel tank. The whole fuel cell thing is a bit of a red herring. It's always just a few years away.

On the other hand it's relatively easy to convert a mini into a plug-in electric car using mostly off-the-shelf parts. OK, it costs a fair chunk of cash up front but a great deal less than it would to buy a Nissan Leaf, and you get the satisfaction of never having to stop at a garage again, unless it's Valentine's Day of course...

[A-Series Spares]

I remember when i started driving fuel was going to creep past 80pence per litre, and people were like "no way, its never going to stay up there!"

happy days

i filled up 2 days ago and just the cheap unleaded that my volvo used is £129 per litre.

[Juju]

A very good point, after all hydrogen is basically the fuel source for the Sun. Could be quite interesting to witness the stellar event that would be one of those tankers going up. Could turn out to be the Earth’s first foray into sustained nuclear fission. Would solve the problem of solar power, when it creates a new star here on planet Earth. But you would need a bigger motor to get through all that extra gravity knocking about.

Fusion, Darling, fusion!! It's the holy grail of power.

We already have fission in abundance. And its waste products & its fallout.

One day we'll all have tiny particle accelerators under the bonnet.

[onefastmoke]

Fusion, Darling, fusion!! It's the holy grail of power.

We already have fission in abundance. And its waste products & its fallout.

One day we'll all have tiny particle accelerators under the bonnet.

lol will that still work with a standard a series gearbox or will it need to be upgraded?

[BGB]

I don't know where you live but for me the price of fuel used for my journey to college/work is less than it would cost to make the journey on public transport and I also won't be left with a long walk from the bus stop to my destination.

My work place changes from week to week sometimes day to day. Yesterday i was in Glasgow, tomorrow Edinburgh and Friday Stranraer..


But i agree with you alot of places its cheaper to drive. Edinburgh though has scandalous parking prices so if i wasnt being reimbursed from them it would be far too expensive.

[AVV IT]

i filled up 2 days ago and just the cheap unleaded that my volvo used is £129 per litre.

I doubt it was actually that expensive, but maybe by the end of the year it will be!!

[Juju]

Fusion, Darling, fusion!! It's the holy grail of power.

We already have fission in abundance. And its waste products & its fallout.

One day we'll all have tiny particle accelerators under the bonnet.

lol will that still work with a standard a series gearbox or will it need to be upgraded?

Oooh, actually, it won't be under the bonnet will it? It'll be inplace of the fuel tank in the boot.

Yep, I imagine standard beergox.

[Ooooh, please will someone invent this??!! Purleeeeeeeeeeasse!!? I would quite literally give my right arm. Here, you can have it...]