By Michael d'Estries
January 14, 2009 – 9:05 am
Could the next decade turn out be the one where hydrogen fuel cells finally become a part of the transportation scene? With fuel cell powered cars from BMW and Honda already available — and now Toyota throwing their hat into the ring — momentum is starting to build towards that reality. With the Obama administration firmly standing behind pumping cash into the green tech field, we may see even greater infrastructure development for this future. But back to Toyota…
In an interview with the NY Times on Tuesday, Masatami Takimoto, a Toyota executive vice president and board member, disclosed the company’s hydrogen plans. “By 2015, we will have a full-fledged commercialization effort,” Mr. Takimoto said. The company’s test subject right now is their Highlander SUV — which has been converted to run off of fuel cells; much like GM’s Equinox. As Congressman Eric Massa (D-NY) proved earlier this week, a hydrogen refueling infrastructure needs to be in place before the industry can take off; something equally echoed in Takimoto’s remarks. “On each side, it will take time,” he said.
So, give or take, most of the major automakers should have hydrogen vehicles available in the next six years or so. Whether they will be affordable (Honda’s FCX Clarity costs $600/mo!), is another story .
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By Michael d'Estries
January 9, 2009 – 4:18 pm
We’ve seen solar-powered cell phone chargers before, but this is the first pocket-size device I can remember powered exclusively by hydrogen. It’s called the Mini-Pak and comes to us from Horizon. According to the release, the charger combines the company’s mass-produced consumer fuel cells with compact solid-state hydrogen cartridge systems. It can be used to charge everything from cell phones to MP3 players and contains no heavy metals (mercury, lead or cadium). Up to 1,000 charge cycles can be expected from the unit.
In terms of refills, the press pack indicates that you can purchase 2 packs or 6 packs. Even more interesting, the company is planning a home refueling station for 2010. Of course, pricing is currently unavailable — so we’ll be left guessing until we catch up with the future. Still, great to see such products emerging.
For more details, check out the PDF on the Horizon here.
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By Michael d'Estries
June 26, 2008 – 12:11 pm
What I’m getting from all of the radical hydrogen-powered fuel cell concepts out there is that engine space isn’t as constrictive as with conventional tech. Take for instance this two-wheeled design called the “Ozone”. According to the design team, the huge wheels are controlled by two separate electric motor powered by fuel cells. One suspects that they would reside in the small chamber below the seats.
Anyways, there are additional details available over on Gearfuse. Chances are, we’ll never see this in the real world — but damn, it sure looks like it would be a lot of fun.
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By Kate Weinkauf
June 17, 2008 – 2:22 pm
Even Corgi International, one of the oldest producers of die-cast and injection-molded scale model replicas, is looking toward the future. Traditionally, Corgi’s products are sold through hobby shops, collectors’ clubs, car and equipment dealers, toy and gift stores, but recently Corgi paired with Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies to develop a toy car that operates on a hydrogen fuel cell—the H2GO.
Corgi believes it is tapping into the promising market of environmentally friendly toys that are also educational. This particular model requires only water and sunlight to operate and the body of the toy car is made from wheat, making it completely recyclable. This suggests real potential in eco-friendly toy manufacturing and leads one to imagine an entire generation of kids growing up on renewable and recyclable toys…ahhhh…imagine…
via HydrogenCarsNow
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By Michael d'Estries
May 2, 2008 – 12:51 pm
Overcoming another obstacle to their adoption (once they’re eventually mass produced and practical), the US Department of Transportation has given the green light to fuel cell accessories on airline flights. According to CNet’s Green Tech Blog, the department has decided that passengers will be allowed to carry approved methanol fuel cells and up to two spare fuel cell cartridges in their carry-on luggage. The ruling isn’t much of a precedent as Canada, China, Japan, and the UK already let passengers carry their nonexistent fuel cells onboard.
Fuel cell technology is not yet widely available on the market — however, several cell phone makers — such as Motorola and Samsung — are planning on introducing the technology sometime in 2009. The application of fuel cells as an energy source is considered safe — as one would have to hold a flame to the enclosed methanol to create a fire. As many of us know, lighters and matches are generally scooped up by aviation security before boarding.
For more information, check out the CNET article here.
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By Michael d'Estries
April 28, 2008 – 3:24 pm
The above fact comes courtesy of a new announcement that HydroGen Corporation has started up a 400 kw hydrogen-powered phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) at ASHTA Chemicals in Ashtabula, Ohio. Essentially, this is a demonstration “small power plant” that uses by-product hydrogen from the ASHTA plant that is created in the production of chlor-alkali. The 400 kw plant is the first in a series of “Power Islands” that will output 6 MW-30MW from fuel cells. From the release,
“John Freeh, HydroGen’s CEO, stated: ‘The successful start up of the ASHTA demonstration plant is another significant operational milestone for HydroGen. With this start up, we have validated our capability to design, engineer, manufacture, and successfully commission a full scale fuel cell power plant at a representative potential customer site, in a key “hydrogen-available” market segment - the chlor-alkali industry. We believe that plant startup positions us for near term commercial uptake of our multi-megawatt PAFC plants for the chemical industry, while giving us an operating platform from which to improve further the design of our systems. We anticipate bringing prospective customers to the site as early as this week to observe fuel cell operations.’”
As a result of this technology, waste hydrogen is fed through the fuel cell and used to help power the chemical plant. Sounds like a great way to take advantage of a usually wasted resource to benefit an area of production.
via hydrogen cars and vehicles
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By Michael d'Estries
April 2, 2008 – 2:00 pm
$12 billion dollars. That’s the amount General Motors estimates would be needed to install an energy infrastructure based on hydrogen that could provide fuel for more than 70% of Americans. Does anyone think this is a bit on the low side? I mean, if that’s a realistic number — awesome — but why the hell are we arguing over costs? I understand that this is only one piece of the puzzle, but when we’re giving away $18 billion in tax breaks to Big Oil regularly, I don’t see allocating money for shifting America to a more sustainable fuel as an issue. Obviously, we just require the will and collective planning to make it a reality. From the article,
Establishing an infrastructure to fuel hydrogen- powered vehicles is “economically viable and doable,” General Motors Corp. said Wednesday as the auto giant keynoted the National Hydrogen Association’s annual meeting. Larry Burns, GM’s vice president for research and development and strategic planning, called on the energy industry and government to step up and help automakers make the futuristic vehicles a reality, in part by opening hydrogen fueling stations to encourage their use.
Obviously, some hurdles remain before hydrogen can be considered a clean fuel. The generation of the hydrogen is still energy intensive and produces CO2. Fuel cells also currently require the precious metal platinum; though alternatives are in development. GM’s plea is great to hear, but the old saying of “10-15 years” will probably still apply to this futuristic industry before you see a hydrogen station in your neighborhood.
via morningstar
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By Michael d'Estries
March 12, 2008 – 4:52 pm
We’ve seen motorbike concepts powered by small fuel cells, but this is the first time in my memory that a full-scale commercial test of such technology has actually gotten off the ground. Such is the case for the Clear Air Bike — a joint venture between Masterflex and German bike maker Hawk. Supposedly, this cargobike can handle loads up to 150 kg and travel 250km on one fuel cell needing only 90 grams of hydrogen within a 2.2kg storage unit. If that wasn’t enough, there’s even enough energy left over to power secondary functions such as lighting or cooling for transporting temperature sensitive goods. From the article,
With a motor rated at 250 watts it’s exempt, just like a ‘normal’ bike, from European vehicle registration laws (in other words no MOT, insurance or tax requirements). Potential uses include postal delivery services, city cleaning divisions, large industrial site transport and tourist applications.
Of course, practical use of this vehicle is limited to the nearest hydrogen station — but manufacturers are confident such infrastructure will become available once companies latch onto the advantages of fuel cell technology. “Pound for pound, hydrogen-powered fuel cells deliver three times the energy of conventional batteries and unlike petrol motors the only emission is water,” said one representative.
For more information, jump over to the article.
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By Michael d'Estries
March 4, 2008 – 3:47 pm
Increasing their commitment to utilizing alternative forms of energy, Virgin Atlantic announced yesterday that they will be partnering with General Motors to offer complimentary Chevy Equinox hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to first class passengers. Three “green” SUVs will be available for those arriving at Los Angeles International Airport. From the article,
“The program will last for 30 months. Virgin and Chevrolet are studying the possibility to expand this service to New York. Branson stated that this program was one of Virgin’s initiatives to reduce the airline’s carbon footprint. GM’s Larry Burns said that it was a perfect endorsement of GM’s fuel cell technology and ‘an important new avenue for demonstrating the new DNA of the automobile.’”
As we’ve mentioned time and again, hydrogen vehicles are a glimpse of what the future of alternative energy sources might look like. Currently, simply creating hydrogen for cars is an energy-intensive process — coupled with the fact that the infrastructure for such an industry will be expensive and daunting. Still, if cleaner methods of production can be found — and Big Oil doesn’t find a way to kill it — we may yet see a hydrogen economy in our lifetimes.
via autobloggreen
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By Michael d'Estries
February 27, 2008 – 11:34 am
The commercialization of small fuel cell chargers is proceeding rapidly, with the first portable units potentially hitting stores as early as next year. One of the companies on the forefront of fuel cell development (they recently signed a deal with Duracell) is MTI Micro. Their Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC) will be shown this week at the Fuel Cell Expo in Japan. The biggest benefit of DMFCs is that they keep portable electronics products running for longer than conventional batteries and make recharging much easier. From the article,
“DMFCs produce electricity from a reaction between methanol, water and air. The only by-products of the reaction are a small amount of water vapor and carbon dioxide, so the fuel cells are typically seen as a much greener form of energy than traditional batteries. A big advantage of DMFCs is that they can be replenished with a new cartridge of methanol in seconds. The cell-phone DMFC prototype takes advantage of this quick replenish and potentially offers an immediate recharge when the battery dies, while the camera DMFC provides twice the energy of a Lithium Ion battery-based grip.”
Before the cell phone unit hits, MTI is planning to release a DMFC-based charger. Equipped with a usb input, this device would be able to recharge a cell phone about eight to 10 times. A replacement methanol cartridge would give you another month. Obviously, for road warriors or people out in the field, the advantages of having such a power source would be enormous. MTI expects these chargers to be available in early 2009.
Check out the article for more details.
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