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Honda debuts mass produced hydrogen car. So what?Fuel cells still seem like a long shot, but the the market will decide the winner.
In comments to the post on the Chevy Volt, someone talked up the Honda Clarity, the world’s first mass-produced hydrogren fuel cell car (or maybe just mass-produceable — they’re only making a few hundred of them). Other commenters correctly pointed out that mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell cars still appear to be no closer to reality than jetpacks or time travel. For the full case against the Clarity, check out Joe Romm’s lengthy take-down. Short version: the car costs over $100,000 and is projected to remain ludicrously expensive for the foreseeable future; electric cars are likely to be more energy-efficient in the long run for fundamental reasons; and good luck finding a hydrogen fueling station within 700 miles of your house. But here’s the thing: it doesn’t really matter what Joe Romm or I or anyone else thinks about any of these technologies. Private companies are pouring a lot of money into these research areas in the hopes of finding a pot of gold, and I wish them all the best of luck. It can be kinda fun to peek over their shoulders and root for one or the other for sentimental reasons. But investing too much personal energy in the matter is probably not a great use of a precious resource. (And rooting against certain companies for their real or perceived sins is doubly senseless.) As long as the playing field is relatively level and the rules understood, you can be certain that someone is going to take the clean energy prize. Of course, the playing field isn’t really completely level, and the rules could use some tweaking. That’s why we tend to focus on the policy stuff on this blog. The Chevy Volt story contains some good human and technological drama, and it takes place on a large enough scale that it could actually make a meaningful dent in the climate change problem. Go read it and get excited about what the future holds. Of course, maybe GM will flop. And maybe the Clarity will be a runaway success, and we’ll all be getting around with mass-produced hydrogen-powered Honda jetpacks in a few year. That’d be awesome, and I’ll be happy to have been proven dismally wrong. Image by Ayumi Nakanishi for The New York Times. Comments
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How about natural gas cars? To build or refit regular gas cars is relatively easy, and quite spread in Europe. Gets better mileage and its cleaner. Wasn't gov Swarzenegger (Ca) proponent of this?
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Fuel cell vehicles are the next big thing in the automotive world. They are going to make stride in the international market very soon.
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I have submitted your article to http://www.autocar-live.com which is a social site where users can submit car/auto articles and vote for already submitted articles. Register and vote for the article to appear on the frontpage at http://www.autocar-live.com/upcoming.php
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I want a Chevy Volt! Where, when, how much?
Thanks for any links you guys.
Now, I gotta go re-charge my jet pack.
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Jim, get an Aptera, www.aptera.com. you'l get it sooner - 2008/9, it has 130 - 300 mpg /official/.
www.greenCar.com/features
www.autoBlogGreen.com
www.hybrid.nexo.com
www.chevy-volt.net
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Petr.Buben
Aptera won't work for me. And by the looks of it won't for most Americans with a family. Although it does look very space agey.
I am hoping the Chevy Volt will be more available than the Prius. But, we will see. Until them we are driving our 1995 Accord and getting a cool 32 mpg! (and only 225,000 miles on the odometer)
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The road to new energy will be a process. The trick is to look at the options, access the possible and plan for the probable. Work back from a hydrogen powered car and ask what has to happen to make it work? Mass production is one step, fuel supply another. How will you make the transition from petro to hydrogen? How long will it take - my guess is at least a decade. A big ship takes a long time to turn.
First step is sequestering CO2 and creating a market that values the stuff. Once pollution has a price, solutions develop in the market place. CO2 is a gas that can be pumped in pipelines, just like Hydrogen. Co2 has current uses and value - for example extracting more oil from existing wells. Once its in the ground where the oil use to be it can't hurt anything. Once pipelines are built, they can be used for a multitude of gasses. Its not an answer, just a starting point.
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read this - supercapacitors. http://www.afstrinity.com/press-release-1-13-08.html
Maybe batteries will NOT be needed that much - Chevy Volt! The immediate mpg answer is the plugin electric vehicle, with cca 50 miles battery pack, supercapacitors for regeneration/storage, and lean superefficient small gas engine generator. Will get around 150+ mpg, in the most clean way, supported by US electricity grid.==== remember - the future is HERE. now. its possible. just DO IT. we need free market. free internet. wake up mammoth GM Ford or you gonna die! any private garage can make these 150+ mpg cars NOW. let them sell.
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