Question by Not worth it: Is there a conspiracy concerning Fuel cell cars?
I have read these facts:
Developed for NASA and used since around 1969 for power
0 emissions
renewable energy
Cars have a top speed of 90 MP ( seems fast enough)
Can use to power a whole house
Not really like conventional batteries lasts way longer ( Currently electric cars last over 100,000 miles up to 200,000 miles before new battery)
I’m really confused of
1. Where are they?
2. If the technology worked in 1969 then why in 2012 we do not have Fuel cell cars?
3. Just read where a break through in processing the cells will cut the cost significantly they are making them now but 10 years to market? WHY? http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2012/03/developing-the-next-generation-of-fuel-cells/http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2012/03/developing-the-next-generation-of-fuel-cells/
4. WHat is holding the technology back? ( Oil companies? )
Is there a real conspiracy by interest groups to keep us from this wonderful planet saving technology?
Best answer:
Answer by Bob
1. Where are they?
Honda has one
http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/how-fcx-works.aspx
2. If the technology worked in 1969 then why in 2012 we do not have Fuel cell cars?
Because they cost $ 200,000
3. Just read where a break through in processing the cells will cut the cost significantly they are making them now but 10 years to market? WHY? http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2012/03/deve…
It takes time to get stuff from the lab to market and that is if nothing goes wrong
4. WHat is holding the technology back? ( Oil companies? )
Cost.
The Oil companies do not hold anything back. That is a lie from environmentalist.
But even if you had a fuel cell car you would not have anyplace to fuel it.
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President Bush was fascinated with those cars, and there was money from the Fed to help make them cheaper to develop. When President Obama took office, one of the first things he did was about kill the program. http://www.treehugger.com/cars/obama-kills-hydrogen-car-funding.html
Conspiracy? I am not sure. But I have a great idea that will never be used in our life times. Wind turbines can make power, we know. Using the wind turbines to separate the H out of H2o would mean free hydrogen production while we benefit from the turbines spinning making power we can use right now. (You can’t store wind power yet). Any way, there you go.
Fuel cell cars are still electric cars – they even need batteries, because the fuel cell can’t make the large current spikes needed for acceleration and hill climbing.
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So take an electric car and add a fuel cell and H2 tank. This car is almost certainly going to be more expensive and heavier than a plain battery-only EV.
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So the answer is that electric cars are holding back fuel cell cars. Once we have affordable electric cars, we can start to have affordable fuel cell cars.
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But depending on where the electric car state of the art is by this time, fuel cell cars may not be competitive enough to pursue. That is, if fast charging and long driving ranges become affordable in EVs, this would negate the fuel cell’s advantages.
If you have ever watched cartoons you might see a character jump from a high place and use an umbrella like a parachute. But what looks so simple is rarely so easy when you take a look at the details. Just because a technology is available does not mean that it is practical or economical.
There are 4 major reasons why hydrogen fuel cell electric cars have been repeatedly promised … only 10 years off … for the last 45 years:
– The materials and procedures are expensive. Presently fuel cell electric cars can cost over $ 100,000 with some reports as high as $ 1,000,000 each.
– We would have to build an entirely new infrastructure to supply hydrogen to lots of vehicles. There are other alternatives that are cheaper and more efficient.
– No matter how you work the production, storage and transportation of hydrogen it is cheaper and more efficient to make electricity that can then power a battery electric car more efficiently and cheaply.
– While hydrogen has a very high energy density by weight it is one of the lowest energy densities by volume. Storage of hydrogen both on the vehicle and while waiting for transfer to a vehicle is problematic. Associated with this it hydrogen’s tendency to leak through most materials.
Oil companies would love to see hydrogen fuel cell cars as they would continue to supply most of the fuel. 95% of the industrial hydrogen today is produced from fossil fuels: Hydrogen is essentially a fossil fuel: “…48% of hydrogen production (for industrial processes) is from natural gas, 30% is from oil, 18% is from coal, and 4% is from electrolysis.” http://peswiki.com/index.php/PowerPedia:Hydrogen