Anybody have any experience ?

I believe this is one of the big hopes for the future of transport ,
so long as they can produce hydrogen fuel economically ,
without adversely affecting other production.

I've been watching and waiting since it became known , or at least claimed they have solved the production problems.

Hydrogen was always one of the ultimate power sources , if we could produce it economically.

Trouble was , in the past ,
it took more energy to produce than it delivered.

There is no shortage of hydrogen on the planet ,
and if you burn hydrogen , H , with oxygen , 0 (air)
what you get left with is
basically H²O.

It's a no brainer.
Combut hydrogen in an internal combustion engine , and water/water vapour comes out the exhaust ,
to go back into the natural supply chain.

Win win.

 

Hydrogen cars are a nice idea but not cost effective.

 

Sure, Exxon will get right on that.

 

We now know there are a few hydrogen vehicles here in NZ .

and two of our more progressive private companies have joined forces to build a supply network ,
starting with concentrating on heavy vehicles , busses and trucks ,
which makes sense.

They use the most fuel and produce a big proportion of emissions ,
and most travel the same main routes.

Therefore , a few hydrogen stations on those routes can supply a big number of big users ,
espescially since a fill of hydrogen is good for a reasonably long haul .
Therefore , fueling stations can be up to 5 to 600 km apart , to get an economical start ,
and ,
they don't need to be in expensive and restrictive city centers initially.

Then of course , HF cars and taxis etc close by can also benefit ,
so enabling more stations as vehicles arrive.

Producers apparently have assured , "you build a supply network and we'll deliver the vehicles."

I see no reason why they can't very quickly to ,
because it's basically still just an internal combustion engine ,
but with a hydrogen storage fitted on the vehicle , instead of a diesel storage.

 

Hydrogen is the lightest element
and is the most abundant element in the universe


Scientists say that Hydrogen makes up over 90 percent of all the atoms in the universe ,
and is
the only element that can exist without neutrons.
Hydrogen becomes a liquid at very low temperature and high pressure.
Under extremely high pressure it can become a liquid metal ,
and it's thought that metallic hydrogen exists in the cores of gas giants like Jupiter.
Abiut 10 percent of the human body mass is hydrogen.

 

If used in fuel cell electric cars ,
they have several major advantages over battery electric.

1.> fuel cells , unlike batteries , do not wear out (as in do not deteriorate) as batteries do.
No replacement cost , no loss of power or range as the batteries deteriorate
.
2.> Fuel cells are as quick or quicker to fill as petroleum fueled cars ( unlike batteries)

3.>hydrogen fueled vehicles on average already have about a 300 mile range.
(to get that in electric vehicles would require bigger batteries , making them much heavier , and taking even longer to charge , and less efficient)

Of course hydrogen internal combustion vehicles have even more advantages.
No conversion to electric , and associated loss of efficiency also , along with being simpler
(than fuel cell powered) , going back to the fuel directly powering the drive engine.

Hydrogen can also power gas turbines.
don't know about efficiency etc though ,
but might be usefull for bigger emergency backup power generation , and the like.

I wonder long term about boats.

One big plus there , is compared to petroleum engines , being lighter than air , any leak rises out of the boat , instead of going down and filling it with an explosive mixture quit quickly.

I've seen what happens when a forty footer got a bit of fuel gas in the builges , and a stray spark ignites it.
Also a trailer boat as being trailered on the beach. Not much left .
Not pretty , and a constant threat.

 

I have a interest in this and when I looked into it a few years ago there were a few problems that needed to be over come..
Cost of hydrogen.
The safety of it in an accident.
The wear and tear on the internal combustion engine parts.
If they have over come all these problems then it's the way of the future for sure.
I stand under correction but I believe bmw built a hydrogen 7 series in the early 2000s.

 

Well maybe NZ and/or other countries can be the model of success that inspires other nations to push the development and use of hydrogen fueled vehicles. I still question whether profit margins will inspire wide spread effort in this endeavor.

 

As soon as someone can perfect the safety of the fuel cell then we'll see more and more coming in. I think the main problem is extremes of temperature. I understand the concerns. There would be a lot of mobile hydrogen bombs driving around.

 

I don't think profit margins will be good for a while , but those who get in in the ground floor ,
will be the ones to reep the benefits.

Also the, with the current mood to get rid of , and or severely limit the use of petroleum in so many countries ,
time is relatively short to get in on alternatives.

It's a bit like , there's one boat ahead.
You catch it , or wait for the next one sometime , maybe.

Hydrogen is not like petroleum.
You can't just buy a common or garden tanker ,
and join the club.

Everything is very specialised ,
and needs permits for everything ,
so if one outfit gets a head start , and owns the processing/production ,
distribution ,
and a full range of outlets already operating ,
it'll be very hard for anyone to muscle in for quite some time , espescially in a market like here.

Also , being the first , and with a comprehensive network ready made ,
and a long history of successes ,
they will get a lot of help from the government and local authorities here ,
without much objection.
Basically subsidised ,
and if they get it right , probably the only ones to.

Again ,
Win Win

Again , that is a big part of why vehicle producers will bend over backwards to put
Hydrogen wheels on the ground as soon as they're needed.

They know it can be done here , and that it's a perfect country to prove it all in ,
and
that's the way they're going to get things going.

Generally were a long country , with long travel and distribution routes relative to population ,
and big time regular distance travelers generally.
That is lots of us travel lots , and often long distances.
(that's why electric is rather limited here.
You can't just jump in and travel 4-500 miles for a weekend , towing a boat or caravan , without spending a lot of it parked at charging stations.
Not gonna happen , even if you can tow things through and over our hills with them.
You can't anyway yet)
With hydrogen , you could , right from the get go)

Even though retired , I couldn't buy an electric vehicle suitable for here
(and yes there are already charging stations) , which can carry the loads , or tow the loads , or the boat 1 1/2 tons + trailer , and launch and retrieve it ,
if I wanted to.

Basically , here , electric is ideal for city and town shopping carts and commuter travel ,
wher distances are short , and charging time long ,
but outside that , it's mostly a niche market ,
and very limited ,
and then ,
Oh dear , you need new batteries (already happening)

 

HFC vehicles have been operating in California for over 15 years. Several major corporations including GM, Honda, Toyota and Shell, have been working with state and federal governments to build a “hydrogen highway” from Mexico to Canada. Test vehicles are still operating and additional fueling stations are being planned and built.
We discussed this alternate energy idea on the forum back in 2008. One interesting idea came up that is still intriguing, home based HFCs to power the homes electrical needs and recharge electric vehicles.
A little research will show how much technology has been developed in the field.

 

I am hoping this will become widely available before we switch to the requirement for non-gasoline cars.

 

Any regulations are for building new vehicles, not outlawing existing ones, soon the UK could look like Cuba.

 

Sod hydrogen.
With mag lev tech we have achieved hover boards. Sure they cost 250,000 and require a team of technicians to maintain but one day I will be marty mcfly

 

I thought I read about hydrogen power homes many years ago.