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Electricity and Hydrogen Powering Your Automobile |
So you've finally decided to start taking a look at alternative fuel sources in earnest. You have reviewed the Bio-Fuels currently available, E85, M85, Biodesiel. But you yearn for something with a little more pizzaz and class. You want a car that emmits no CO2's so what choices are the automotive guys cooking up for your desires.
The current choice of the masses is a completely electric vehicle. This car is powered by onboard batteries that power it up and give it a smooth running effect. You simply plug it up the night before and you are ready for your morning commute. But that commute better be within 50 miles or you will be walking on your way home as the total range of the vehicle is but approximately 100 miles. A pure electric vehicle is still very heavy and not totally efficient at transferring the power that it has on board to the drivetrain.
The automotive manufacturers have acknowledged this fault with electric vehicles and created hybrid electrics. Currently on the market are several vehicles from Honda, and Toyota. While these are great cars they do not possess that pazaazz that most are looking forward to driving around town. Where do you turn.
The next coming fad by many automanufacturers is the Hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. This fuel produces the perfect by-product in water with no CO2 to harm the environment. The ultimate vehicle will allow you to store the H2O that you are passing as by-products of the reaction and then apply electrolysis to it to convert it back to Hydrogen and Oxygen. You will simply plug up the vehicle and charge it up. So what is the holdup and why don't we have this snazzy vehicle currently on the road.
Hold up number one is that Hydrogen is fairly unstable and has to be stored under extreme pressures. This makes a very large concern for the hydrogen vehicle safety. What happens when the tank is penetrated. The gas under extreme pressures will be a major concern. This concern will be for the occupants and the safety crews that have to extricate individuals from these vehicles in the case of a crash.
Secondly it is hottly contested exactly how the automanufacturers plan to use the energy created by a hydrogen power pack. Do you use it as an internal combustion engine replacement or do you use it as an electrical battery replacement. It will be at least five years before we see the first mass produced hydrogen vehicles on the market.
So if you must purchase the latest and snazziest vehicles. Look for a total electric car for your automotive choice. If you are looking for the practical alternative, buy a Hybrid electric and gas automobile.
Article written by Charles Cater (Technology)
This entry was posted on Friday, April 27th, 2007 and is filed under Hybrid Cars. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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