Is This A Game Changer?

[bust]

 

Toyota Ushers in the Future with Launch of

'Mirai'^*1 Fuel Cell Sedan

 

Sales will begin in Japan on December 15, 2014, in areas where hydrogen stations are in place^*2. Preparations are underway to put the Mirai on sale in the U.S. in autumn, and in Europe in September 2015.

^*1 Japanese for future.

^*2 According to the Next Generation Vehicle Promotion Center, the following areas are participating in the primary and secondary hydrogen supply facilities infrastructure assistance program in FY2013 and FY2014 (as of June 30, 2014): Saitama Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yamanashi Prefecture, Aichi Prefecture, Shiga Prefecture, Osaka, Hyogo Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture and Fukuoka Prefecture.

 

http://www.toyota-global.com/innovation/environmental_technology/fuelcell_vehicle/

[pasathai1]

soon after the safety recalls will be issued

[Flashermac]

Nice and flammable.

 

How about one of these?

 

 

[JaiRai]

Toyota running on a hydrogen fuel cell is actually pretty damn impressive.

 

The engineering that went into this... fucking beautiful. Here's fingers crossed hoping this isn't a one-off and is able to thrive.

[Specialist]

No.

 

Hydrogen is not a fuel, in the conventional sense. It is a battery. There are no hydrogen wells. You either manufacture it by reforming natural gas (expensive!) or by electrolysis from water (FIENDISHLY expensive!)

 

Hydrogen has nowhere near the energy per unit weight or unit volume of gasoline or natural gas, and is a LOT harder to handle than either of them. (Cryogenic liquid, very hard on materials: Google "hydrogen embrittlement", I think.)

 

[JaiRai]

All that is true sir, hence the engineering genius in overcoming the obstacles. They've been plugging away on hydrogen fuel cells since I was at Uni in the 90s and have come a long way. Gas combustion engines were also fraught with problems (not to mention some of the solutions - eg 'leaded' gas).

 

Future will tell. Maybe another dead end on the scrap heap of history - but I hope not.

[Coss]

When I was 17 I thought something like this might work:

 

Your car

- has a tank of water with minute amount of additives to make electrolysis more efficient (can't remember if this is acid or alkali, could be a simple as salt).

- has solar cels on every horizontal surface.

- uses said electricity to split the water into Hydrogen and Oxygen.

- has a number of very small gas pumps that compress the gases into storage cylinders like Aqualung cylinders. (The reason the pumps are small is that the electricity to drive them comes from the solar cells and it's easier to push smaller quantities of gas into the storage cylinders. Many of these would make the work easier over time.

- the stored Hydrogen and Oxygen would be utilised in an engine of some sort, piston, turbine, what ever works best.

 

Ergo - park car outside - fill with water - no pollution.

 

Back then they all said I was dreaming, now I feel that technology is getting to a level that this is feasible.

 

Comments?