Best bet for H2 fuel comes from son of Texas Oilman?

I don't know whatever other legacy the bush administration will have- But if this son of texas Oilman who also himself worked for a Oil comnpany can pull off a H2 ecconomy...

oh well...

here's the speech-

2:41 P.M. PDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Mr. Secretary. I'm really pleased to have Norman Mineta in my Cabinet. He is a really good guy. And I thank you for your service, friend, and thank you for being here to share in this testimony to what technology is going to do for our country to make it a better place for all of us to live.

First of all, happy Earth Day to you. It's a good place to spend Earth Day, here in California. I got to spend the first part of my day riding a mountain bike in Napa Valley -- it's a good place to ride. (Laughter.) A little hillier than I would have liked. (Laughter.) But it's a spectacular way to commune with nature. And I really appreciate you coming. I want all of us to understand that we have a serious responsibility to be good stewards of our land. And this is a day we unite together to recommit ourselves to be good stewards of our land.

I appreciate the good stewardship -- commitment to good stewardship at the heart of the California Fuel Cell Partnership. I bet a lot of our citizens don't understand what goes on here. This is a really interesting collaborative effort between automakers and energy companies and fuel cell technology companies and state and federal agencies, all united toward a great mission, which is to make hydrogen-powered automobiles and trucks and buses a reality for American drivers. And that will help us be good stewards of the environment, and that will help us become less dependent on foreign sources of oil.

Today I saw cars and buses that run on hydrogen instead of gasoline, and that emit pure water instead of exhaust fumes. This nation does not have to choose between a strong economy and a clean environment; we can have both at the same time. And investing in new technologies like hydrogen will enable this economy to be strong, people to be able to afford fuel, this country's national security not dependent on parts of the world that are unstable. And technology will once again make this country the leader in the world, and that's what we're here to celebrate.

And I want to thank Catherine Dunwoody, the executive director of the California Fuel Cell Partnership. I appreciate your commitment. You know, you can tell when somebody is pretty enthusiastic about what she's doing, a true believer. And she's a believer because she's not only a person with vision, but she is a practical person. And she has seen firsthand the progress being made.

I want to thank Congressman John Doolittle, and Julie, for being here. And I also want to thank Congressman Dan Lundgren. Thank you all for joining us today. I appreciate your interest. (Applause.)

I want to thank the members and representatives of the California Fuel Cell Partnership. I want to thank the three guys from Ford Motor Company for giving me a tour. One guy was here, he's been 40 years, I think, at Ford? And here he is, describing what it's like to maintain a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. I bet you didn't think you'd be talking about that 10 years ago, 20 years ago, maybe five years ago. Things are changing for the better. And we're here to celebrate this nation's desire to improve the quality of life.

I would like to report to you on Earth Day that America's air is cleaner, our water is purer and the land is better cared for. And that's important for people to know. Over the past five years things have improved with air, land and water. And we're setting tough standards when it comes to air quality. We're implementing clean air rules that will reduce power plant pollution by 70 percent. We've established the first-ever national cap on mercury emissions from power plants, which will result in nearly a 70 percent decrease in those emissions, as well.

Two years ago I announced an important goal, and that is to end the no net loss policy of wetlands in the United States, and increase wetlands in this country. I set a goal to restore, improve and protect at least 3 million acres of wetlands over the next five years. So far we've restored, improved and protected 1.8 million acres of wetlands. We're doing our part with the federal government. We have a responsibility to be good stewards of our air, and our water, and our land.

You know, flying in here, Congressman Lundgren pointed out all the different farms. And I want to thank the farmers and ranchers for being good stewards of the land, as well. They've got a lot at stake when it comes to being mindful of maintaining good land practices. I don't know if you realize this or not, but in the farm bill we signed, and Congress passed, we provide about $40 billion over a 10-year period to encourage our farmers and ranchers to protect wildlife and conserve our natural resources.

Flying over the mountain ranges we saw the forests. In Washington, we passed the Healthy Forest Initiative, which will help us clear out dangerous underbrush that will help reduce the risk of catastrophic fires. We've got some common sense, practical things we're doing in Washington that I think the -- I know the American people expect us to do.

You know, riding my bike today in the park reminded me of how important it is to make sure those parks are maintained and accessible to the American people. After all, it's your park system. We pledged $5 billion -- $4.9 billion over five years to reduce the maintenance backlog in national parks, and we're honoring that commitment.

I'll tell you something I find very interesting. In the 36 years since the first Earth Day, air pollution in America has been reduced by 50 percent -- yet, our economy has tripled in size during that time. And there's one main reason why, and that's because of technology. We're a technologically competent nation. We must always be on the leading edge of research and development in this country if we expect to be good stewards of the environment and make sure our people are able to find good work. That's the challenge.

And so today we're here to honor a group of folks who are employing technology, using new ideas to help change the face of America. And it's important work we're doing here because we've got a real problem when it comes to oil. We're addicted, and it's harmful for the economy, and it's harmful for our national security, and we've got to do something about it in this country.

And so I want to share some ideas with you about what we can and must do. First of all, I understand the folks here, as well as other places in the country, are paying high gas prices. And you are because the primary component of gasoline is crude oil. And we live in a global marketplace, and when the demand for crude oil goes up in China or India, fast-growing economies, if the corresponding supply doesn't meet that demand, the price of gasoline is going to go up here in America. The American people have got to understand what happens elsewhere in the world affects the price of gasoline you pay here.

When that price of gasoline goes up, it hurts working people. It hurts our small businesses. And it's a serious problem we've got to do something about. The federal government has a responsibility, by the way, to make sure there is no such -- there is no price gouging, and we're watching real careful to make sure that people are treated fairly.

We're going to have a tough summer because people are beginning to drive now during tight supply. The Energy Department predicts gas prices are going to go up. Part of the reason, of course, is the escalating price of crude oil. Another reason why is we haven't had any refinery capacity in the United States in a long period of time. When you don't have refining capacity and demand goes up, you're going to see a price increase. And so this country has got to be wise about how we permit refineries, and encourage additional refining capacity, as well as, you know well in this state, we're changing the fuel mixes from MPBE to ethanol.

It was right to get rid of MPBE -- MPBE was polluting water. It's a product that wouldn't bio-degrade. It was a -- it's a terrible pollutant. And we're replacing that with ethanol, but there's a transition period that has to take place. And all these factors remind us that we got to do something about our dependence on oil. That's what the lessons at the pump say today.

I told you about national security. Let me talk a little bit about that. We get a lot of our oil from places that are unstable, and we get our oil sometimes from people that don't particularly care for us. That's what I mean about national security problems. We do not want to be reliant upon unstable parts of the world. We don't want the lives of our people affected because some nation may not like us.

And so here's a strategy to deal with it: One, we're spending a lot of money at the federal level to encourage research and development, with the goal of getting away from oil. Spent $10 billion over the last five years to develop cleaner and cheaper and more reliable energy sources. The goal is, as I mentioned in my State of the Union, to promote hydrogen and hybrid vehicles and ethanol. In other words, what technology will enable us to do is change our driving habits, is to figure out new ways to utilize fuels so that they're not -- so we can get away from oil-based fuels.

I strongly believe hydrogen is the fuel of the future. That's what we're talking about. Hydrogen is used in a fuel cell that can power a car that uses no gasoline, produces no pollution or greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen vehicles can be twice as efficient as gasoline vehicles. Hydrogen can be produced from domestic energy sources, which means it has the potential -- a vast potential -- to dramatically cut our dependence on foreign oil.

Hydrogen is clean; hydrogen is domestically produced; and hydrogen is the wave of the future. And the people here at the California Fuel Cell Partnership understand that.

What's interesting is that they're -- because of this collaborative effort, there are now 100 hydrogen-powered vehicles on California roads. That may not seem a lot to some of you, but what you're witnessing here is the beginning of a major change in the driving habits of the American people. That's what you're seeing. We're in a facility that is just at the beginning stage of some of the most exciting technological changes this country will ever see. Hydrogen cars are being used by companies like UPS, the governments of San Francisco and Los Angeles, UC-Davis and Irvine.

I met the bus man here and -- where is Bus Man -- there he is, yes. He is one enthusiastic guy. (Laughter.) He is -- he truly believes that urban America is going to be transformed in a very positive way because of hydrogen-powered buses. And if you don't believe me, just ask him. (Laughter.)

We saw a fueling station today where vehicles come -- they come to -- they drive in here to get hydrogen. About 6,000 automobiles have been fueled at this station since it's been up and running. I appreciate Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's declaration that California plans to build a hydrogen highway. Of all the states in the United States that has been on the leading edge of technological change -- has been California. That's a positive declaration on his part. Basically what he's saying is, we want California to continue to lead this country when it comes to innovative change. And we support him.

I believe that today's children will one day take a driver's test in a hydrogen-powered, pollution-free car. That's the goal of the United States. And it's a big goal, but it's an attainable goal. All you got to do is look at the progress that has been made thus far. In 2003, I pledged that we would spend $1.2 billion over five years for hydrogen research and development, and we're on track to meet that goal.

One of the reasons I have come here is because I want the American people to understand that their tax dollars are yielding important results, that we are making progress, that the idea of having a hydrogen-powered automobile is not a foolish dream. It's a reality that is going to come to be. The funding is getting results. Since 2003, researchers have used federal funding to double the lifetime of the hydrogen fuel cell stacks that power cars. In order for this to work there has to be longevity -- you just can't be changing your fuel cell stacks all the time. There has to be durability in order for this to be a product that people will want to buy.

We've cut the cost of manufacturing hydrogen fuel cells in half. That's pretty rapid progress when you think the funding started in 2003, and the cost of the fuel cells have been reduced in half. And that is important. In order for this to become a part of life, these fuel cells have to be affordable. People have got to be able to buy them in order for them to be able to function properly. And we're making progress. We're heading for a hydrocarbon economy -- from a hydrocarbon economy to a hydrogen economy. And that's a very positive development.

There's another positive development taking place in America today, and that's the advent of the hybrid vehicle. And it's a good way to reduce our oil consumption right now. Hybrid vehicles have both a gasoline-powered engine and an electric battery, and they travel about twice as far on a gallon of fuel as gasoline-only vehicles. We can affect our dependence on oil by encouraging people to purchase hybrid vehicles. And that's why the federal government passed a law that says you get a tax credit of up to $3,400 for a hybrid vehicle purchase. In other words, we're trying to make it worthwhile for you to go out and purchase a hybrid vehicle through the use of a tax credit.

What's really going to be interesting, however, is what's called plug-in hybrid vehicles. And we're spending $31 million annually to speed up research into these battery technologies. And what this means is, is that we're trying to develop a battery that will power your vehicle, where you plug it in at night and you drive the first 40 miles on electricity alone. Now, think about what that means for big cities. A lot of people don't drive more than 40 miles a day in big cities. So all of a sudden you've now -- we're developing a technology that says you'll drive by the use of electricity, and you won't use gasoline at all.

And one way to affect consumption is to speed up the development of these plug-in hybrids, and we're doing just that at the federal level. It's a promising technology that will help people change the way they drive. It'll be a transition to the hydrogen fuel cell batteries.

Finally, I want to talk a little bit about ethanol. I'm a big proponent of ethanol. I like the idea of America's farmers being able to grow fuel. I like the idea of people saying, my corn crop is up and, therefore, we're less dependent on oil from somewhere. And that's what we're beginning to do. We're beginning to change driving habits of the American people by changing the fuel mix in their cars. Any vehicle can use ethanol with a concentration of less than 10 percent. With minor modifications, cars and trucks can become what's called flex-fuel vehicles that run on a fuel blend called E-85, which is a mix of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

And there are a lot of E-85 fueling stations now, particularly in the Midwest where they grow a lot of corn. But the idea is to be able to use your money to figure out how to use other materials to be able to manufacture ethanol. And we're close to some interesting breakthroughs; we're close to breakthroughs to be able to make ethanol from wood chips and stalks and switch grass, and other natural materials. And it makes a lot of sense if we're trying to get off oil, and it makes sense to use taxpayers' money to research ways to use switch grass, for example, to become a fuel for your automobile. I think it does.

Catherine reminded me, however, in my discussions with her that switch grass can also be used to manufacture hydrogen. She wanted me to make sure -- (laughter) -- that in my description of what is possible in the United States that we -- make sure one technology does not pirate money for another technology. And it's not going to happen. What's going to happen is we'll have research on all fronts to achieve a grand national objective. And there's no doubt in my mind we'll be able to achieve this objective.

We've done a lot of things in this country in the past. We've changed ways of life in -- to make life qualitatively better for American people because we're innovators and we're thinkers, and we get things done. And on this Earth Day, what I wanted to come to California to say is, we're in the process of dreaming big dreams for the American people, but dreams that will be accomplished. We can't lose our nerve. We shouldn't lose our vision. We should remember where we've been and where we're going. And we're going to a day, and no doubt in my mind, where the United States of America will not be dependent on oil, will be good stewards of the environment, which will benefit the quality of life of the American people.

Thank you for letting me come by to talk to you. God bless. (Applause.)

END 3:03 P.M. PDT

A interesint alternative to Diesel Buesses

Reposted - from : http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/12/fuelcell_bus_wo.html

Fuel-Cell Bus Workshop Focuses on Data Sharing, Commercial Viability and Infrastructure

DaimlerChrysler has the most fuel-cell buses in service: 36 Citaro units

As the Electric Drive Transportation Association Conference and Exposition was gearing up to open today in Vancouver’s Harborside Convention Center, the smaller—but no less important—3rd International Fuel-Cell Bus Workshop was winding down in the same venue.

About 65 industry leaders, government officials, and fuel-cell engineers had convened from around the world to review the state of the fuel cell bus today, and to work on three core issues: data sharing, commercial feasibility, and hydrogen infrastructure.

Hydrogen fuel-cell buses have begun to mature beyond simple demonstration projects, and are currently deployed on five continents, carrying more than ten thousand passengers per day along regular transit routes.

Worldwide, operational fuel cell buses include:

• 33 DaimlerChrysler Citaro buses, three of each which have been distributed to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Perth (Australia), Porto (Portugal), Reykjavik (Iceland), Stockholm, and Stuttgart, as part of the CUTE (Clean Urban Transport for Europe) program. Three additional Citaro fuel cell buses that will be operated by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) prior to and during the 2008 Olympics. (Earlier post.)

• Fuel cell buses operated by three public transit agencies in California: Oakland’s AC Transit, the Santa Clara Transit Authority, and Sunline Transit in Palm Desert. (Earlier post.) The California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) has set a fuel cell bus target of two times conventional cost per bus with a six-year fuel cell stack life by 2010 to 2015.

• A fuel cell bus operated by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe in Berlin, which uses fueling stations built by energy companies Hydro, Linde, Aral, and TOTAL as part of Berlin’s Clean Energy Partnership project.

• A New Flyer fuel cell hybrid bus in New Flyer’s hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, using a Hydrogenics fuel cell stack and Maxwell ultracapacitors, all integrated by ISE. (Earlier post.)

• Eight Toyota/Hino fuel cell hybrid buses, which were used as shuttles during the 2005 Aichi World Exposition. (Earlier post.)

The layout of the New Flyer fuel cell-ultracapacitor hybrid bus. Click to enlarge.

In addition, British Columbia’s state-owned BC Transit intends to put 20 hydrogen fuel-cell buses into service throughout the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) in time for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

BC Transit does not view this as a demonstration project, but expects to run these buses well after the Olympics have ended. As Ron Harmer, Vice President of Technical Services for BC Transit remarked, “we keep our buses for twenty years here.”

One of the specifications in the preliminary RFP (Request For Proposals) is that all fuel cell buses be ready for retrofitting with commercially available conventional powertrains should the fuel cell systems prematurely fail. Five bus manufacturers and four hydrogen infrastructure suppliers responded to the first RFP in August. Funding for the project is due to be approved in March 2006, after which a second RFP will be issued. BC Transit will then select one bus and one fueling supplier by June 2006.

Whistler, a well-known ski resort north of Vancouver, has adopted aggressive sustainability issues that touch almost every aspect of community life, and is hosting all Nordic Olympic events in 2010.

The BC Hydrogen Highway

BC Transit is also developing its own Whistler-to-Victoria Hydrogen Highway project, one that could conceivably lengthen to connect with California’s own Hydrogen Highway, creating a “BC to BC”—Baja California to British Columbia—hydrogen corridor.

One potential hydrogen fueling station would use waste hydrogen from a Vancouver sodium chlorate plant, which currently releases enough hydrogen into the atmosphere to fuel 20,000 fuel cell cars per year, according to BC Transit. (Earlier post.)

Conference participants explored the complex but crucial issue of data sharing. With limited funding available for fuel cell bus projects, co-operation is necessary to avoid duplication of research.

As many projects are at least partially funded by the public, project managers are somewhat obliged to be transparent with as much data as the public requires. However, many research partners are also competitors with one another, and “fast followers”—companies that have not participated in the research—could well leapfrog project partners if too much proprietary information is shared and made public.

The conference also focused heavily on hydrogen fueling infrastructure roadblocks. Most of today’s hydrogen fueling stations can handle no more than a few vehicles per day—a refueling station for more than ten 40-foot buses, in the words of one official, “is a huge undertaking” with today’s technology. The scope of demonstration projects is often limited by the reliability of refueling facilities as well as availability of fuel.

Hydrogen fueling sources range from wind or solar electrolysis to steam reformation to just plain trucking the hydrogen to the station, which must then fuel prototype vehicles, rather than production machinery. As one engineer explained, “Today we build a refueling station, and by refueling prototypes, we learn how each vehicle’s compressor works—but by then, it’s too late” to avoid performance problems.

Fuel purity, which directly affects fuel cell stack life, remains a problem, as it cannot be measured during the fueling process. Engineers at the conference appeared to be moving away from the oft-quoted hydrogen purity ideal of “six nines”—99.9999%—in favor of specific purity levels for each fuel contaminant.

Although most of today’s fuel cell buses simply transmit electrical current from the fuel cell system to the vehicle”s electric drive, almost all key vehicle and component manufacturers agree that the next generation of fuel cell buses will be fuel-cell hybrids, which add a high-voltage battery pack or capacitor bank to capture, store, and release energy during vehicle operation.

It can be argued that—for multiple reasons—fuel cell hybrid buses show greater promise for commercialization in the near future than do light-duty personal fuel cell cars and trucks.

The modern transit bus costs less than a tenth of its fuel cell counterpart. That’s a sobering difference, but not nearly as much as the commonly estimated 100-to-1 difference in cost between a standard automobile and a car powered by a fuel cell.

Public transit also uses centralized fueling with a known level of demand, which makes the fueling infrastructure easier to build, and refueling is carried out by trained personnel rather than the general public.

More design space is available on a full-size (40-foot) bus for hydrogen tanks, and fuel cell buses are more readily accepted in residential areas that are averse to the noise of conventional buses. Finally, public transit already moves people more efficiently than the private auto, and a high-profile fuel cell bus can serve as an effective rolling advertisement for hydrogen fuel cell technology.

—Jack Rosebro

It being Earth Day and all I decided to drift through and find alternative energy ideas for Philippine life.
Hydrogen is probably the easiest thing to produce in a Archepeligo surrounded by water.
And to get around on water most os know who have ventured outside the Capital that the ever reliable "Pump Boat" so called for the gasoline or diesel small engines designed for irigation pumps on farms have been in use for decades.
Now - whats the connection you say?
How about a small engine that could be used for fishermen and farmers and the ever relaible Put-put's that work and toil the fields? No- way you counter? Well I hope Kobota or DA or DTI people read this post.

There is such a engine -

Hydrogen Engine Center Unveils 3-Cylinder, 2.4L Mini Oxx

April 01, 2006

Hydrogen Engine Center (HEC) unveiled its new Mini Oxx three-cylinder 2.4L engine at the Aviation Industry Expo in Las Vegas, Nev. The Mini Oxx is a compact version of HEC’s Oxx Power six-cylinder 4.9L engine—the company’s basic product. (Earlier post.)

HEC is targeting the 65hp (48.5kW) Mini Oxx for applications such as luggage tractors and other airport ground support equipment.

The new three-cylinder engine features interchangeable parts with its six cylinder counterpart.

We wanted the engines to share some of the same components to increase efficiency in production and maintenance. Seventy-two of the 81 parts used in the six cylinder, 4.9L engine are the same for the new three cylinder Mini Oxx and are interchangeable.

—Ted Hollinger, president of HEC

HEC Engines produced at HEC are sold under the Oxx Power brand. In addition to their gasoline engines, HEC developed a family of engines that use fuels such as hydrogen, natural gas, propane, and methane. The engines include the same essential technologies and can be converted to use hydrogen when it is available.

HEC has targeted production of the Mini Oxx to begin in the first quarter of 2007.

So perhaps someone ought to contact these people... hmmm.... a dual use Put-put, farm craft or other thing... the best people who have the imagination for this are in Cebu - the Norkis company and the little mini-cars and mini-jeepneys they have could all be ready to run on hydrogen.

Anyone.... i'm already on the Phone to buy stock!

More on the mis-named watercar- H2car

Looking further into the issue of Mr. Dingels water car- the problem he seems to have had is not explaining the process -
A presentation of his vehicle a few years back at the DOST - he came- showed his car and didn't go into the scientific aspects of what his car runs on.
a review by a panel showed and explaimed it further.
"Daniel Dingel car uses the process of electrolysis. In electrolysis, electric current is passed through an electrolyte which splits the water into oxygen and hydrogen."

more detail:

"The important thing to note about this is that, it is not water, per see, that makes the vehicle run. It is the hydrogen, the lightest known element on earth that burns like a LPG and gasoline, that makes the car run. Hydrogen can be extracted from water. Hydrogen can be produce by splitting water (H20) into hydrogen and oxygen. That is, one water molecule can produce two hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom.

This is what supposedly happening inside the engine of Daniel Dingel's car and any water fueled vehicles, a water inside the tank is splitted into oxygen and hydrogen, then the hydrogen will be feed to the engine, just like a gasoline and the engine will burn the hydrogen to run the vehicle. The exhaust of the vehicle powered by hydrogen is purely water vapor, so it is clean."

The problem with the concept is the name- Water Car- it isn't- it runs on hydrogen - spliting water into two parts and leaving behind a trail of water vapor. A simple device can do this- problem is why has it not been done before?

Well it has... H2 cars abound in design and theory- the problem is what happens when people start using water instead of Oil.

The major Oil companies will collapse!!! Gas stations - would have to become water stations... a entire global economy built and maintained on the process of Oil extraction would fall aside into the way of say the horse and buggy industry.

So if indeed nothing more is needed than a small device to split water into Hydrogen and oxygen - and standard internal combustion engines are used - why isn't there a push from major car manufactures to do this? Why the need for furl cells rather than good old cyslnders piston power? to keep the infrastructure of fuel in place.

Perhaps somewhere --- sputtering along in a watercar - some inventor like Mr. Dingel is out there working on something like this.... Perhaps Ford or Chrysler or GM or Toyota or Mitsu can do the world a favor and save the global warming trend from getting worse by developing a safe and sure method for this technology.

Perhaps one city or town or province - can seriously look into this- if like below students could develop a pick-up truck in Arizona (see earlier post in full here - below)

skeptic's write after the DOST presentation - -
" It is important to note that in the process of splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen using electrolysis, the input energy required to split oxygen and hydrogen is exactly equal (assuming ideal reaction, usually it is greater than) to the energy given off in the reaction (burning of hydrogen) of combining hydrogen and oxygen to produce water, which is what is happening inside the engine when the hydrogen is burned to run the vehicle. In the case of Dingel's invention, he uses a DC battery for the electrolysis. So, in short, it is like the DC battery that runs the car, which is pretty much impossible because the energy stored in the DC battery is so small to run a car, like what Dingel showed. This is the point of discussion, how did Daniel Dingel do that? If he only uses the process of electrolysis to split the oxygen and hydrogen to run the vehicle,"

BUT - in the Arizona test... Hydrogen is produced from four Solar panels - and a combination solar power electrosis machine - the skeptics instead of looking at- new technology in light of possiblilites seem to be trapped in the box that see the process without looking at the overall impact of it. - perhaps more open minds can work more on developing and delivering a better message... Can you imagine the frustration this man is going through?

Oh well.... Science often ignores the innovators preferring the path already established... Computer technology improvements have shown this with new innovation every week.

Someday when a Chinese made watercar rolls past the DOST offices I wonder if anyone will remember that as far back as 1980.... a little red Toyota did it first... Driven by a man who perhaps may not have explained it properly. So sad...

H2 cars - Dingel was right

Mr. Dingel where are you?

For many years people in this country ridiculed the Dingel car- a water powered car that esentailly took a internal combustion engine and fiulled with water ran on the process of taking hydrogen from water through electrosis-change and burning the hydrogen in a normal car engine.

Problems persisted with the design and a lack of support for it - led the topic to come up only whenever the price of gasoline became - to costly... it's $3.00 a gallon at last check...

Now some history for those who still think the water car is dream.

" German inventor Rudolf Erren was among the first to study the use of hydrogen in combustion engines in the 1920s. He developed a successful method of conversion and built what is remembered as the Erren engine. It was said he put that engine into an estimated 2,000-3000 cars, busses and trucks. "

High school students in a simple High School science project ran a pickup truck - on water... which is H2O... explained.

"The easiest place to get hydrogen was by using electrolysis to split water. With the help of an alkali like potassium hydroxide, a current is passed through the water to generate bubbles of hydrogen that collects at the cathode, and the oxygen gathers at the anode. A simple generator running off the engine and/or a few solar panels like the ones used on their pickup might be enough to power the electrolysis device, or hydrogen generator."


Now buses- in Oakland, Los Angeles, and, many parts of the EU run on fuel cell powered hydrogen.

SOURCE: http://www.hydropole.ch/Hydropole/Intro/H2Transport.htm

The European Commission is allocating € 18.5 million to the CUTE (Clean Urban Transport for Europe) demonstration project in the 5^th European framwork program (1998 - 2002) to support 9 European cities in introducing hydrogen into their public transport system : Amsterdam (Netherlands), Barcelona (Spain), Hamburg (Germany), London (United Kingdom), Luxembourg, Madrid (Spain), Porto (Portugal), Stockholm (Sweden) and Stuttgart (Germany).
These cities want to demonstrate that hydrogen is an efficient and environmentally friendly power source for the future of their cities. Twenty seven fuel-cell powered buses, running on locally produced and refilled hydrogen, should prove that zero emission public transport is possible today when ambitious political will and innovative technology are combined.
In 1998 a bus based on the low-floor "Citaro" with a passenger capacity of 70 equiped with a 250 kW fuel cell on the roof in the center and the main electric motor is in the back was manufactured by Daimler-Chrysler. The compressed hydrogen is stored on the roof over the front axle in eight gas tanks with a total volume of 1845 l hydrogen at 350 bar. The range of the bus is 200 km and the top speed 80 km/h. The price tag of about € 1.2 million, including two years of comprehensive technical, consulting and on-the-top maintainance.
This hydrogen/fuel cell bus project is the first project world-wide which addresses at the same time the production of hydrogen, the hydrogen refilling in city centres and the operational use in commercial public transport systems. These buses are operated like conventional buses, on the same lines and under the same tight time schedule for best comparative assessment of performance and costs. CUTE Project Fuel Cell Bus Club

New Tech... Oil and Water

Technology is to some a major crisis in their lives- they worry about will they be able to cope and not be swept away by new gear, trends, or work patterns that are changed- removed - or restructured in the ever changing face to technological sweeps of new taking over from old and making the relatively new - suddenly old.

Here I intend to look at those changes and patterns and from time to time update my own little note-blog of what I know to I hope provide a search path for those still seeking to find out where and what the heck is going on in the ever changing ever ever-evolving word to Tech where the only thing indeed constant is CHANGE!!!

So whets Hot this week?

A New personal transport concept from BMW -

This Ride is everything your five year olds tricycle is not.
It also uses new fuel cell technology - meaning hydrogen
not gas in your tank.

Some theorize the only delay in the implementation of a hydrogen based economy is that huge multinational Oil and Energy companies do not want people to know that once fuel cell
vehicles come into mainstream or hydrogen based internal combustion engines. Then those intrepid enough cold make fuel out of Water - which is afterall two part hydrogen !!! No big secret there - But perhaps the biggest one is how slow the effort is to seek the changes to make Hydrogen power more seen as a alternative to Fossil fuel - there is one problem though - making Hydrogen from is easy the consistency and capability and technology to do this has been around for more than 100 years.

If anyone ever heard of the Zeppelin Aircraft of WW I - yes 1914 - era Europe - they ran on Diesel engines that used fuel injection and Hydrogen gas as power source.

If you don't believe me - search it - look it up - its there in the old Zepelin designs and now those patents are open - since they have gone beyond normal patent periods . Anyone could in theory build a diesel engine that ran on Hydrogen - why isn't anyone?

Good Question - but another factor exists for people to consider- once Hydrogen is used more and more would the worlds oceans - the most likely source of the Water for fuel be endangered?
That is an issue as to why Fuel cells are being pushed more than internal combustion engines for Hydrogen fuel I am told. In theory - if the world were suddenly shift - to this other source of fuel - one will wonder what the middle east will do... Water is a bit of problem in a land of Sand but then they will still have all that oil.

More to follow....