Odds & Ends And All Things That Don't Fit Anything Else

[Ty]

The process to extract hydrogen from air is too cumbersome, heavy, and has too low of energy per pound to make it worth having in vehicles. Plus, it has to be generated by some force which is usually electric which is generated the same way it is for electric vehicles. I really think that when solid state batteries become the norm, everything will convert to that faster than you'll believe. Tesla is already claiming 600+ miles per charge with their new roadster... That would be about 1,200 miles per charge with solid state batteries and those don't have much in the way of limitations on how fast they can be charged but it looks like it will be faster than actually fueling up a regular car.

 

[RSchneider]

I'd say that with hydrogen, the reality of it without having to use natural gas to get it is probably going to be beyond my lifetime. It's a monumental task to get it from air on the scale of the size of a car and what it consumes. What Air Products was doing was to show you could take a regular ICE and make it run on Hydrogen. Then mainstream the filling process. Those two have been done. Then the Hydrogen fuel cell is probably something that could be much better in about 10 years. It still comes down to making it something the consumer can use and at a price of existing technology. On the other hand, EV's were a joke 10 years ago, now they are not. I can see where Hydrogen could easily be a viable fuel source in 10 years too. It's because technology runs at a pretty good clip today. This is why I feel that we are living through a golden age of technology advancement.

 

[mkiker2089]

Hydrogen is usually taken from water last time I checked, but yes it is too costly. I also think living near a producer of it has altered your view. No one ever planned on using hydrogen to power vehicles. The big two (Toyota and GM) used it to persuade the US to loosen emmision standards when the government was pushing electric on them in the 80s. I don'
t like politically biased documentaries but that is one are that "Who Killed the Electric Car" got right. The investments are really just another form of lobbying.

We are also skating past one big question, what form of hydrogen power are you talking about? Some want to "burn" hydrogen much like propane or any other combustible fuel. That idea was pretty much thrown out for obvious reasons. The second uses the hydrogen to generate electricity which then powers an otherwise standard electric car. The problem with that one is that it takes more energy to harness hydrogen than it gives back. It's a net loss. That could possibly be offset with solar power and future improvements but it won't be. Battery technology has already surpassed it.

Think of it like this. Hydrogen = fluorescent but Electric = LED Hydrogen is near the extent of where it can go and has already been surpassed.

edit- I'm not up on ULEV history but I remember Honda has a few hair brained schemes ready long ago as well. My memory is getting bad though. I still remember when people assumed climate change was impossible.

 

[Coss]

I brought up Hydrogen, here's a drawback:
https://autoweek.com/article/green-...mpaign=20190613&utm_content=article4-readmore

But the comments after it crack me up, and how quick people are to condemn it.
That is until you get to the end of the comments, and the story changes.

 

[mkiker2089]

I've never really questioned the safety of hydrogen. All that stuff will be worked out before the lawyers let it go through. I question the viability. Gas took over because people were willing to wait for the infrastructure. If electricity had been more prevalent and battery technology better then maybe electric would have won. I don't think so because the technology of the time but anyway...

Hydrogen would need a massive infrastructure built. Electricity is already in our homes and it's simple to get a plug installed in the garage that can charge a car, assuming you don't have one already. Gas is here, electric is coming. Hydrogen is just not going to be viable. Now maybe in the distant future it may have a home in power plants, space travel, who knows. It just isn't coming to cars in our lifetime.

 

[NSTG8R]

Had a great Father's Day! Took a drive up to Indianapolis and traded my 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe for this beauty! It's a 2005 Cadillac XLR with 8400 original miles on it. Pretty much a Corvette chassis with a Cadillac body on it. Thought it was a typo when I first saw the advertisement for it, but sure enough, 8400 miles. Flawless inside and out. Gave $21k plus my CTS. I think I got a pretty good deal.

 

[Ty]

Had a great Father's Day! Took a drive up to Indianapolis and traded my 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe for this beauty! It's a 2005 Cadillac XLR with 8400 original miles on it. Pretty much a Corvette chassis with a Cadillac body on it. Thought it was a typo when I first saw the advertisement for it, but sure enough, 8400 miles. Flawless inside and out. Gave $21k plus my CTS. I think I got a pretty good deal.

View attachment 23540 View attachment 23541

Nice looking ride there, sir.

 

[Coss]

Nice ride, comfy, sporty, and classy.
Nice score!

 

[Made in USA]

Change of subject. Been reading a book about the 1876 Centennial Exhibition. All I can say is that it was absolutely amazing. It was one of the first "Worlds Fair" held in the United States. It was celebrating 100 years as a country. (Note: The 250th is going to be in 2026).

One thing mentioned by French visitors in the furniture section of the exhibition was that the Americans were using specialized machinery to manufacture chairs with a quality level on par with the French. The machinery at one maker is reportedly able to produce 65 dozen chairs a day. That's 3900 a week. After five years it's close to one million. Now that doesn't mean they actually made that many, but still, it's quite an accomplishment. The main exhibit hall (under 20 acres of roof) had (at the time) the largest steam engine ever built. It weighed 700 tons, had 30 foot flywheels, and ran eight line shafts that were mounted under the floor. It ran silently as the steam plant was in another building. The engine, a Corliss, ran all the exhibits in the main hall. They estimate that over twenty million visitors toured the 285 acres of buildings and displays.

Wonder what the United States will do to celebrate the 250th anniversary.

 

[Made in USA]

Interesting article about a new battery using lithium-sulfur. Has the potential to store six times more than current lithium-ion batteries. Looking to produce sometime this year.

https://www.designnews.com/electron...-tested-australian-scientists/121985067862309