Hydrogen fueling slower than Tesla EV supercharger (fuel cell electric)

What's the reason? Should I infer something (politics) has allowed less-than-ready-for-prime-time vendors to take their shot at H2 refueling?

 

If this is typical daily driving, you most likely wouldn't have wasted any time in the Tesla as it would have charged up at home while you were sleeping.

How's the FE in your new fuel cell?

 

I thought they were built by private companies, with funding from the government. Perhaps when the other one near you is back up it will work better?
Any idea how recently the one you are using was built?

Early in any new technology there will be stumbles. Hopefully it will be ironed out quickly for you.

 

Sounds like an older station. One from before 10k psi fuel tanks were available, and it can only fill to 7k or 8k psi of the previous standard. Plus, if it is compressing the gas while filling the tank, the gas could be going in hot. Once cooled back to ambient, the tank won't be as filled as when topped off.

Hydrogen advocates like presenting refueling will be as quick as filling up with gasoline or diesel. This glosses over the realities of handling high pressure gases. In a gasoline station, a pump moves the fuel from the station tank to a car's. The flow rate might slow if the station gets really busy or the fluid level gets low in the station tank, but it will keep the gas flowing. The only time it can't fill a car is if the pump isn't working or the atation is out of gas.

With gas gases, the pump isn't pulling the fuel out of the storage tank, but compressing it into it. It is just like an air compressor for pneumatic tools. A pump fills a tank with enough air to produce a high pressure. When a valve is opened, the high pressure air rushes out, spinning a turbine to power a toll or to fill a tire. The pump turns on to keep air compressed in the tank to maintain a high pressure differential with the environment outside. If the pump can't keep the pressure up because there is too air being drawn out or the tank is too small, the compressor won't be able to power tools, and you will have to wait for the tank to fill back up.

It is the same with hydrogen or CNG. When the storage tank of pressurized fuel runs low, the compressor needs to recharge it by pumping in more gas. Hydrogen stations have a car per day rating dictated by the compressor system and pressurized tank size because of the systems nature of emptying and repressurizing. If the cars come in to refuel evenly spaced out over a day, there should be no problem. If the cars come in bunch and drain the tank, the next person may have to wait for the system to reach a minimum pressure. The filling process will be slower, and likely won't completely fill the car's tank, because the pressure differential between the station and car tank isn't high enough.

In short, a gasoline station can keep refilling cars at a quick rate as long as fuel is kept in its tank. Refueling with hydrogen can be as short as refueling with gasoline, if the station's system doesn't get overwhelmed. It is a bottleneck independent of the hydrogen supply at the station.

 

Which is, of course, what happens in the real world with gasoline stations and ICE cars.

 

+1 on this question.

Going from your earlier post, you have the Mercedes B-class? Didn't realize those were available already.

Can you share what H2 stations you're using? Was the other gal trying to fuel up also driving a B-class or the Hyundai? Or something else?

 

Pics or it didn't happen.

 

I meant pics of the FCV ride

 

Yes we need pics of this FCV car otherwise we are skeptics.
I assume you mean MPGh miles per equiv. gallon H2 ...impressive though (assuming I am not taking the bait hook line and sinker).

 

That does not mean he can't borrow someone else's picture and claim it was his like some of his 100 mpg trips he claimed at InsightCentral.net.

I mean, isn't it incredible with his accounts of this FCV, yet he complains about price on other vehicles, no hypermiling articles on his Insight or Prius, nobody has met him at a meetup?

A fiction section needs to be set up and send this and Troy Heagy's other threads there.

 

Yes we need to see pic with sign in the window "Troy's H2 FCV for the Doubting Thomas's"

 

I'll take you up on that offer. I'm not a disbeliever, I just really want to see one in action with my own two eyes lol. We could meet at that Costco and you could show me how you fill it up at the UCI station. Then I'll report back for everyone to hear.

I've seen three FCVs in the wild: a Mercedes on the 405, the GM one twice in the past month on the 405, and most recently today the Toyota highlander getting off the 91 in front of me.

 

Overall form factor reminds me on my CMax. Are you going to leave the "F-Cell" stickers on? Early Volts had a similar but larger "Volt" on them too.

 

...looks real to me...you know our motto here at PriusChat: Pics or it Didn't Happen
OK Troy has uploaded pics...nice car white HOV stickers...CA Tags
I already "liked" Troy's orig post when he said he bought it on another thread, so I've committed 2 likes on this vechile already...