VW says, fuel cells stupid for the next decade.

Seems that it may work for them in Japan.

 

really? under which scenario ... Is this where Japan imports lots of natural gas to make hydrogen ? ... or do you imaginine this happening when Japan builds more nuke reactors to distill hydrogen via electricity.

 

I think carmakers just want to lease a few hundreds in California just like the Honda Clarity.

 

I won't put up with the inconvenience of having to refuel during the day while I have places to go.

 

Well, right now they're importing lots of petroleum, and anything else they need. Natural gas is at least relatively easy to generate renewably (without taking up land) and has consistently been cheaper than crude. So, I wouldn't be surprised if Japan took a view that moving transportation to natural gas (using electric and hydrogen fuel cell) is the way to go to maximize efficiency.

 

This is from before the cracking revolution in the US, so doesn't include H2 production from natural gas

 

DoE Backpedals, Will Fund Slight Hydrogen Fueling Station Expansion

 

Not quite sure what they are thinking either, but Japan imports nat gas via LNG so that is becoming increasingly important.

 

VW said the same thing about Hybrids and is not deperately trying to get into the market.

Hydrogen is the fuel of the future, the fuel of right now had Honda gotten subsidies for full on production of the FCX hydrogen car that it is prototyping in CA.

 

Ah yes ... More subsidies ... if only there were more endless subsidies ... then we could keep the space shuttle too ... maybe build a few more aircraft carriers ... fund another hydro electric dam or two ... Spend a few trillion cleaning up the toxic nuke waste we've created over the past 4 decades ... or? Name your poison. And if it's hydrogen cars? sure why not ... what's another four decades with little to show .... what the heck. You know - I hear mister fusion will be ready in just another 10 years+ too ... just around the corner ... All we need is more money.

 

So what this chart is saying is that if you start with 100 kWh of power and use that in a compressed hydrogen-powered car, that you end up with .95 x .75 x .9 x .8 x .5 x/9 = 23% of the of the original power.

Even assuming 100% efficiencies (unrealistic) from this natural gas production you refer to, one still only ends up with 32.4% of the original energy.

Even liquified or compressed to 10,000 psi hydrogen energy density is still a fraction that of gasoline, so the range with be limited. Hydrogen at 10,000 psi is 121,000 Btu/cu ft v. liquid H2 227,850 Btu/cu ft v. gasoline 836,000 Btu/cu ft.

No thanks, I will stick with my lovely Prius.

 

Zero emissions with the fuel cell [english

 

The video is from November 2014, and before the OP article.

 

Old thread:
T minus 7.5 years for FCV to not be stupid anymore...
Actually maybe VW was wrong in the first place, since gov't forcing in Ca. and Japan has already made FCV important.

 

Japan is a small market for foreign companies, and they still go BEV only to meet requirements in California.

 

This sentence does not parse.
- natural gas is not "generated". Like oil you find it in the ground.
- It is not renewable. Like oil when it's used, it's gone, and we must find a new fuel source

My hydrogen Mercedes is really a CNG car, since both the Mobil and Shell stations told me they use CNG to make the H2. At a cost of 20/gallon. So why not just use the CNG directly at 1.90/gallon? That makes more sense to American & European wallets
.

 

VW is ranked in the bottom 5 of least-reliable engines (because they break often). News that their emission controls also breakdown does not surprise me at all. If you want a quality diesel buy Mercedes or BMW or Chevrolet Cruze. In Europe diesel Mazdas, Toyotas, and Hondas are also available (the last two are ranked the best engines in the world). The problem is not diesel tech...... it's the lack of VW's quality control & a culture of cheating.