BMW Hydrogen Power

I'm not at all convinced of the merits of using hydrogen. Whatever power source is used to generate the hydrogen could be used to generate electricity far more efficiently and cheaply.

 

SO we take a fossil fuel(natural gas), pump a heap of electricity into it to split the hydrogen atoms from the carbon and sulphur atoms, then pump it into an engine with about 20% thermal efficiency.
Now that sounds like a plan!!

What is the point?

I had a Toyota Crown that ran only on liquid propane, propane is 3 carbon atoms to 8 hydrogen so I was 2/3 the way there back in 1990 and I was no trail blazer.

 

Wouldn't converting those older cars to run on electricity be even cheaper? And because most of a car's lifetime energy use is in the driving, not the creation, wouldn't we be better off recycling the whole car?

 

Flex-fuel's not such a bad idea, but I think electricity is a better choice than hydrogen for the flex part.

 

I would think replacing the fuel system would be cheaper than the engine and all its component parts.
The electrical option is the better one, but there will be people who can't afford to recycle and upgrade. Of course, they won't be getting ICE bimmers either.

 

That article seems to be from 2001. I haven't heard anything about BMW hydrogen-powered cars, maybe the project didn't go as planned?

 

The real point of this is that if you are going to waste energy producing H2, and if you are going to spend the trillions of dollars building a distribution infrastructure for it, you don't have to spend ten million dollars per car building fuel cells; you can burn it in a conventional car with relatively minor modifications. It still makes no sense, but it's a lot cheaper than fuel cells.

 

I'm not sure how this is new news.... it was posted on theautochannel.com in January 2001.

I also posted about these vehicles at http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?p=336191&highlight=hydrogen#post336191. Response #7 is an interesting one.

 

The propane will do just find for your ol'junker. Hydrogen? You'd get less than half the range of propane.

 

Yeah, but with H2 you could drink the water that comes out the exhaust.

 

hehe.. true

 

If you like oily water.

 

Besides propane as a better / current day technology, one can use CNG as an alternate fuel in your older car, both being far superior than hydrogen. Sheesh, why waste natural gas, processing it into hydrogen, when the same energy you'd get from the natural gas would get you down the road WAY further then the hydrogen would? I'd think Chrysler, GM, BMW, Toyota, Mercedes, etc would be embarraased to admit they're wasting perfectly good research dollars on "hydrogen ... the perfect fuel" (in just another 10yrs from now).

 

How about instead of hydrogen being a "flex-fuel" it IS fuel. Put the water in the tank, drive and drive and drive. Still have your old ICE and it'll sound just a cool too.

 

I've been driving Ford's CNG for years and... it's ok but don't let the gas gage go down, there's no "reserve" like with regular fuel. Besides where's the closest CNG fill station?