GM says it plans to sell hydrogen-fueled cars by 2011

Hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles could hit showrooms as early as 2011 and the technology will revitalize General Motors, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said as he delivered a hydrogen concept car to be test driven by Camp Pendleton Marines over the next few months.

source

Good to see a mainstream manufacturer working on these, they really should have been introduced already though, it will be interesting to see if fuel cells or similar tech ever make it into lorries and other comercial vehicles as well

Hydrogen Cars suck. The efficiency of electricity conversion to motive force is dismal, when you take into consideration where the electricity goes before it reaches your tank has H2 Liquid or Gas.

You gotta dig or drill for the Oil/Gas. Then you gotta refine it. Then Ship it. Then Burn it. Then Transmit it. Then Electrolize Water. Then Shipped again. Then Pumped into the consumers car. That is 8 energy wasting steps. In order to fix our Tripod of an economy(into at least a Quadraped), we need to cut down the amount of steps where energy is ultimately wasted. One thing we can do is completely forget about Hydrogen Fuel Cells. You save a lot(because half the energy is lost by electrolizing water, or you only get back half of what you put in to it) by having the electricity go straight for the Battery on a consumers Electric Vehicle.

Originally posted by sardion2000


. . . we need to cut down the amount of steps where energy is ultimately wasted. One thing we can do is completely forget about Hydrogen Fuel Cells. You save a lot(because half the energy is lost by electrolizing water, or you only get back half of what you put in to it) by having the electricity go straight for the Battery on a consumers Electric Vehicle.

Plus, who is going to roll out the infrastructure for the creation, storage, transportation and sale of the hydrogen by 2011? GM? Are they going to trash them after three years, like the ev-1, claiming they have no spare parts?

also, doesn't hydrogen production use a lot of water. Can salt water be used? Water's an increasingly scarce resource in my country (Australia) and the futurists have been saying for quite a while that water is going to be a resource that future wars may be fought over.

I'm with sardion, I think hydrogen cars suck. The Billion dollars could of better been spent developing better battery life and a rapid charging system for ev's/hybrids. Oh wait, they already spent a billion on the ev-1. And they junked that after three years, recalled all the cars and crushed them. Because they didn't make spare parts?

Why don't the car compsnies want to make a viable alternative? Why doesn't my country have a viable ethanol industry and flex fuel cars? We've got enough sugar cane etc. Why don't we see ethanol/electric hybrids?




[edit on 15-9-2006 by fingapointa]

Lexus seems to be on the bandwagon.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

As is Toyota and Honda. It's a sink or swim game. GM may swim yet, as their innovative skateboard chassis would be an ideal platform for an EV(the body could have even more batteries as well).

www.pathnet.org...

Well on the Coasts, I can see Fuel Cell powered Cargo Zeplins being increadibly usefull. Salt water can be used as will the wind and tidal currents to produce said H2(it could save the Southwest US by providing cheap and efficient ways to provide fresh water to overtapped cities). I also believe the effect also desalinizes the water. Hydrogen Air Vehicles/Aerostats make a lot of sense. Cars, not so much sense.

[edit on 15-9-2006 by sardion2000]

GM as well as Ford aren't going to be selling anything but pencils on the sidewalk in 2011 unless they change the trend they are currently on.

I still think a partnership would be the only thing to keep them viable and American.