http://www.t3.co.uk/news/247/general/hondas_zero_emissions_motor_hits_the_road (http://www.t3.co.uk/news/247/general/hondas_zero_emissions_motor_hits_the_road)
While this is kinda cool, I hate the term "zero emission" because it's so wildly inaccurate. It emits heat, water vapour and of course noise.
I mean, I won't even discuss the problems of battery disposal and the actual expense of making Hydrogen.
Ditto on the terminology, but then a Suburban is considered a "Low Emission Vehicle" (LEV) according to California. Well, it is compared to fifteen years ago when they started counting...
One of the problems with fuel cells is that the currently popular idea for hydrogen generation involves taking natural gas and purifying it. Which means that our dependence on oil simply switches to our dependence on natural gas. Besides which, purifying natural gas requires energy which has its own emissions cost.
Producing Hydrogen is something being worked on as well
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/04/26/bacteria_hydrogen_production/
Sounds like a rather clean way to make it and break down waste.
Quote from: Thorin on November 25, 2007, 03:34:50 PM
Ditto on the terminology, but then a Suburban is considered a "Low Emission Vehicle" (LEV) according to California. Well, it is compared to fifteen years ago when they started counting...
One of the problems with fuel cells is that the currently popular idea for hydrogen generation involves taking natural gas and purifying it. Which means that our dependence on oil simply switches to our dependence on natural gas. Besides which, purifying natural gas requires energy which has its own emissions cost.
Indeed, this is what I have heard as well. According to one scientist in the field if we switched all cars to hydrogen right now we would use just as much fossil fuels producing the hydrogen as we currently use.
I'm still hoping that pure electric vehicles will make a comeback, and eventually become the mainstream provider of transportation. I watched a good documentary about it a while back: Who Killed the Electric Car? (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489037/) (which I've got a copy of if anyone would like it). I also recently heard of Tesla Motors (http://www.teslamotors.com/), and I want one of their roadsters.