Dr. Michio Kaku, world famous physicist, gave a talk on Toyota's Mirai in early January of this year. The car combines oxygen and hydrogen to make electricity to power the car and Dr. Kaku believes that this is the car of the future. The car only emits water, has a range of 300 miles and can go from 0 to 60 mph in nine seconds. The Mirai, which has been priced at $57,000 in the U.S., is now being sold commercially in California.
When Dr. Kaku was asked for a description of his idea of the "perfect car," he gave characteristics that all described the Mirai:
1. The car had to be run on the most abundant element in nature: hydrogen.
2. The car had to have as few moving parts as possible. (The Mirai has no moving parts whatsoever.)
3. The car should only emit water and no smog.
4. The car must be consumer friendly.
For some, the characteristic is questionable as the price is still a bit too high for some. However, as Dr. Kaku states, "As mass production, competition, and economies of scale begin to kick in - and governments begin to subsidize the creation of refueling stations - you're going to see that cost drop even further."
Toyota has also stated back in January that all of its 5,680 patents dealing with fuel cells will be available to anyone that has hopes of improving the technology.
This article may be good to use in my final paper as it has a simple description of fuel cell vehicles and why they are so beneficial. It also shows why some researchers and engineers may be so willing to continue to work towards the image of the "perfect car." Also, the article gives some clearer information on the price of the Mirai. In a previous blog entry, it was recorded that the Mirai cost nearly $70,000. Though this is true for Germany, it is not the actual price of the Mirai that is being sold in California currently.
APA Citation:
Spoder, T. (2015, January 15). Here's why this expert physicist thinks Toyota's hydrogen fuel-cell car is 'perfect'. Retrieved April 10, 2015, from GeekWire: www.geekwire.come/2015/heres-expert-physicist-thinks-toyotas-hydrogen-fuel-cell-car-perfect/
MLA Citation:
Spoder, Taylor. Here's why this expert physicist thinks Toyota's hydrogen fuel-cell car is 'perfect'. 15 January 2015. 10 April 2015. <www.geekwire.come/2015/heres-expert-physicist-thinks-toyotas-hydrogen-fuel-cell-car-perfect/>.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Friday, April 3, 2015
Hydrogen, Hydrogen Everywhere
In this article from last week, BBC News covers why hydrogen fuel cell cars have not been able to hit the market until now. The simplest answer they give is that fossil fuels just came first. Fossil fuels were accessible and were the basis of the industrial revolution. It wasn't until the oil crisis faced in the 1970s that people realized oil and other fossil fuels are limited. Climate changes made a bigger push towards electricity as the answer and hydrogen just seemed like a distraction to alternative fuel advocates. Now hydrogen is making a comeback.
Fuel cell vehicles have been around for decades, but they have been too expensive and too bulky to sell on the mass market. However, the latest fuel cells are cleaner, quieter, and much more affordable. The technology has greatly improved over the past few years, but as Dr. Hamish Nichol states, "You need the infrastructure to fuel those cars - it's a chicken and egg problem." Hydrogen refueling stations are being built around the world, but the process is slow and costly. For example, Germany H2 Mobility consortium plans to build 400 refueling stations by 2023, the price racking up to roughly €350 million (about $385 million).
Another potential problem hydrogen fuel faces is how to extract it. The two main methods in use involve splitting hydrocarbons or electrolysis of water. Splitting hydrocarbons, though cleaner than burning coal or oil, is still not completely clean (some call the hydrogen fuel extracted from this process "grey hydrogen" because of it). Electrolysis is completely clean, can be run on site at refueling stations instead of at a plant, and ideally runs on solar and wind power, but it is 10 times more expensive than the industrial production of hydrogen. Oil companies like Shell are searching for a cheaper electrolysis method, but for now industrial production is what companies would rather do.
The article ends by asking if hydrogen is really the fuel of the future. Experts say that it is definitely possible, but it would take time. Infrastructure, regulations, and the entire transportation paradigm has to be changed, and it will not happen by tomorrow. It is unclear whether biomass, electricity, or hydrogen will be the dominant fuel in the future, but all researchers agree that it is necessary to "decarbonise our world."
This article gives a good summary of the benefits and problems of hydrogen fuel cells while giving more of a European view of it. It also gives quite a few examples of where hydrogen fuel cells have been successful in Europe, which may need to be looked into later for the final paper. The article is very recent and gives a pretty objective review of the possibility of hydrogen fuel cell cars.
APA Citation:
Wall, M. (2015, March 26). Hydrogen, hydrogen everywhere. BBC News. Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31926995
MLA Citation:
Wall, Matthew. "Hydrogen, hydrogen everywhere." BBC News 26 March 2015. 3 April 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31926995>.
Fuel cell vehicles have been around for decades, but they have been too expensive and too bulky to sell on the mass market. However, the latest fuel cells are cleaner, quieter, and much more affordable. The technology has greatly improved over the past few years, but as Dr. Hamish Nichol states, "You need the infrastructure to fuel those cars - it's a chicken and egg problem." Hydrogen refueling stations are being built around the world, but the process is slow and costly. For example, Germany H2 Mobility consortium plans to build 400 refueling stations by 2023, the price racking up to roughly €350 million (about $385 million).
Another potential problem hydrogen fuel faces is how to extract it. The two main methods in use involve splitting hydrocarbons or electrolysis of water. Splitting hydrocarbons, though cleaner than burning coal or oil, is still not completely clean (some call the hydrogen fuel extracted from this process "grey hydrogen" because of it). Electrolysis is completely clean, can be run on site at refueling stations instead of at a plant, and ideally runs on solar and wind power, but it is 10 times more expensive than the industrial production of hydrogen. Oil companies like Shell are searching for a cheaper electrolysis method, but for now industrial production is what companies would rather do.
The article ends by asking if hydrogen is really the fuel of the future. Experts say that it is definitely possible, but it would take time. Infrastructure, regulations, and the entire transportation paradigm has to be changed, and it will not happen by tomorrow. It is unclear whether biomass, electricity, or hydrogen will be the dominant fuel in the future, but all researchers agree that it is necessary to "decarbonise our world."
This article gives a good summary of the benefits and problems of hydrogen fuel cells while giving more of a European view of it. It also gives quite a few examples of where hydrogen fuel cells have been successful in Europe, which may need to be looked into later for the final paper. The article is very recent and gives a pretty objective review of the possibility of hydrogen fuel cell cars.
APA Citation:
Wall, M. (2015, March 26). Hydrogen, hydrogen everywhere. BBC News. Retrieved April 3, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31926995
MLA Citation:
Wall, Matthew. "Hydrogen, hydrogen everywhere." BBC News 26 March 2015. 3 April 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31926995>.
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