[V8] Diesels, Hydrogen, Hybrids, Continued! .....

[Etdmail at cs.com]

Hi All ..

There is some promising news on all alternative fuel fronts.

I had the occasion a few years ago, when the Director of Ford's 
Alternative Fuel, Power-train development came to some events 
I and some other colleagues, put on for a few years, at MIT and
some other venues, to drive two of their then Hydrogen powered
projects around.

One, a box-stock looking Fuel-Cell Focus and a converted direct 
Hydrogen-injected, Triton V-10 truck platform. The Focus was 
quite fast, near silent and clean, but still expensive!

The direct-injected trucks do require a quite large and heavy high
pressure tank, but are still enjoying sales success in urban fleets.

Some fuel-cell technologies are already showing higher rates of
efficiency, as compared to diesel, and are expected to improve.

Although, according to the Ford power-train director, there are 
some new technologies in the pipeline that will greatly improve 
gasoline powered engine efficiency and emissions, and will
have a good edge over diesel-engines, in most applications.

GM tested two fuel cell fleets, three years ago, in rural NY and
So Cal. And were very happy with the results. But the cost delta
and infrastructure, is not good enough at this point, to make it
anywhere near viable, in the market.

There are "reformation-stations" one can buy now, to hook-up
to the gas-lines in your home and convert the gas to Hydrogen
which would help in an urban cycle.

GM has been using a similar technology in its light-truck hybrids
to those used in the Allison's and it drives quite well, I think. IIRC
it is manufactured under a Mercedes license.

Here in the Boston area, many of the municipal fleets are running
on CNG, very successfully, due to some of the efforts of some in
our group, who are providing the infrastructures.

Honda also manufactures cars that run on CNG in some markets
And there are conversion kits available for Ford V8's an VW's etc.

Though in the end all the people involved in future power-train 
development, I have talked to, hold out the most hope for plug
in powered cars. There is some great new battery-tech being
developed at MIT and elsewhere, that hopefully be getting us 
all around, more greenly, a day soon.

But for now, yes, cow-piss does clean up diesel exhaust.
Cow-farts are a great source of methane to power generators.
Chicken-feathers, might be the next-best Hydrogen storage
medium. Chicken-crap, makes great fertilizer for tomatoes!

Busy boys!


Best,

~ Ed
(Cambridge)


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In a message dated 8/11/2011 4:06:35 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
v8-request at audifans.com writes: 

Message: 5
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2011 22:40:32 -0600
From: Dave Saad <dsaad at icehouse.net>
To: v8audi Fans <v8 at audifans.com>
Subject: Re: [V8] Diesels, hybrids, continued! - Hydrodgen


Bummer -

I really hate to hear about all the technical problems facing H2 - because 
I really think that eventually it has to be the answer.? It seems that there 
are advancements and discoveries made fairly regularly on the production 
and storage issues, but it always requires some exotic metal of which there is 
a worldwide supply of 3 pounds (1.36 kilos for you metric types).

I do think that big wind farms in particular might be more useful to the 
utilities if they produced hydrogen and stored it onsite - to be consumed as 
fuel for a traditional steam plant or maybe a giant fuel cell if that becomes 
possible.? That would solve a lot of problems with the integration of 
intermittent energy systems.

Now - to go even further off track, I got interested in trying to make a 
solar powered (stationary) steam engine.? Don't ask why - if anyone in the 
world understands the "why" part, it would be this list, I am just curious if a 
say a parabolic mirror on your roof could make enough steam to power a 
small piston type engine?? The idea is to make enough power to turn a generator 
large enough to run a home air conditioner.? I think 5000 watts would be 
plenty for a large house.The obvious benefit is the hotter it gets, the better 
your air conditioner works.? The obvious downside is superheated steam under 
pressure makes an excellent skin remover, and the neighbors will get pissy 
if they find boiler parts blown into their yards.? Those are the two 
negatives I hear the most.

And since this is an Audi forum, I would of course park my Audi in the 
garage of such a home...


Dave?

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