Toyota Develops Improved Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicle (1 Viewer)

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Scientists Say New Hydrogen Process Is 100% Efficient


February 29th, 2016 by Steve Hanley 
 
We know that Elon Musk refers to fuel cell cars as “fool cells.” We also know that there are people who still cling to the idea of a civilization that runs on clean hydrogen fuel. Honda and Toyota are both investing billions  of dollars to bring hydrogen fuel cell cars to market. Mercedes and BMW are also experimenting with hydrogen powered cars.

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. Water is composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. There is an awful lot of water in the world. Why don’t we just split water molecules apart and get the hydrogen that way? There are two problems with that idea.

First, splitting water into its component atoms requires more energy than is contained in the hydrogen produced. Some people think this objection can be overcome by using solar power. That may be possible 50 years from now, but today, there is not enough solar power available to meet all of the world’s needs. There’s simply not enough left over to divert some of it to producing hydrogen. It hardly makes sense to use fossil fuels to produce hydrogen.

Second, the infrastructure to support hydrogen fueled cars is in its infancy. While a Tesla SuperCharger station might cost a few hundred thousand dollars to construct, hydrogen refueling stations can cost up to $2,000,000 or more. Once again, the future simply isn’t here yet.

Now, researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology in Israel say they have found a way to complete on part of the process required to obtain hydrogen from water with 100 percent efficiency. In other words, all the energy going into the reaction comes out the other side. That first step is known as reduction. if the second step in the process — oxidation — can be improved upon, hydrogen fuel could become a viable, emissions free fuel.

“I strongly believe that the search for clean and renewable energy sources is crucial,” lead researcher Lilac Amirav from the  told Phys.org. “With the looming energy crisis on one hand, and environmental aspects, mainly global warming, on the other, I think this is our duty to try and amend the problem for the next generation.”

The process is so efficient because it was powered entirely by light. Nanorods just 50 nanometers long absorb photons from a light source and then release electrons to help split water into hydrogen and oxygen. “Our work shows that it is possible to obtain a perfect 100 percent photon-to-hydrogen production efficiency, under visible light illumination, for the photocatalytic water splitting reduction half-reaction,” said Amirav. “These results shatter the previous benchmarks for all systems, and leave little to no room for improvement for this particular half-reaction, The potential here is real.”

The key to success was identifying a bottleneck in the process. The researchers discovered that every time an electron left the catalyst, it left a vacant hole which then needed to be removed in order to continue on with the process. By redesigning the nanorods to streamline this process, the researchers increased the efficiency from 58.5 percent to 100 percent.

The team is now working on making the system more scalable. Right now, it requires a very high pH level, which isn’t ideal for real-world applications, and the nanorods can also become corroded over time. The hope is that by perfecting this half-reaction, it will move hydrogen one step closer to being a viable fuel source. “We hope to implement our design rules, experience and accumulated insights for the construction of a system capable of overall water splitting and genuine solar-to-fuel energy conversion,” said Amirav. “I believe this is an important milestone.”

Discoveries in the laboratory can take years or even decades to become commercially viable. It’s unlike that hydrogen fueling stations will start dotting the landscape any time soon. But just a few years ago, we laughed at the idea of using laptop batteries to power electric automobiles. Perhaps it would be best to keep an open mind on the subject of a hydrogen economy.

 

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Honda promotes fuel-cell future




More from Steve Huntingford on Honda, and this time its belief in a fuel cell future:


Honda's new hydrogen fuel-cell car used to be called the FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle), and is now the Clarity, but you still won't be able to buy it outright when it arrives in the UK later this year.

Instead, Honda will lease the car, with Thomas Brachmann, the company's chief product engineer for Europe, saying that the technology is developing so fast that maintaining a parts supply wouldn't be economical.

It makes sense, although Hyundai clearly doesn't agree because it's already selling its ix35 Fuel Cell in the UK, rather than simply leasing it.

Honda also says that it aims to make fuel-cell cars as affordable as hybrids by 2025, and that while the technology currently only fits in cars designed to take a V6 engine, that won't be the case for too much longer.

In recent years a large number of manufacturers have decided that plug-in electric cars, not fuel cells, are the answer, but Honda remains as convinced by the technology as ever.

Phil Crossman, MD of Honda UK summed up its thinking, saying: "Plug-in electric cars are merely a stepping stone towards fuel cells. We can't see any other end game."

 

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Electric-Vehicle Record Set In California: 1,438 miles in a 24-hour period


Hydrogen Fuel Stations Allow Long Distance Trave

September 20, 2016
 
The founders of True Zero have completed a scenic drive throughout California in a fuel-cell-electric Toyota Mirai, covering 1,438 miles in a 24-hour period, thus breaking the official Guinness World Record for electric miles driven in 24 hours.

The goal of the drive was to demonstrate how a zero-emission electric vehicle can serve as a replacement for a gasoline vehicle. The car was refueled with four-minute "fill ups" using the True Zero retail hydrogen network between southern and northern California. The mileage mark is expected to become an official record once documentation is submitted and reviewed.

The drive, which started in Long Beach, spanned from sea level to 7200 feet, passed through six of the seven largest cities in California, and crossed the state's boundary into Reno. True Zero's hydrogen charging stations in Long Beach, Harris Ranch/Coalinga, Truckee, Mill Valley, Saratoga and Santa Barbara were used to refuel the cars during the drive, as was a hydrogen charger in Sacramento operated by Linde.

"The point has been made that an electric car can do everything that a gasoline car can do, but with zero emissions," said Joel Ewanick, Chief Executive Officer of First Element Fuel, True Zero's parent company. "All it took was grabbing a credit card, hopping in our Toyota Mirai with its carpool sticker, and charging up at the True Zero hydrogen stations that are open throughout California. And it's possible today thanks to the State of California – the vision of the Energy Commission and Air Resources Board has arrived!

"We did some city driving, we drove through the mountains, we stopped to take photos, we crossed the golden gate bridge, we stopped to talk to reporters, and we even crossed into Reno. The Mirai can go more than 300 all-electric miles on each four-minute charge of True Zero hydrogen, so it was easy to do all of it in 24 hours without any concerns or range anxiety."

Ewanick set off at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday on the initial leg from here to Sacramento where he was relieved by Dr. Shane Stephens, True Zero's Chief Development Officer. Dr. Tim Brown, the company's Chief Operations Officer, took over the wheel in San Jose for the final section.

The first 15 True Zero stations are operational and an additional four are expected to be online by early next year, including San Diego's first hydrogen station slated to open in November.

"The access and convenience of charging with hydrogen throughout California is thanks to the fantastic team that we have built at True Zero to develop and operate this hydrogen network," said Ewanick.

"It's very cool that we were able to show this kind of accomplishment during National Drive Electric Week, he added. "Electric cars are so important to California's environmental goals and we're starting to see the momentum build with fuel cells as part of that electric car mix. In just the last six months our True Zero hydrogen chargers have powered well over a million miles of all-electric driving."

True Zero's hydrogen station network is funded in large part by grants from the California Energy Commission, South Coast AQMD and Bay Area AQMD, as well as financing from automotive firms Toyota and Honda who are first to market with fuel-cell-electric vehicles.

Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz have also announced plans to retail a fuel cell vehicle next year.

According to John O'Dell at Edmunds.com:

Automotive fuel cells are seen by many as the best bet for widespread replacement of internal combustion engines in the U.S. This is a country where cars and trucks tend to be big. Driving distances also tend to be longer than battery-electric cars can accommodate — or so many motorists think.

The argument for fuel-cell vehicles is pretty simple: A fuel-cell electric system isn't range-constrained like a battery-electric system. Fuel-cell vehicles aren't tethered to charging cords. They carry enough fuel for 250-350 miles of range and their tanks can be refilled as quickly as that of standard vehicles' gasoline tanks. Few think they will replace battery-electric cars, which can make a lot of sense for drivers with short commutes. But they are expected to become a significant part of the alternative-fuel fleet in coming years.

Typically, a fuel-cell system is twice as efficient as a gasoline system. Most of the fuel-cell vehicles coming to market in the next few years will be able to deliver close to 70 miles per kilogram of fuel. That's the equivalent of 70 miles per gallon. There is no established retail price for hydrogen fuel, but most suppliers say $10 per kilogram is about right for the early days of low-volume sales. The price is expected eventually to fall to parity with gasoline.

Additionally, fuel-cell systems are much lighter and smaller than the battery packs that dominate plug-in electric drive systems. That means they can be more easily scaled up without the weight penalties that make plug-in systems impractical for large sedans, SUVs and pickup trucks.


First Element Fuel's Chief Operations Officer Dr. Tim Brown, Chief Development Officer Dr. Shane Stephens and Chief Eexecutive Officer Joel Ewanick stop at the True Zero hydrogen-charging station in Truckee, Calif. to fill up their Toyota Mirai fuel-cell cars during their 24-hour record journey of 1,438-miles.
So while battery-electric vehicles tend to be compact and subcompact models with limited range and lengthy recharging times, fuel-cell electric vehicles are quick and easy to refuel. Fuel-cell systems could power everything from minicars to large pickups.

They also are true zero-emissions vehicles, as clean as battery-electric cars on the road. They are also almost as clean on a well-to-wheel basis, says Steve Ellis, American Honda's national fuel-cell marketing manager.

"When the hydrogen is made from natural gas, there are at least 60 percent fewer CO2 emissions on a well-to-wheels basis than from gasoline," he says. "Plus there's a one-to-one alignment with gasoline cars" in terms of range, convenience and, ultimately, the varieties of vehicles you'll be able to get.

(www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-hydrogen-fuel-cell-cars.html)

The existing Guinness World Record for electric car miles driven in 24-hours is 2142.317 kilometers or 1,331 miles. Other groups also claim to have "unofficially" broken the record for electric miles driven in 24-hours.

 

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Army testing a Chevy fuel cell truck.

 

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Toyota dropped the Mirai from $499 a month to $349 for 36 months and the amount due at signing to $2,499.  That comes out to $15,063 total for 3 years ($418/month).  However, it includes up to $15,000 in free fuel.