... and not just a prototype - it sounds like a real production car.

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-2207975,00.html

... and not just a prototype - it sounds like a real production car.

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-2207975,00.html
Good news :)

cool, have they found a cheap efficient way of producing the hydrogen for the cells yet though?

cool, have they found a cheap efficient way of producing the hydrogen for the cells yet though?

Did you bother reading the article?

It has also developed a home “energy station” that generates hydrogen from natural gas to allow owners to refuel on their own driveway.

Did you bother reading the article?

That doesn't answer the question. The question is: Did they figure out a cheap and efficient way.

Yes but how efficient will those things be?

That doesn't answer the question. The question is: Did they figure out a cheap and efficient way.

And what from the article indicates that the home refueling station won't be cheap and efficient?

And what from the article indicates that the home refueling station won't be cheap and efficient?

What indicates that it will be?

:confused:

What indicates that it will be?

:confused:

I don't think Honda is stupid enough to go through the trouble to introduce a home re-fueling station that is expensive and inefficient.

Hmmm... Natural gas is (mostly) methane - CH4. Each volume of methane will give you two volumes of H2 and one volume of CO2.

Now hopefully the efficiency of the CH4 + O2 -> 2 H2 + CO2 -> Electricity + H2O will be greater than the efficiency of simply tuning their existing gasoline engines to work on natural gas. You're looking at generating greenhouse gases either way, after all.

Wow, It's about time someone really got into altrnate fuels that count.

I hope they can pull this off, I'd get one.

Hmmm... Natural gas is (mostly) methane - CH4. Each volume of methane will give you two volumes of H2 and one volume of CO2.

Now hopefully the efficiency of the CH4 + O2 -> 2 H2 + CO2 -> Electricity + H2O will be greater than the efficiency of simply tuning their existing gasoline engines to work on natural gas. You're looking at generating greenhouse gases either way, after all.Thanks for doing the chemistry. Keep in mind that the NG would be delivered to the home via pipelines vs. gasoline going to filling stations via big trucks that output CO2. It would be interesting to know which has an overall smaller carbon footprint.

The natural gas thing does seem weird. It seems like we need to just plug these converters into the grid and water supply and have at it. Ultimately this means we need to move to alternative energy sources (including current-gen nuclear power technologies) but this seems more feasible long term than relying on unrenewable sources. The infrastructure is already there, we just need cleaner sources of power.

According to a recent Fifth Gear episode the hydrogen may be produced using solar power energy to convert water into hydrogen. The cell is to cover roughly 300 miles per tank. Currently the only emission from the FCX is water.

I can't imagine this will be for the average consumer. If it is somehow cheap enough, then this will change the timeline for hydrogen vehicles dramtically. It would also open the doors to all the other companies to follow suit.

Remember natural gas isn't getting cheaper and it's still a fossil fuel!

I will believe it when I see it. I don't think efficiency will be as much the issue as the cost to own and fuel.

Good luck, this is good news.

Edit: Just a thought. Look how long it has taken us to get minimal Ethanol blends. We still don't have bio-diesel either, along with only 1 car that comes to mind that is a turbo diesel.

Edit: Just a thought. Look how long it has taken us to get minimal Ethanol blends. We still don't have bio-diesel either, along with only 1 car that comes to mind that is a turbo diesel.

That's why the home-fueling solution is key, and in the end it's the most compelling part of the overall "hydrogen solution". It is the easiest solution to actually implement in terms of distributing fuel - since effectively no distribution is necessary. Either people are creating their own at home, or fueling stations are creating their own. There's in pipelines, you don't have to truck anything anywhere - you simply have an electrical outlet and a water supply, which every gas station and home has currently. As long as we can "fix" the problem of clean energy sources powering the grid, it's the best overall solution.

EDIT: Consequently, this is why it scares the **** out of gas companies. How do they fit into this? They don't - beyond simply providing fuel to the energy companies, which seems quite likely into the foreseeable future.

That's why the home-fueling solution is key, and in the end it's the most compelling part of the overall "hydrogen solution".

True, but I am looking at it as more of a temporary solution to get the tech on the streets untill other means of fueling and infrastructure are built up.

We need true refueling stations along with home based systems. Hopefully some of the solar solutions and other methods will be used instead of natural gas as well. Natural gas is good start though, although not cheap anymore.

Aww, the poor oil companies, maybe they will have to spend their record profits on R&D! Or pay off enought congressmen. :D

We need true refueling stations along with home based systems. Hopefully some of the solar solutions and other methods will be used instead of natural gas as well. Natural gas is good start though, although not cheap anymore.

Aww, the poor oil companies, maybe they will have to spend their record profits on R&D! Or pay off enought congressmen. :D

Non-home refuelling stations - definitely needed, otherwise you can't go more than 150 miles from home. (Granted, most people don't do that more than a few times a year).

Remember that the oil companies are also the natural gas companies. They'll be fine.

What scares the crap out of me is what the federal and state governments will do re: fuel taxes. Home fuel generation steps around the entire structure they have in place for collecting tax based on consumption. Government NEVER makes-do with less money. They'll find a way to replace any revenue lost to falling gasoline demand...

What scares the crap out of me is what the federal and state governments will do re: fuel taxes. Home fuel generation steps around the entire structure they have in place for collecting tax based on consumption. Government NEVER makes-do with less money. They'll find a way to replace any revenue lost to falling gasoline demand...

They'll just shift to taxing home energy use.

Remember natural gas isn't getting cheaper and it's still a fossil fuel!
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/oceans/images/5c/oilrig450.jpg

Maybe if they wouldn't burn it......

-Matt

Honda has been working on this for a while. I mean come on guys, how many years did Honda and Toyota work on hybrid technology before it came to the market and made an impact. This is just one of many small steps into the right direction and in no way is the the be all and end all. There is still a long way to go. But once again Honda is showing that they are ahead of their time. Just like Toyota and Honda did with their little fuel efficient "high" output engines years before the US manufacturers started doing so.

Hmm...that means I'll have to stock mountain dew and Ho-Ho's at home, since I won't be going to my local Mobil for "refueling"

Bump from the grave... good to see this is actually coming to fruition.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aP1jZTypWBBM&refer=japan

Has anyone else thought about trying to convert their Subie to run on a Hydrogen fuel cell... there are Hydrogen Fuel cell boosters out there that are supposed to significantly increase your mileage. Something to think about...