Four day at the wheel of a hydrogen powered car

[Spectere]

Here's an interesting article written by someone who was given a hydrogen-powered Chevy Equinox to drive around in: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSB55933020080618

It's a pretty good read; I recommend it.

Edit: And here's a video of something even more badass: http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=84561

IT'S A WATER-POWERED CAR.

[Zakamiro]

The water-powered car smells like bullshit, by the same logic of weight-loss pills on TV. If it really was that fucking amazing, it would be all over the fucking news like crazy. Hydrogen-powered cars are a step in the right direction, but it's not good enough yet.

[Spectere]

It does seem unlikely, yes, but you can definitely chalk it up as "awesome if true."

[Zakamiro]

yeah, awesome if true. Unfortunately, electrolysis requires a considerable more amount of energy than it yields.

EDIT: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis_of_water#Efficiency

I doubt the car can run on "tea" and "seawater". Water is one tricky bastard to filter well and efficiently. Also note, if the car has an active filtration system for the water, it will greatly diminish the energy yield of the electrolysis.

Now that I think about it, I'm actually pretty disappointed by Reuters (and/or the writer). Sigh.

[Spectere]

The hydrogen that the "water-powered car" uses is allegedly generated by using a reaction to the metal hydride in water, so if that's the case it really couldn't be considered electrolysis.

I suppose we'll find out for sure in a few years if the company delivers or not.

[Bobbias]

Yeah, we've known electrolysis is inefficient from the start, any models that use electrolysis are simply proof of concept that we can make a system that works, and we'll replace the electrolysis with a more efficient system, such as metal hydride, and other chemical reactions. We've been developing a number of safe hydrogen storage systems that store hydrogen molecules in a safe matter than then convert them into their respective parts when they need access to the hydrogen, making hydrogen powered cars much safer (and quite possibly supplying a much more efficient way of accessing the hydrogen).

[TimJing]

Either way, true or not, both articles are pretty interesting. Wonder what we're gonna end up using ten or twenty years from now...

[ovanova]

Sagan's simple observation is a step in the right direction, but for those who rely on actual science over signaling and probability, then don't fret (let's not underestimate the power of those tools though). From a chemical and thermodynamic perspective, a water-powered car sounds suspicious.

Although I've honestly never taken chem, I'm pretty sure that

2H₂ + 0₂ -> Energy + 2H₂0

If I'm right, which I'm pretty sure I am, then

Energy + 2H₂0 -> 2H₂ + 0₂

Worse still is when you think you can start with H₂0 and end with H₂0 and still make energy out of that. I've actually seen some people claim that on stupid nonsensical YouTube videos: "oh look it runs on water blah blah blah and look it emits water, too." What the fuck?

Edit: Also Sagan links to Wikipedia which explains it. See I didn't know it was called electrolysis or any of that crap. Good to know.

[MortifiedocAlot]

Worse still is when you think you can start with H₂0 and end with H₂0 and still make energy out of that. I've actually seen some people claim that on stupid nonsensical YouTube videos: "oh look it runs on water blah blah blah and look it emits water, too." What the fuck?

Wouldn't it instantly be in production then? If not for cars then for generators, because not having to ever play a power bill would be nice.

[Bobbias]

Except of course that the people who make gas and have a strangle hold on the industries related to or relying on gas smother stuff like that pretty quickly anyway.

I've known about electrolysis for a while. I'm thinking thought that maybe we can get some simple, common chemicals that can combine with hydrogen/water and then have a catalyst added to break it down into hydrogen + exhaust/waste (which could likely be separated again) is the system that will prevail.

[ovanova]

Except of course that the people who make gas and have a strangle hold on the industries related to or relying on gas smother stuff like that pretty quickly anyway.

No not really if this were really feasible the car companies would fucking shit themselves to try to make the first water-powered car. Dude, who the fuck doesn't want a water-powered car? People would pay so much for that shit, and you could get so much government funding for it.

[Bobbias]

Except that water is cheap as fuck, and makes the oil companies nothing. A water powered car would be the end of oil companies, since water needs next to no processing for something like that. Sure, car companies would make a killing, but it would completely upset the economy. The price of oil would drop like a rock, and instead water would become expensive. (At least, for any motor that would consume the water)

People are afraid of change, and large companies are much more afraid of change than single people are.  Just look a the RIAA/Record companies. They are completely outmoded and totally unnecessary now, and they are fighting like mad to keep in the game, simply because they are greedy. Oil companies are much greedier, and have a lot more lobbying power, too, which means anything that would fuck up the oil economy like a water powered car would be VERY quickly snuffed out/slowed down.

[ovanova]

Except that water is cheap as fuck, and makes the oil companies nothing. A water powered car would be the end of oil companies, since water needs next to no processing for something like that. Sure, car companies would make a killing, but it would completely upset the economy. The price of oil would drop like a rock, and instead water would become expensive. (At least, for any motor that would consume the water)

Nobody cares about the economy when they make a decision to $$$.

People are afraid of change, and large companies are much more afraid of change than single people are.  Just look a the RIAA/Record companies. They are completely outmoded and totally unnecessary now, and they are fighting like mad to keep in the game, simply because they are greedy. Oil companies are much greedier, and have a lot more lobbying power, too, which means anything that would fuck up the oil economy like a water powered car would be VERY quickly snuffed out/slowed down.

Uh no I don't really think a motherfucking water powered car could get the could shoulder if it were feasible in any way.

The car industry isn't that oligopolistic. There are plenty of individual firms ready to rise up when they get their shit together. Especially with people hating gas now that it's expensive.

Edit:

Okay so basically here's a link that totally dispels this sham for what it is:

http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1769/69/

It basically goes over what I did before (second law of thermodynamics, chemistry, etc.)

Some people are so convinced that there's a solution and that there has to be a way and that the oil companies are so fucking evil* that you'd insist that this crap is real.

*well they are, but that doesn't have that much to do with car manufacturing and I'm sure an individual oil company would love to be the first to get their hands on this stuff and move from oligopoly status to monopoly status, so yeah.