Honda's making hydrogen cell powered cars

[Tycho]

Honda will start selling hydrogen cell powered cars.

I'm not sure how much it will cost to fill a hydrogen tank, but it'll be way cheaper than gas.

The by-product of combining hydrogen and oxygen, is water. Thus there will be zero emissions from these cars.

They're going on the market for like $100,000 with lease options at $600 / mo.

My gas is now close to $300 / mo. While I own my vehicle outright and have no car payment, I might have had a $200 / mo payment otherwise (My SeaDoo was $216 before that was paid).

So if hydrogen fill ups are negligible in cost, $600 / month is not bad.

The car goes 240 miles on one hydrogen fill-up. It's about 120 miles from San Diego to Los Angeles, so that's a round-trip on one full tank (and I don't drive that much at all).

I think in the next 5-10 years, we're going to see gasoline powered vehicles go the way of the dinosaur.

Prices will come down as economies of scale enter into the picture. SUVs, Hummers, etc. that are powered by battery, hydrogen, hybrid combos, whatever, will make a comeback as people will still feel safer or "superior" in large vehicles. They'll just be fueled differently.

I think the whole argument for more drilling and refining of oil will be moot.

But the re-alignment in our economy from gasoline will cause a period of uncertainty.

I'm not sure how the airlines are going to cope. The big push right now is with personal automobiles, and then naturally, the trucking industry will follow. I don't know how air travel will re-align. However, because of fuel costs, many companies are moth-balling some of their planes. If things change in good time for them, they might be able to re-invest by purchasing new fuel-technology planes. Then air travel could resume as normal (well as normal as it gets post-9-11).

[JEDIpartner]

I only spend $180/month on gas.

[jedi master sal]

I think if it somehow became law to invest, research and manufacture new fuel sources that we could easily get away from oil/gas.

SO I say go ahead and drill, get those prices down quickly so we aren't hurting, but in the mean time make SERIOUS progress toward alternative (non-eco destroying) fuel sources.

It's already been proven that we can run vehicles on electricity, ethanol, and even water.

Water being a key one. One online report I saw showed a man power his car with no more than a gallon of water IIRC. It ran for hundreds of miles.

The impact on jobs with a transition from gas to other sources is unknown, but I'd venture to think many of those folks in the oil/gas industry would move to other fuels for work. I'm not talking the greedy big wigs who want to keep things the way they are. I'm talking the regular everyday worker.

Problem is Big Oil is trouncing any new fuel ideas. (hmmm, Big Oil - BO - Body Odor - yep they both stink...)

I applaud Honda for moving in this new direction. Though for now in the US it's really just a test market. I can definitely saw my next vehicle purchase is going to be one with the greatest amount of miles per "tank" for the cheapest amount of money. But that's taking into account the monthly payment, fuel, tax breaks, etc. This time it's going to be a longer decision and the salesperson is going to have to know their stuff and knock my socks off. Not just with their knowledge, but with a deal.

[jedi master sal]

I only spend $180/month on gas.

It's up to $240 here a month in gas...ridiculous. Used to be only $80 just 5 years or so ago.

[El Chuxter]

The only problem is, currently, we have to process water to get the hydrogen, and it actually burns more fossil fuel to generate the hydrogen than a normal car does. This might be a great idea... once the technology exists to cleanly generate enough hydrogen to meet demand.

[Exhaust Port]

The only problem is, currently, we have to process water to get the hydrogen, and it actually burns more fossil fuel to generate the hydrogen than a normal car does. This might be a great idea... once the technology exists to cleanly generate enough hydrogen to meet demand.

This is the major point that folks don't seem to get. Oil is a source of energy right out of the ground. Cracking the oil into it's different fuel types takes little energy as well. Hydrogen is rare in it's free form and has to be busted out of other molecules. Breaking those molecular bonds is very, very energy intensive.

The efficiency from source to use (subtracting energy used to extract, transport, store, etc.) is 60% for Hydrogen and 80% for gas. Electricity is 95% though. Now if our country would embrace nuclear energy the electricity created from that could be used to extract hydrogen which would greatly decrease the non-renewable energy cost to get hydrogen.

Personally I would like us to switch to nuclear power in the US to feed our electrical needs. Most of Europe has been fed this way for decades. I also think electric cars are a better bet long term. Electricity is something that can be produced in many, many ways, some of which are completely pollution free (wind and solar). Why switch to Hydrogen which has such high energy costs when the electricity used to break those bonds could be used to power a car in the first place?

I would love to be able to plug my car in at night and get a new 200 mile charge every morning.

[Mad Slanted Powers]

The only problem is, currently, we have to process water to get the hydrogen, and it actually burns more fossil fuel to generate the hydrogen than a normal car does. This might be a great idea... once the technology exists to cleanly generate enough hydrogen to meet demand.

Same thing with the ethanol, which is helping to drive up the cost of corn.

[Blue2th]

While I think it's good Honda has made this car and experimented with new technology. Why do they even bother trying alternative ways to power cars when they have already made one good one. Anybody ever seen "Who Killed the Electric Car"
This thing was fast, could go a long ways on a charge, people were lined up to buy it. They carted them off and crushed them. I think there is one left in a museum.
It's all smoke and mirrors. The powers that be don't really want something as groundbreaking as these to hit the market.
I live out here in the desert, wide open spaces of nothingness where the sun shines really hot most of the year, the wind blows all the time. It's free energy! it just cost money and investment to harness it. There is enough energy in this area if it was harnessed to light up the whole U.S. and power many electric cars. No need for Hybrids.

It's like recently our great leader saying the other party is blocking drilling for new oil off shore, yet they won't even use up the all the millions of acres they've been allowed to drill already. I say finish what's on your plate before asking for a second helping! Smoke and mirrors weapons of mass distraction.

[jedi master sal]

While I think it's good Honda has made this car and experimented with new technology. Why do they even bother trying alternative ways to power cars when they have already made one good one. Anybody ever seen "Who Killed the Electric Car"
This thing was fast, could go a long ways on a charge, people were lined up to buy it. They carted them off and crushed them. I think there is one left in a museum.
It's all smoke and mirrors. The powers that be don't really want something as groundbreaking as these to hit the market.
I live out here in the desert, wide open spaces of nothingness where the sun shines really hot most of the year, the wind blows all the time. It's free energy! it just cost money and investment to harness it. There is enough energy in this area if it was harnessed to light up the whole U.S. and power many electric cars. No need for Hybrids.

It's like recently our great leader saying the other party is blocking drilling for new oil off shore, yet they won't even use up the all the millions of acres they've been allowed to drill already. I say finish what's on your plate before asking for a second helping! Smoke and mirrors weapons of mass distraction.

Here here! I agree whole heartedly.

[Tycho]

I'd be all for solar powered recharging of electric cars. That's the easiest solution.

Yes there's considerable blockage and some technology snaffus to overcome.

The ethanol camp lobby includes, of course, the corn farmers. What a big leap in profits that'd be for them.

My uncle and his girlfriend use their golf carts to drive around town, locally - like for groceries, the post office, and other short trips. They're in Palm Springs and it's a retirement environment of course, where lots of people do this - and there's less risk of being crashed into by a big F-350.

The golf carts probably can't do over 35 mph, but Teslas can and go up to 120 mph I think. You'll need convenient recharging though.

Now suppose that recharging was free? Solar panneling is installed at carports, and everyone that drives brings their own extension cord. There's almost nothing that's exposed to maintain.

I've heard the battery can't hold much more than a 2 hour charge. I don't know if that's true or not. But if so, a 2hr batter, fully charged, could take me from San Diego to Los Angeles during a period of light traffic. Then I could recharge when I got there, before making any return trip. While there, have associates drive me, or use public transportation while my car charges.

For longer trips, like San Diego to San Francisco? Take a plane. I don't relish a 13 hour drive even at '90's fuel prices.