It has become the Holy Grail of the automotive world. The fuel cell vehicle. quiet, efficient, and no pollution. It is also prohibitavely expensive, but they are working on that.
In case you have been under a rock the last 45 years, a fuel cell takes oxygen and hydrogen, and harvests electricity as they join to become water. That is, you get electricity from them with nothing but water as exhaust.
Now, I am not naysaying everyone, or saying we should be staying on oil. I am simply pointing out some things I have been wondering the last few days, that it may not be the perfect solution people seem to think it is. What do I think are some issues?
1. The fuel is hydrogen and oxygen. The easiest way to get these elements in the large quantities needed for wide scale automotive use will most likely be hydrolysis stations. These stations operate in reverse of a fuel cell, using electricity to break apart water into hydrogen and oxygen. This creates an enormous increase in the demand for water, which is becoming more and more scarce in some areas. The obvious answer is to use the oil system to push in water from the ocean, but that water must be dedsalinated and purified to be of use. That means the another issue is the disposal of 'waste' salt.
In the LA area, there are desalination plants in operation to help provide water to the area. They dump the salt back in the ocean; after all, it came from there. The problem is that the salt level in the areas near the plant have risen greatly, nearly approaching toxic levels. This is an issue that should be addressed before it becomes an issue.
2. Another problem is water. Yup, that clean exhaust. Pure H2O. Why is it a problem? How could it be? I suggest an experiment: fill two bowls with equal amounts of water. Go out into your driveway or parking lot. Place one bowl on the pavement. Take the second one and spill it out, spreading it out a bit. Now observe. Which one evaporates faster?
If you put millions of cars on the road, dripping their water exhaust on the road, it will evaporate (at least in sunny weather, I doubt anyone would notice in the rain.) This will greatly increase the amount of water being evaporated regionally, rasing humidity levels. Think of how a city would be, with a quick rise in humidity; think Houston, TX or Atlanta, GA levels of humidity. Think about how your area feels just after a rain when the sun comes back out. Also, the increased evaporation would increase the amounts of water in the atmosphere; that means more clouds. More clouds mean more rain, and, since clouds reflect a lot of heat from the sun back into space, a drop in tempurature. It also means that there will be more instances of hot, humid air meeting colder, drier air; result is severe weather. Thunderstorms and the possibility of tornadoes.
Of course, that could all be simply solved by retaining the water instead of exausting it on the road, and dumping the water and the filling station, also reducing the amount of water the station needs to pump in to produce its H2 and O2 fuel. So, with proper planning, that may be a non-issue.
3. How do you deal with water exaust or water reataining systems in the northern regions in the winter? Will the car exaust cause some (or more) ice on the roadways? Will your car exaust freeze solid?
These are just some issues I was wondering about. I am not trying to shoot down fuel cell cars. In fact, I want one. It is just that there is a definate tendancy to rush headlong into perceived solutions that we do not always look at all of the concequeces. With a bit of awareness and planning, perhaps solutions can be found before they become problems the scale of what we have now with oil.
(***EDITED for spelling)
In case you have been under a rock the last 45 years, a fuel cell takes oxygen and hydrogen, and harvests electricity as they join to become water. That is, you get electricity from them with nothing but water as exhaust.
Now, I am not naysaying everyone, or saying we should be staying on oil. I am simply pointing out some things I have been wondering the last few days, that it may not be the perfect solution people seem to think it is. What do I think are some issues?
1. The fuel is hydrogen and oxygen. The easiest way to get these elements in the large quantities needed for wide scale automotive use will most likely be hydrolysis stations. These stations operate in reverse of a fuel cell, using electricity to break apart water into hydrogen and oxygen. This creates an enormous increase in the demand for water, which is becoming more and more scarce in some areas. The obvious answer is to use the oil system to push in water from the ocean, but that water must be dedsalinated and purified to be of use. That means the another issue is the disposal of 'waste' salt.
In the LA area, there are desalination plants in operation to help provide water to the area. They dump the salt back in the ocean; after all, it came from there. The problem is that the salt level in the areas near the plant have risen greatly, nearly approaching toxic levels. This is an issue that should be addressed before it becomes an issue.
2. Another problem is water. Yup, that clean exhaust. Pure H2O. Why is it a problem? How could it be? I suggest an experiment: fill two bowls with equal amounts of water. Go out into your driveway or parking lot. Place one bowl on the pavement. Take the second one and spill it out, spreading it out a bit. Now observe. Which one evaporates faster?
If you put millions of cars on the road, dripping their water exhaust on the road, it will evaporate (at least in sunny weather, I doubt anyone would notice in the rain.) This will greatly increase the amount of water being evaporated regionally, rasing humidity levels. Think of how a city would be, with a quick rise in humidity; think Houston, TX or Atlanta, GA levels of humidity. Think about how your area feels just after a rain when the sun comes back out. Also, the increased evaporation would increase the amounts of water in the atmosphere; that means more clouds. More clouds mean more rain, and, since clouds reflect a lot of heat from the sun back into space, a drop in tempurature. It also means that there will be more instances of hot, humid air meeting colder, drier air; result is severe weather. Thunderstorms and the possibility of tornadoes.
Of course, that could all be simply solved by retaining the water instead of exausting it on the road, and dumping the water and the filling station, also reducing the amount of water the station needs to pump in to produce its H2 and O2 fuel. So, with proper planning, that may be a non-issue.
3. How do you deal with water exaust or water reataining systems in the northern regions in the winter? Will the car exaust cause some (or more) ice on the roadways? Will your car exaust freeze solid?
These are just some issues I was wondering about. I am not trying to shoot down fuel cell cars. In fact, I want one. It is just that there is a definate tendancy to rush headlong into perceived solutions that we do not always look at all of the concequeces. With a bit of awareness and planning, perhaps solutions can be found before they become problems the scale of what we have now with oil.
(***EDITED for spelling)
Last edited by imortal (2008-07-13 14:57:56)
