[SEL] OT, completely: Hydrogen as a fuel for personal autos

[Orrin Iseminger]

-----Original Message-----
From: sel-bounces at lists.stationary-engine.com
[mailto:sel-bounces at lists.stationary-engine.com] On Behalf Of Elden DuRand
Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 4:00 PM
To: The SEL email discussion list
Subject: Re: [SEL] OT, completely: Hydrogen as a fuel personal autos

Orrin:

We must be two peas in a pod!  Ever since the first hydrogen fuelled cars
were publicized, I've had many reservations about using it as a motor fuel
aside from the ineffeciencies of production, storage, etc.

Now, the pols and lobbyists want us to embrace ethanol, another poor choice.

If you're gonna grow it to run your car, run your DIESEL car from it!

Take care - Elden
(a dedicated Diesel Freak)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eldon, we most certainly are of the same mind!  The following borrows
heavily from an e-mail I recently sent to National Public Radio's "Science
Friday" program host, Ira Flatow.  

Before you read it, however, let me point out that the Honda Diesels
mentioned were production models without modifications to their engines.
This is brought out in the linked Web page.  The mileage run was done on a
track as well as public thoroughfares.   

Orrin
~~~~~~~~~
I am pro-clean-air, so I understand the reason behind automobile exhaust
restrictions; but, I cannot understand why the US cannot be like European
countries that are already achieving somewhere in the vicinity of a 35 mpg
fleet average, the goal congress is trying to set for the USA some thirteen
years hence!

Take a look at this:

"U.K., May 6, 2004 - Honda's new Accord 2.2 i-CTDi Sport has this week set
no fewer than 19 world speed records and achieved 3.07 litres / 100 km (92
mpg) fuel economy to boot."

http://world.honda.com/news/2004/4040506.html

That was over three years ago!   Of course, the numbers are not quite as
impressive when one realizes the 92 miles per Imperial gallon translates to
*only* 76.6 (IIRC) mpg US.   Even so, 76+ mpg is mighty impressive!  

Granted, that car was "tricked out" and highly tuned by Honda engineers;
but, the fact remains that kind of economy is achievable with today's
technology.  

My question is, "Why are we not seeing Honda Diesels in US showrooms, today?
Why are we not driving high mileage Diesels in the US?"  Is the Clean Air
Act providing the US manufacturers with an excuse to not develop high
mileage vehicles?  I don't know.  I only wish I knew.  

I'm completely baffled over all the hype over hybrids, electrics, and fuel
cells when ordinary Diesel-powered VW pick-up trucks available in the US
twenty years ago could easily obtain 50 mpg fuel economy; in our family we
drove a circa 1980 Isuzu Diesel-powered sedan that easily topped 50 mpg at
Interstate speeds.  (BTW, it was a very fun car to drive, quiet, comfortable
and it handled like a sports car.)  It seems to me that it would be much
easier to clean up Diesel exhaust than to develop a whole new battery or
fuel cell technology and a whole new infrastructure to support it/them.  

I will concede that a Diesel engine will put CO2 into the air, but so will
the 35 mpg fleet average this country is shooting for in thirteen years.   

The technology is already available, now, that could slash this country's
petroleum consumption.  Unfortunately, we do not have the political
leadership nor the courage in congress to get the job done.  The politician
shrugs and says the marketplace will decide.  Sometimes, the marketplace
needs a nudge, an incentive.  

The politician is more likely to jump onto the current bandwagon and make
pretty speeches filled with words like hydrogen or fuel cell or ethanol,
just to let folks know he's up with the latest darling fad.  

How do we go about educating the public and the politicians in order to show
them our current technology will take us where we want to go?  We don't need
pie-in-the-sky solutions [such as metal-hydride hydrogen storage, etc].  We
need leadership.  

Orrin Iseminger
Colton, Washington, USA
http://users.moscow.com/oiseming/lc_ant_p/menu.htm
So many projects.  So little time.