I think that GM is off track in thinking that fuel cell vehicles will be better than battery vehicles to develop. It really makes no difference in the number of engineers they have on the project. Batteries are now at the stage where they are already becoming practical to use for EV's. Presently, the cost of the fuel cell production, at least to my understanding, will be much higher than for batteries (cycle replacement included).
Granted that fuel cells run off hydrogen that can be stored in a tank or be converted from liquid. However the fact remains that the charge period for batteries is becoming so short that time of recharging no longer becomes a valid argument.
What people are really looking for is cost efficient, reliable transport and EV's may soon meet these conditions.
EV's may be charged from electrical systems that are clean sourced such as PV, concentrated solar, wind, Geothermal and free hydro. Off-grid residential development of clean energy production will be promoted since the cost recovery will be for both the home as well as for transport. Amounts of capital normally used to pay for transport fuel may then be placed into home PV, concentrated PV, or wind knowing that the rate of return on the investment is considerably higher when electric charge costs of vehicles are being used to replace gasoline bills.
Granted that fuel cells could receive hydrogen from PV or wind energy electrolysis but the problems of storage, transport and safe dispensing will not disappear and the idea of high pressure tanks of hydrogen in a vehicle during a high speed collision may be a bit nerve wracking to consider. Fuel cell cars would be impractical and unsafe for residential hydrogen production and would be unable to free the consumer from large system reliance.
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Fuel cell over battery vehicles?
Submitted on June 15th, 2007 by InterestedReaderI think that GM is off track in thinking that fuel cell vehicles will be better than battery vehicles to develop. It really makes no difference in the number of engineers they have on the project. Batteries are now at the stage where they are already becoming practical to use for EV's. Presently, the cost of the fuel cell production, at least to my understanding, will be much higher than for batteries (cycle replacement included).
Granted that fuel cells run off hydrogen that can be stored in a tank or be converted from liquid. However the fact remains that the charge period for batteries is becoming so short that time of recharging no longer becomes a valid argument.
What people are really looking for is cost efficient, reliable transport and EV's may soon meet these conditions.
EV's may be charged from electrical systems that are clean sourced such as PV, concentrated solar, wind, Geothermal and free hydro. Off-grid residential development of clean energy production will be promoted since the cost recovery will be for both the home as well as for transport. Amounts of capital normally used to pay for transport fuel may then be placed into home PV, concentrated PV, or wind knowing that the rate of return on the investment is considerably higher when electric charge costs of vehicles are being used to replace gasoline bills.
Granted that fuel cells could receive hydrogen from PV or wind energy electrolysis but the problems of storage, transport and safe dispensing will not disappear and the idea of high pressure tanks of hydrogen in a vehicle during a high speed collision may be a bit nerve wracking to consider. Fuel cell cars would be impractical and unsafe for residential hydrogen production and would be unable to free the consumer from large system reliance.
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