Showing posts with label BMW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BMW. Show all posts
Hydrogen the Fuel of the Future
Many people are well aware that the need to reduce carbon emissions from one of the main culprits which is of course is car emissions. The H2 Racer is a small toy car but it’s powered by Hydrogen and although it’s only a small amount of hydrogen is used it’s still a fairly dangerous toy and requires to used carefully.
The H-racer runs on 100% clean fuel produced by a clever designed hydrogen station which can generate hydrogen by solar power so totally environmentally friendly. The heart of the H racer is the Hydrogen fuel cell the cell is capable of converting the hydrogen to electricity to drive the vehicle.
The Hydrogen is converted to electricity without combustion so producing the ultimate clean fuel. At present there are a number of car company’s producing hydrogen vehicles mainly as concept cars and possible future production of them is BMW that has produced a V12 saloon hydrogen powered vehicle.
As hydrogen is the most abundant element in our universe then it would be great if this turns out to be our solution to clean fuel that re balances the effects of global warming and perhaps gives our children a more reliable stable future.
As oil runs out and the continuing unstable elements of Iraq and Iran show that our efforts needs to be placed as far away from this instability as possible. As preparation to Hydrogen cars being a realistic option service stations our now being equipped to be able to handle Hydrogen as a raw material to be inserted into cars and over 200 hydrogen re fuelling stations exist. This may seem like a small amount but it’s a start and a step in the right direction.
A Hydrogen fuel cell works on the following principles. The fuel cell is a special assembly of advanced material layers including a layer called a Proton Exchange Membrane. This is the clever bit that producers the electricity by exchanging Hydrogen plus atoms with O2 negative atoms.
An average fuel cell of this type can be between 40% and 60% energy efficient which is a lot better than petrol. As more effort from car manufacturers are made and the price of having a zero emissions car becomes a reality then there is also the small problem that most governments rely on the tax of petrol and diesel for there revenue.
It will be very interesting to see how long governments push tax breaks on energy efficient cars because as the balance changes there will be a need to generate revenue income of green cars too. At the moment the only hydrogen car I have at the moment is a toy H-racer it’s a superb example of being able to see the future.
I think that with these toys we can teach the children about how to push for a better environment and better conditions for our planet. It also looks like the space race is on for the moon as our next major electricity generation problem could be solved by the resources of the moon. Helium 3 may be the answer to producing a sun type fusion power station on earth.
The next 50 years will see vast c
hanges to our eco system and hopefully toy’s like this will see that there is possibilities to have a better world.
Andy Bolton 39 UK Liverpool
Divemaster / Automation Engineer / Article Writer /
Hot Air Balloon Enthusiast.
http://www.Bravemain.com Hot Air Balloon Website
http://www.info-exploder.com Blogging + rSS feed website.
Article Source: http://www.articlegold.com
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Hydrogen Fuel Cell for Cars of the Future
Man is free to take advantage of technology and this is one way to develop new ideas that can further benefit mankind. The car featured in the auto show was designed to disseminate intelligence. The sources are from various cross-media about security and traffic. The car can continuously dialog with the city, other vehicles, and the road without restraining the autonomy of motorists.
The outside appearance of the car is similar to that of today’s sports cars but the aerodynamic exterior makes it very much different. It has a unique concept called ‘liquid packaging’. What caught the attention of the audiences are the four fuel cells. The manufacturer called it Quaddrivium Fuel Cells.
The hydrogen cells were positioned near the car's wheels and each wheel is then powered with 20kw. The car also has a distinctive electric motor, additional battery coming from regenerative breaking and solar panels. The complicated electronic architecture uses modular power which depends in the driving condition. The dashboard is translucent and it displays various pieces of information.
The dashboard lights up when an important matter requires the attention of the driver. The headlights of the future car are equipped with radar and tele-cameras to ease information processing.
The design of the car is too much for the audience and most of them still think that it was definitely a car for the future. They can’t imagine a sophisticated car like the Sintesi to roam the streets of today. But if you try to analyze it closely, the entire car concept was based on available technologies and so it is not impossible to use the Sintesi today. If ever the various automakers can produce cars of the future that makes use of hydrogen cells, people can expect safer streets and better traffic flow in the coming years.
A lot of motoring publications covered the Sintesi, whether on the internet or in local publications. If Pininfarina can create a future vehicle, then so can other automakers like General Motors and BMW. In fact, news has it that these two car manufacturers are already designing a car that makes use of hydrogen cells. BMW is currently testing hydrogen powered vehicles in Germany and General Motors is going to follow.
Perhaps, future cars will soon be roaming the streets of rich countries. Well of course, the sophisticated cars will definitely be very expensive and only the rich people can afford it. However, as the years pass and the production of such cars become stable, even the ordinary individuals can afford it.
Now, you can just dream that you own a future car. But who knows, perhaps in the near future such cars will be sold in the market already. So start saving money now so that once the future cars are launched for the public, you can afford to buy one.
Many years ago, future cars like the Sintesi was simply a dream that is very hard to reach. But now, it is within arms reach.
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The Quest for Hydrogen Fuel
Germans are absolutely determined to manufacture a great number of hydrogen powered vehicles. Have you seen a BMW lately? Well perhaps in the coming months, you will see the magnificent creation of BMW.
General Motors declared way back in the year 2000 that they are going to build hydrogen powered cars but most people believed that it would take around 20 years before that goal can be achieved. Hydrogen technology sounds too unbelievable for them. It was only in 2004 that BMW made the same announcement and they promised the public that by 2008, hydrogen powered BMW cars will roam the streets.
Recent photographs of BMW cars are gaining so much attention especially in automotive blogs. BMW launched their 7 Series just recently and its alternate fuel is hydrogen. Many people spotted the test run of the said vehicle in Germany.
There are still several things to consider before the public accepts hydrogen powered vehicles. You see, the internal combustion engines are still the most popular and hydrogen fuel is just new in the market.
Among the factors to consider are the following:
1. Cost. Hydrogen fuel is quite costly. At present, fuel cells have prohibitive prices but because of technological advancements, the cost is slowly being lowered. Once the price of fuel cells drop to a certain level that is quite affordable for the public, only then can it be a viable substitute.
2. Production concerns. In order to develop the hydrogen cells, a great amount of fossil fuel is needed. The hydrogen infrastructure is also very expensive to implement. Billions of dollars is not even enough and according to some experts, the infrastructure alone can cost 1 trillion dollars.
3. Storage concerns. This is another possible problem associated with the production of hydrogen cells. The existing gas lines can’t be used to transmit hydrogen fuel because it reacts negatively with steel. Therefore, the government needs to create a distribution system that can be used exclusively for hydrogen fuel.
Despite the three major concerns, automakers like BMW and the federal government are still focusing in the use of hydrogen cells as an alternative to combustion engines. If ever a hydrogen infrastructure is made, the government and the people can benefit highly. One benefit is that the US and other rich countries will no longer depend on foreign oil. The best benefit that the entire mankind can benefit from is that the emissions of greenhouse gases will considerably drop.
The two possible benefits are enough so that the government and automakers continue with their goal in producing hydrogen powered vehicles and a hydrogen infrastructure. If the government does extend the much needed assistance, hydrogen technology will soon benefit everyone.
The quest for hydrogen fuel cannot be realized if only the automakers like General Motors and BMW push for it. They need help from the government and the support of the public. If man wants to save the planet, hydrogen fuel is the best answer rather than depending solely on combustion engines. Check out BMW hydrogen powered vehicles online now.
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