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Facing an intractable smog problem in London's crowded government and business center, the UK has made a commitment to switching the nation to Low Emission Vehicles (LEVs) within coming decades. For example EVs and HFC (Hydrogen Fuel Cell) cars already qualify for free entry to the city while $18.50/day congestion charges are levied against gasoline cars.
Now, with the first deliveries of the new Hyundai HFCs occurring, wider availability of the fuel is a top priority, and the government is stepping in...
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OLEV announces £11m investment in UK hydrogen fuel infrastructure OLEV announces £11m investment in UK hydrogen fuel infrastructure
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has announced a £11m investment towards the development of a hydrogen fuel infrastructure in the UK in a move to diversify the range of low emission vehicles available.
The investment will see the UK’s hydrogen infrastructure grow to up to 15 refuelling stations nationwide, and is part of government’s drive to make the UK a global leader in ultra-low emission vehicles. Joint-funded by government and industry, the project will allocate funds as follows:
£7m – install and run up to seven new customer-facing hydrogen refuelling stations.
£2m – acquisition of around 40 hydrogen-fuelled vehicles for the public sector.
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The investment in the hydrogen fuel infrastructure is part of a wider £500 government funding pot, which will be invested between 2015 and 2020, in the UK’s drive to become a global leader in the development and take-up of low emission vehicles.
Hasn't anyone told them hydrogen fuel cells are a scam?
Gee, the US Military has been using fuel cells for decades now, for powering tanks, and providing power to facilities in distant locations. Now Toyota and Hyundai are bringing new Hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles to market in Japan, and in Europe and in the US.
I think it's going to be an uphill slog, primarily due to the infrastructure issues, but there's nothing about it to suggest it's a scam. It's a way to deliver a zero-emissions vehicle with a 300+ mile range (369 miles for the Hyundai ix35), and a 90 second refueling time. Whether that is enough differentiation from battery powered EVs to compete with them successfully, only time will tell.
Long shot? Yes. Risky investment? Yes. Scam? Not in any way.
Yes, and they are building the largest tidal power installation in the world, and already have a large investment in wind power. It's an ideal combination in many ways... clean, renewable energy from intermittent sources stored for later use by using it to generate hydrogen. There's no carbon emissions at all.
Then fuel your car with the hydrogen, and voila! Clean transportation! That's why HFCEVs are being exempted from the traffic congestion surcharges, and accruing other incentives.
And of course, today's electrolyzers are nothing like the technology of yesterday. Well, what is? Continuous improvement has moved the needle for many technologies that have been around for a while, but are now finally coming into their own.
Gee, the US Military has been using fuel cells for decades now, for powering tanks, and providing power to facilities in distant locations. Now Toyota and Hyundai are bringing new Hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles to market in Japan, and in Europe and in the US.
I think it's going to be an uphill slog, primarily due to the infrastructure issues, but there's nothing about it to suggest it's a scam. It's a way to deliver a zero-emissions vehicle with a 300+ mile range (369 miles for the Hyundai ix35), and a 90 second refueling time. Whether that is enough differentiation from battery powered EVs to compete with them successfully, only time will tell.
Long shot? Yes. Risky investment? Yes. Scam? Not in any way.
Maybe you should google EROEI and hydrogen. Hydrogen is not an energy source, it's an energy sink. Energy will become scarce in the future, we cannot afford to waste 70% of it just making hydrogen.
They like most of Europe are way behind on energy future needs. Lots of proposals because the need to replace crude and its 13k other essential products is long ways away from even nations spending much more and for some years.
Hydrogen is not an energy source, it's an energy sink.
It's a fuel, aka an energy storage medium.
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Energy will become scarce in the future,
As Adam Savage says on Mythbusters, "I reject your reality and substitute my own."
Energy is very abundant, from solar and geothermal sources. Through emerging technologies to harvest renewable energy, it is becoming increasingly available to us. Scientist at MIT have calculated that solar farms on only 10% of the world's deserts could supply all of our current energy needs. And according to Lockheed-Martin (see the thread on this topic), practical fusion power is just around the corner, which offers the possibility to deliver nearly unlimited electricity.
What will become scarce in the future will be fossil fuels, not energy.
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we cannot afford to waste 70% of it just making hydrogen.
Keep in mind that gasoline cars waste 75 - 85% of their energy, not counting the energy to pump and transport the oil in the first place, then refine it, and then transport it to your local filling station. Using the latest electrolyzer tech, the hydrogen you fill up with can be generated from water on site at your local convenience store.
At least at the beginning, however, it is likely that most of the hydrogen fueled cars on the road will fiill up with hydrogen that is already produced as a byproduct of oil refining. In the UK I see that another option will use coal, which obviously is a transitional step. But it can be produced regionally and then delivered to local retail outlets via tanker trucks.
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