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Boeing to Develop a Fuel Cell Powered Airplane

Posted by chrisd on from the lightest-element dept.

gilgsn writes: "From Yahoo News: Boeing is working with a light airplane manufacturer in Spain on a fuel cell powered plane. The efficiency of electric motors, with their reliability, acceleration, lack of vibrations and noise has a lot to offer to general aviation. The project aims at exploring environmentally friendly modes of propulsion. I can easily imagine a hybrid aircraft using fuel cell technology for take-off and altitude gain, coupled with solar cells to sustain flight. I hope a kitplane manufacturer in the United States will read this. I can't wait to fly a fuel cell powered ultralight!" CD: The question is can a fuel cell deliver enough energy for a flight long enough to be practical.

5 of 205 comments (clear)

  1. boom? by Komarosu · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Another thing...it gets hit by lightening and it will break the sound barrier :P

    --

    "What do you mean you have no ice? Do you expect me to drink this coffee hot?" - Random Customer, Clerks
  2. Re:Which Fuel? by JimPooley · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    So you want to finish the job of destroying global tourism that scaredy-cat yanks are already starting, eh?
    Personally I'd rather we made bigger concordes!

    --

    "Information wants to be paid"
  3. Re:Hydrogen dangerous? by Billly+Gates · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    If you look at the periodic table of elements, you will find hydrogen on the far upper left corner. If you remember from Highschool chemistry class, the further left and up you go, the more active the element is. Hydrogen is the most active element in the world. Its used ot make explosives because it can mix with almost anything and can make very unstable compounds that break easily. This makes a big explosion. Hydrogen also reacts with metal. This is bad because planes are made out of metal. Its just so reactive that it when it leaks it can react with just about anything and form explosive compounds. ALso by itself when its not in a compound it can explode quite nicely when heated up. Infact at my old highschool they put lye in the schools radiators. It turns out when natural acids in the water reacts with the metal, hydrogen gas can be created. Its so explosive that lye is added to prevent potential explosions from the boiler.

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    http://saveie6.com/
  4. Ka-BOOM! by tenzig_112 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    The Hindenberg disaster meets 9/11- that's what we may very well get when we combine hydrogen-based fuel cells with air travel. Only this time it won't be terrorism but some minor maintenance foul-up that kills thousands of people.

    Why not put wings on nuclear submarines?

    Fuel cells, high-def TV, Linux: they all make so much sense, if only we could manufacture enough consumer interest...

  5. WTF are you talking about? by autopr0n · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    The FUEL exploded not the fucking engines!

    It dosn't matter what method of extracting energy was used, what matters is how it's stored.

    --
    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.