Tesla CEO Elon Musk: Fuel Cells Are 'So Bull@%!#'

Frosty P sends this quote from AutoblogGreen: "Elon Musk is unafraid to speak his mind. Whether he's talking about other players in the electric vehicle space or sub-par reporting from The New York Times, this is a man with few filters. Musk says that fuel cells are not part of the solution that electric vehicles offer for giving up the hydrocarbon addiction. After commenting that the only reason some automakers are pursuing hydrogen technology is for marketing purposes, that lithium batteries are superior mass- and volume-wise for a given range, and that fuel cells are too expensive, Musk capped it all off with the safety issue. 'Oh god, a fuel cell is so bull@%!#,' Musk said. 'Hydrogen is quite a dangerous gas. You know, it's suitable for the upper stage of rockets, but not for cars,' he said."

Comments

Re:Hydrogen is indeed quite dangerous...

[ShanghaiBill]

Did you forget the Hindenberg? Hydrogen can explode, as well as burn. Back to elementary chemistry for you Bubba.

The Hindenberg did not explode. It burned quickly, but most of the hydrogen burned outside of the frame. Of the 97 people on board, the majority survived. Many of those that died were killed by gravity, not heat. As long as your electric vehicle doesn't rely on hydrogen's buoyancy to keep it suspended hundreds of feet above the ground, you will likely be fine. The problem with hydrogen is not safety, but economics.

Re:Hydrogen is indeed quite dangerous...

[AK Marc]

The Hindenberg cause of ignition hasn't been determined, but hydrogen wasn't deadly to the people. It rises faster than it burns, so the flame front will go up as it burns, leaving those on the ground safe. And unlike nearly every other fuel, the combustion product is safe. Most people who die in home fires die from smoke. The "smoke" from hydrogen fire is water.

"Hydrogen fires are notable for being less destructive to immediate surroundings than gasoline explosions because of the buoyancy of H2, which causes heat of combustion to be released upwards more than circumferentially as the leaked mass ascends in the atmosphere; hydrogen fires are more survivable than fires of gasoline and of wood. The hydrogen in the Hindenburg burned out within about 90 seconds."

Hydrogen fires are some of the safest to be around. Most of the people inside on the ship at the time survived the Hindenberg disaster. The fire wasn't as deadly as many other transportation accidents with diesel or jet fuel or gasoline.