Every time someone invents something that is going to end all wars, it just backfires. Imagine an army of robots that have no fear.
Bolo....
Berzerker....
Hydrogen has too many barriers for use as an auto fuel right now. Perhaps in the future, when we're already using it in lieu of natural gas and there is an established infrastructure, but for now, there is too much infrastructure to replace. Complicate this with the relatively short range (that I've seen quoted) of about 150 miles between fillups and you have a vehicle that is only good in metropolitan areas that have an adequate infrastructure to keep your tank filled up.
Biodiesel is really what we should be concentrating on right now. Biodiesel pours right into pretty much any existing diesel engine and has only slightly less BTUs per gallon that petroleum diesel. Certainly biodiesel isn't as clean as hydrogen, but it's a whole heck of a lot cleaner than petroleum diesel and even more so than gasoline.
The best part of biodiesel is the fact that you can start using it immediately in your unmodified diesel powered vehicle and not have to worry that you're going to be able to find some (currently) exotic fuel if you go on a trip. Worse case, just pour regular diesel in. Biodiesel would make the transition phase painless.
Hydrogen is much better as a long range plan. Biodiesel needs zero special handling considerations, while hydrogen needs significantly more. A new national distribution network is not something that you can whip up in a short time. There are probably other things that would be better run on hydrogen before cars. Maybe we could transition to it instead of natural gas for home heating. Once that network is established, then it can be used as a basis to begin to build a national hydrogen auto fuel network.
I've got my money where my mouth is too. I run 20 to 40% blends of biodiesel in Dodge truck. The truck runs better on the biodiesel than it does on petroleum diesel, smells better, and the fuel is better for the engine since it has much higher lubricity than petroleum diesel. On top of that, I know that 100% of the cost of the biodiesel I buy pretty much stays in the USA.
Tad
Slashdot Mirror
Every time someone invents something that is going to end all wars, it just backfires. Imagine an army of robots that have no fear. Bolo.... Berzerker....
Hydrogen has too many barriers for use as an auto fuel right now. Perhaps in the future, when we're already using it in lieu of natural gas and there is an established infrastructure, but for now, there is too much infrastructure to replace. Complicate this with the relatively short range (that I've seen quoted) of about 150 miles between fillups and you have a vehicle that is only good in metropolitan areas that have an adequate infrastructure to keep your tank filled up. Biodiesel is really what we should be concentrating on right now. Biodiesel pours right into pretty much any existing diesel engine and has only slightly less BTUs per gallon that petroleum diesel. Certainly biodiesel isn't as clean as hydrogen, but it's a whole heck of a lot cleaner than petroleum diesel and even more so than gasoline. The best part of biodiesel is the fact that you can start using it immediately in your unmodified diesel powered vehicle and not have to worry that you're going to be able to find some (currently) exotic fuel if you go on a trip. Worse case, just pour regular diesel in. Biodiesel would make the transition phase painless. Hydrogen is much better as a long range plan. Biodiesel needs zero special handling considerations, while hydrogen needs significantly more. A new national distribution network is not something that you can whip up in a short time. There are probably other things that would be better run on hydrogen before cars. Maybe we could transition to it instead of natural gas for home heating. Once that network is established, then it can be used as a basis to begin to build a national hydrogen auto fuel network. I've got my money where my mouth is too. I run 20 to 40% blends of biodiesel in Dodge truck. The truck runs better on the biodiesel than it does on petroleum diesel, smells better, and the fuel is better for the engine since it has much higher lubricity than petroleum diesel. On top of that, I know that 100% of the cost of the biodiesel I buy pretty much stays in the USA. Tad