<VV> RE: Hydrogen system (No Corvair)

[Jim Burkhard]

Photovoltaics?  Now there's a cost-effective option... And exactly which 
metal hydride system are they using? Please let me know (offlist) what 
the energy density is on a MJ/m^3 (energy per volume) and MJ/kg (energy 
per mass) basis.

Let's kill these "Al Gore engineering" (trumpet technology without the 
need for enegineering rigor) threads and get back to Corvairs.  I think 
there must be an Art Bell forum somewhere for some of the silly stuff 
being bantered on here recently. No wonder people drop off.

Jim Burkhard

Steven R. Marti wrote:
> Actually it's a not quite as impractical as that.  I think it could give the
> electric hybrids competition.  They have addressed the electrical and
> environmental costs with a photo-voltaic option and the storage system is
> not high pressure tanks.  It's metal hydride storage. If I recall the up
> side of this method is safety and the down side is weight.   The claimed
> range is better than battery power can even dream of and it would cost me
> less to convert a gas powered car than buying a new hybrid.  For the sort of
> driving I do currently, I'd almost never need to buy gasoline.  If I take a
> trip beyond my normal range I can just buy gasoline.
> 
> I'm planning on keeping an eye on this one.
> 
> Steve  
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 04 Sep 2005 23:37:18 -0400
> From: Jim Burkhard <burkhard at rochester.rr.com>
> Subject: Re: <VV> Hybrid gas/hydrogen fuel system (minimal corvair)
> To: Derek Archer <eggman at owt.com>
> Cc: virtualvairs at corvair.org
> Message-ID: <431BBD6E.10200 at rochester.rr.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> 
> Oh come on...  Just how much does it cost to electrolylze water into H2 
> and then pump it to 3000-4000+ psig to fill those tanks?  Unless you get 
>   free electricity, this is a fool's errand.  Hydrogen shouldn't be 
> thought of as a fuel per se, but rather an ebnergy storage system.  The 
> method they are proposing is technically feasible, but economically very 
> foolish. Do the energy balance.  It doesn't take a PhD, only some high 
> school algebra.
> 
> Jim Burkhard
> 
>