Re:Hyundai Nexo sets new world record 887.5 km travelled on ...
by taneq on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @01:39PM
(#27198252)
> But it's just distraction, because I think the oil industry knows that the hydrogen will come from natural gas for the foreseeable (10-40 years) with some "future switchover" to "green hydrogen".
Hydrogen was always a distraction. Fuel cells have been 10 years away from practicality since the 80s, and hydrogen production was only ever non-fossil-fuel-based in theory. It's 100% a smokescreen to protect fossil fuels.
Re:Hyundai Nexo sets new world record 887.5 km travelled on ...
by WorldMaker on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @02:07PM
(#27198678)
Plus, unlike gas, the hydrogen is never directly burnt "in the engine", it's always converted to electricity first. A hydrogen car is always going to use EV motors (and batteries, because while denser, H2 doesn't yet have anything near the ability to supply power at high demand that current battery tech has) and have all the complexity of an EV, often without the convenience of grid charging (home charging) given much smaller batteries to compensate for the weight of the fuel cell and fuel.
Even the greatest H2 car is always just going to be a second class EV with "weird fuel needs".
Re:Hyundai Nexo sets new world record 887.5 km travelled on ...
by seryoiupfurds on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @02:26PM
(#27198919)
Maybe that's where current hydrogen R&D is going, but it isn't inherently true.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_internal_combustion_e...
Re:Hyundai Nexo sets new world record 887.5 km travelled on ...
by isoprophlex on Tuesday May 18, 2021 @03:16PM
(#27199620)
But now you're again limited by the low efficiency of ICE, the theoretical limits imposed by the carnot cycle...
Even if it offers 20% better range and some allegedly better refuel experience (H2 people keep handwaving that as "solved"), that wouldn't justify the gigantic infrastructure switchover cost.
Electric vehicles can use the grid. That's a massive advantage for infrastructure readiness and scalability, even if the current grid isn't ready for full EV consumer transportation.
EVs can use home solar as well. Easily scalable, adds redundancy and alleviates load to the grid.
H2 would need a huge buildout of hydrogen generators, transporters, refuelling. EVs are so far ahead of all of that.
By the time any significant H2 infrastructure was out there, it'd be 10 years even if they secured 100s of billions in financing yesterday.
In 10 years, the alternative energy / solar / home solar / grid / battery / storage economic proposition is likely to be 50% cheaper in real dollars, and possibly even better.
It's the same problem nuclear faces.
Sure, throw some money at places like aviation or maritime shipping.
But it's just distraction, because I think the oil industry knows that the hydrogen will come from natural gas for the foreseeable (10-40 years) with some "future switchover" to "green hydrogen".
Green hydrogen smacks of "clean coal". Granted the physics/engineering for it are a lot more realizable.
But everyone should see that for the shell game it is.