An automobile that runs on Hydrogen ???

Question

How come with the technology that's over 50 years old ( that I know of ) are we still waiting for an automobile that runs on Hydrogen ??? .

I know their out there but we're still letting Detroit push gas guzzling monsters on us and then turn around and blames us for using what they design and build , we can't build our own automobiles , if we did some of the oil company's would go belly up along with some of the automobile company's .

Answer 1

Unfortunately, this all has to do with profit. The gas companies need to keep hydrogen and electric cars out of the mainstream public because if gas-powered cars start dying out, then, as you said, many gas companies would go belly up. If our government was more environmentally minded rather than business minded, then perhaps we could get somewhere, but, alas, this is not the case. And, if you noticed, hydrogen cars are rather expensive. In order for these cars to sell to the general public, they need to be reasonably priced, something that can't occur until more people start looking at buying these cars. All we can do now is try to motivate the right parties to get this thing in gear. Maybe it will happen one day. :)

Another interesting fact: most wars involving the United States have had something to do with oil. Perhaps hydrogen cars will bring about peace too...

Answer 2

I actually look forward to when the price approaches $4 a gallon, I wanna see people get all mad about it. I think it's absurd to complain about gas prices if you continue to buy it. Do you stil fill up at the pump? Then you deserve the misery you put upon yourself. If you aren't doing anything to cut down on your fuel bill then you need to keep your mouth shut. I only buy 10 bucks at a time, that's my limit. If you really want to send some kind of message choose to NOT fill your tank all the way. The more people actually do this, the better chance of the price going down.

If you simply can't do that, then stop whining about it.

Answer 3

The main problem is that there is no source of hydrogen in the world to fuel those cars. Sure, you can make hydrogen, but that takes power, which power comes from gas guzzling generators.

Also, you CAN build your own car. Some people do that as a hobby. Some people even build their own airplanes as a hobby. It isn't easy, but it can be done if you care enough. Do you really care enough or are you just sitting on your dead butt and complaining like everyone else?

Answer 4

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx...

This is a link to a recent article about Honda's new Hydro cars.  Don't know if it helps.

Answer 5

There is a lot of proactive research and positive development going on regarding Hydrogen Vehicles and the Manufacture of Fuels. I realize the Mammoth Resistance to change, not only by oil companies and those tied to them, but also governments. (Some Individuals as well)

Please check out www.hypowerfuel.com for on board hydrogen production, the BMW website at www.bmwworld.com/hydrogen also www.wiseGEEK.com and The Planetary Association for Clean Energy website at www.pacenet.homestead.com/    I hope this helps in your quest, I have more upon request.

Answer 6

Instead of a Hydrogen vehicle, check out the Tesla Roadster, it runs entirely on electricity and is a cool car!

Also, if you really are intent on running on Hydrogen, check out www.unitednuclear.com because they have a hydrogen fuel system that is supposed to convert any gas car into a hydrogen vehicle. Last I checked, it wasn't out yet but that would be a good place to start.

Answer 7

You answered your own question?

Answer 8

there are some issues that need to be solved in order to built a car that runs on hydrogen.the most important is how the hydrogen will be produced and stored.a solution is that the hydrogen will be produced in the car (using ethanol or something)and another is that there will be gas stations selling hydrogen.however, this is a little risky because hydrogen is very unstable.

many problems could be solved but the lack of funds for research and the oil companies keep the whole case back.so unless the oil is depleted we will not see a car running on hydrogen or in any other energy form

Answer 9

One problem with hydrogen powered cars is the question of where to get the hydrogen. Most industrial production of hydrogen today reacts steam with natural gas (methane) to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The CO is released into the atmosphere. But it's very simple to produce hydrogen from water using electrolysis. All you need is an unlimited supply of electricity and you can produce an unlimited supply of hydrogen. But if the electricity used to produce the hydrogen comes from a coal-fired plant, then the hydrogen car is no more eco-friendly than a car that burned coal. So hydrogen cars are really only as "green" as the process used to produce the hydrogen. The best way to think of hydrogen is to consider it as a way of storing energy. It isn't a source of energy. You need some other energy source in order to produce hydrogen. If we can solve the problem of producing electricity cleanly without contributing to global warming, then yes, the hydrogen powered car is great. But moving to hydrogen doesn't itself solve anything. General Motors is the biggest advocate of hydrogen in the world. They want to "get the car out of the environment equation". That isn't the same as solving polution or global warming. It just passes the environmental responsibility to the hydrogen producer. There is another potential way to produce hydrogen which appears to be sustainable. That is to heat wood in the absence of oxygen. This produces charcoal and hydrogen. One other thing which is counter-intuitive is the fact that a car burning hydrogen could be more damaging to the environment and global warming than a car burning methane. This is surprising, since the hydrogen car just emits water vapor from its exhaust, while the methane car emits CO2. So how could the methane car be more "green"? It all depends upon where you get the methane and hydrogen. If the methane is captured from biomass (trash, sewage, dead trees, etc.) via anaerobic bacteria digestion, and the hydrogen in produced from natural gas or burning coal, then it's the methane car that is more eco-friendly. So the real problem isn't how to produce a hydrogen car, but rather how to produce hydrogen and do so without poluting or releasing greenhouse gases into the air.

Answer 10

THERE ARE VEHICLES THAT RUN ON HYDROGEN !!!

Ford has been researching & developing for years

Ford is also working with BP on development of hydrogen fuel infrastructure . Just as they have partnered with Vera Sun for E85 infrastructure.

But of course the general public is not usually aware of the things that this inovative  American owned company (FORD)

does because they are too busy bashing American Auto Manufacturers & praising the Japanese companies

Here's a link to a news story that I just read today about Fords Hydrogen Fueled transit vehicle.:

http://www.fuelcellsworks.com/Supppage73...

(I've got plenty more where that came from )

Answer 11

Hydrogen not sure about that, but, water, yes. Harnessing water to run cars could soon be a reality. If water can produce electricity to run the world running a car is simple. Research is on. Companies will come up with some thing soon. Bio Gas is another option. Well forgot to mention Toyota is doing major works on how to use water as a fuel. And as far as Bio gas goes Mercedes had a model a few years back. Guess they are just trying to improve on it.

Answer 12

Waiting for hydrogen is the easiest choice. It's like people waiting for nuclear fusion. Sure, it's possible but not probable. And yes Iceland can do it, but they are geologically unique in that respect.

For a politician to say that they'll pump a few more dollars into Hydrogen r&d is politically easy.It's essentially saying, let's sit and wait. Not hard is it? You can do nothing and tell your constituents that you are acting in their interest to solve the oil-related issues.

What isn't easy is to tell people to drive less, conserve or to upset the petroleum industry's monopoly on fuels.

Answer 13

wouldnt they have a high risk of blowing up?

Answer 14

Money talks. People in power make lots of it on oil sales.

Answer 15

Again, it all has to do with profits.  Also i think that electric cars would be easier or even hybrids but no matter what, we will almost always use gas.

Answer 16

Rudolph Steiner invented the hydrogen car almost a century ago ,at the beginning of the petrol age .

He was assasinated for his efforts ,a genius like that could not be alowed to live ,but his secret is well guarded ,and when they have figured out a way to charge for the wind,Sun ,and Water ,and when they cannot make any more money on Petroleum ,more comercial attention will be given to these alternative energies.

So ask the Owners of the Petroleum industry (the illuminati)what happened to Rudolph´s hydrogen car???

Answer 17

Why do you not read some on it before you yell about the evil corporations?

Some facts

1.Hydrogen is made from water.

  Do you truly want Water to be use as fuel?

2. It cost more energy to make the hydrogen than it will have.

3. Hydrogen does not have any energy in it`s natural state. It must be compressed. This also cost energy.

4. The tank on your car would need to be almost the size of the car. Why? Be cause hydrogen has so little energy out put.

Please think for you self.

Answer 18

I know that the hydrogen craze is up right now in line with our energy craze. There is a certain reason that H2 powered vehicles are not in the market. To begin with, compressing Hydrogen into a tank is very hard because it is VERRY explosive! especially under pressure. So the companies making them have to find safer ways to handle hydrogen. If that doesn't answer your question, pl. E-mail me. [e-mail]

Answer 19

HFC

Mechanics:  Methane gas(Anabolic Digesters) breaking down into elemental Carbon and two molecules of hydrogen mixing with Oxygen (O2).

End Products:  CO2 and H2O

Risks:  NONE hydrogen does burn but very mildly.  It cannot explode do to the molecular size of each atom.

Problems:  Oil companies run the world LITERALLY!  They can say whether or not people can produce hybrids or whatnot.  Also this may be an old concept but it is still RIDICULOUSLY expensive for people like you and I to afford to buy because we have not nor cannot perfect a good way to mass produce them.