[Quietcars] Some basic definitions

[Robert Wilson]

The Honda Clarity along with a handful of Toyota and a couple of GM fool-cell demonstrators have been and remain a technological dead-end. In my opinion, these were "greenwash" and not serious. Fortunately, the US Government funding for these hydrogen-fool cell efforts was ended a couple of weeks ago. 

The problem with fuel cells are they are terribly expensive and sensitive. They can't get too cold nor too hot and they must have nearly pristine reactants. The only ones I've read about that sound half-way practical use molten salts at temperature hotter than the hottest oven. That was the case a decade ago and remains the case today.

In contrast, battery technology continues to advance with several competing LiON chemistries and some relatively lower temperature, air-metal chemistries. Air-metal batteries are not nearly as subject to poisioning as fool-cells.

Even engine technology is showing signs of life with solid, incremental improvements. For example, I'm planning to test an advanced lubricant, nano-boric acid, discovered and patented by Argonne Labs. The chemistry and physics are sound but the proof is in the testing.

Bob Wilson

> Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:36:35 -0400
> From: mrtownsend at optonline.net
> To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Quietcars] Some basic definitions
> 
> Is that Honda Clarity a product of this type of fuel celled vehicle?  If is
> a hydrogen powered vehicle, and has pretty good performance, but is leased
> at a pretty expensive clip.  Motorweek.org did a piece about it a while
> back.
> http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Robert Wilson
> Sent: Sunday, March 13, 2011 7:14 PM
> To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [Quietcars] Some basic definitions
> 
> 
> Hi Noel,
> 
> I'm post to provide technical posts, to make sure folks understand what the
> technology is all about. So I wrote this brief summary to hopefully clarify
> the different vehicle technologies:
> 
> Internal combustion engine - were about 97% of all vehicles sold in the USA
> in February. They can be powered by burning gasoline, diesel, compressed
> natural gas (the program you posted about earlier,) ethanol, or other
> hydrocarbon fuel. The Germans have an experimental car that burns compressed
> hydrogen. BTW, I've been looking into compressed natural gas vehicles and it
> looks like the EPA has made this very, very difficult. For example, to sell
> an after-market, compressed natural gas system, the vendor has to go through
> a certification test program that can easily cost $250-500,000. 
> 
> Parallel hybrids - sales are in the 2% range and consist of the Toyota and
> Ford models. They use engines whose power cycle, Atkinson, provides high
> efficiency. In contrast to the Integrated Motor Assist units, they have
> enough electric power to perform like an ordinary gas car.
> 
> Integrated Motor Assist - sales are in the 0.5% range, the Honda hybrids.
> They also have auto-stop. But the motor has enough torque to allow a smaller
> engine to perform like a larger displacement engine. They have worked best
> in compact cars like the Honda Civic and two Insight models that do not
> require as much power assist. So the Honda Civic Hybrid has a 1.3L engine
> that performs like the larger, 1.8L gas or compressed natural gas versions.
> 
> Auto-stop, belt-assisted, micro-hybrids - sales are in the 0.01% range
> because of the high cost and poor performance. They work by turning off the
> engine when the vehicle comes to a stop. They typically add $2-3,000 to the
> cost and provide barely 1-2 MPG mileage in the city. In Europe, the drivers
> just turn off the engine at a stop. Of course when the engine is turned off,
> the air conditioner and vacuum assisted brakes stop working. The electric
> motor has only enough power to start a warm engine. 
> 
> Electric and Extended Range Electric - there are only two models, the Volt
> and Leaf, and their sales are in the 0.005% range, the smallest group. They
> have only been on sale since December. Other electric vehicles have been
> promised . . . and promised . . . and promised. 
> 
> Compressed air - the compressed air vehicle is a French experiment that has
> very limited range and performance such as city speeds only. This is not a
> cross country or even a 100 mile per day vehicle and only seats two. 
> 
> Fuel-cells - terribly expensive not one fuel-cell vehicle is privately
> available on the market. There have been some leases but similar to the GM
> EV1 leases that led to the complete destruction of all EV1s.
> 
> Bob Wilson
>  		 	   		  
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