Ryan_m_b said:I believe the idea is that the efficiency of an electric car is better than that of a fossil fuel vehicle and the fact that national power grids are not totally fossil fuel means that overall less fossil fuels will be needed.
Chi Meson said:More specifically, a typical internal combustion engine can turn about 20% of the available chemical potential energy into useful mechanical energy. The possible efficiency of a fuel cell car is somewhere between 40 and 60%. Even if it is the low-end, that's still twice the useful work, or half the necessary fuel, when compared to gas engines.
When other energy recovery devices are included, such as Peltier junctions or other thermo-electric gizmos, and current hybrid style brake-to-electric-generator technology, the fuel cell car's efficiency is projected to reach as high as 85%.
An additional benefit, is that the process for extracting H2 from petroleum hydrocarbons is relatively efficient (compared to current gas refining methods--and I think that was a projected efficiency, since the infrastructure for high quantity H2 production is not in place--I can't find a good source right now, and I got to go...)
The situation isn't as pessimistic as this. Electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles are already being sold commercially and are seeing increasing adoption as unit costs lower and performance rises (not to mention increasing costs of fuel both financial and regulatory). I've read articles over recent months about how adoption of such vehicles is predicted to become very significant over the next decade with some commentators even going so far as to suggest a reduction in oil demand for transport in the 20s. Whilst your average electric/hybrid/FC vehicle can't currently compete performance or initial cost wise with a regular vehicle that gap is close enough for niche markets to emerge and new markets to open soon.brhmechanic said:Yeah, these are good points, but we still have to keep in mind that this will not happen for quite a while because the costs associated with researching, designing, producing, and marketing this kind of car are still going to be pretty high.
"Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cellLogicX said:you need electricity or fossil fuels to create hydrogen to fuel the car...
What am I missing here?
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that convert fuel directly into electricity. They use a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, with only water and heat as byproducts.
Fuel cells can provide a more efficient and cleaner source of energy compared to traditional fossil fuels. This can lead to reduced energy costs, decreased dependence on foreign oil, and job creation in the renewable energy sector.
Initially, the cost of implementing fuel cells may be higher compared to traditional energy sources. However, as technology advances and production increases, the cost is expected to decrease and become more competitive with other energy sources.
One potential downside is the need for infrastructure development to support the use of fuel cells, such as hydrogen refueling stations. This may require significant investment and time. Additionally, fuel cells currently rely on rare and expensive materials, which could drive up costs.
Fuel cells can be integrated into the current economy by using them in a variety of applications, such as transportation, power generation, and backup power for buildings. Governments can also offer incentives and policies to encourage the adoption of fuel cells, which can help drive economic growth in this sector.