Why not? Methanol fuel cell plug-in hybrids
Better than hydrogen?Fuel cell stacks are shrinking. Lithium-ion batteries are getting lighter and more powerful. This combination alone means the need for hydrogen to power fuel cell vehicles is shrinking. Of course, where are the hydrogen pumps?
Already, automakers, such as Ford, are exploring hydrogen infrastructure gaps with plug-in hybrid functionality by developing plug-in fuel cell hybrid prototypes. This enables such a vehicle to use both hydrogen and electricity for power. Yet, what if hydrogen could be replaced with a fuel like methanol that not only can utilize a fuel cell, but also work within the current refueling infrastructure of America?
While many, including this writer, have consistently questioned biofuels, particularly ethanol, methanol seems to have some distinct advantages over other biofuels. Off the bat a fuel cell could double the efficiency of methanol. Add hybrid technology and another 30 percent in efficiency is achieved. Add plug-in functionality and little methanol would ever be needed, except for long trips, day-time refueling or other periods of high electricity costs.
Automakers are going to pursue biofuels, fuel cells, hybrid vehicles and EVs regardless of whom becomes the next President. Shouldn't the synergies of these technologies also be pursued?
Labels: biofuels, fuel cells, Hybrid Vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles
posted by Dahcredyns at
9:42 AM
11 Comments:
I think this (ethanol/electric) hybrid is a great alternative. The only situation where I would be against it (and against any use of biofuels) is if crops are used to create the biofuel. In my opinion, there is something terribly wrong (and very inefficient) with growing crops for the purpose of creating fuel - especially when a great majority of the population is underfed, and when food cost are rising. Loosing crops to fuel would only make food costs rise.
But thats just me!
Jocelyn
i agree, Jocelyn. in fact, if automakers are going to receive flex fuel credits for ethanol, I think those vehicles should, minimally, also be mild hybrids, although i would prefer they be full hybrids.
You don't need no stinking bio-fuels. The biggest producer of methanol is the natural gas industry. Although the resultant fuel is 2/3s the energy of the original gas, the transportation and manufacturing costs of methanol totally make up for this in infrastructure cost savings.
This article doesn't mention that you can already buy these fuel cell generators for your camper; and industry is already using them to power fork lifts indoors. They must use gas/electric fork lifts for the lack of CO2 that is exhausted from the "combustion" process. You get the same result from the meth fuel cell. This would help slow global warming.
This isn't some high pie in the sky futuristic dream; we are using them already. Why in the heck the TV media isn't blowing this all over the air is beyond me! I think the petroleum industry is trying to keep it quiet.
Factories are receiving a 45 to 55% return on investment(ROI) when they convert their fork lift fleets to methanol. Fuel stations are built just like the ones we use now and the fuel cell replaces the regular battery compartment.
We got no choice but to switch this country to this science; you all know OPEC is going to cut off our oil someday in a terrorist action, that will leave us all on foot, if we don't wake up fast.
A new process for making methanol was in the news recently; where certain algae species are particularly good at manufacturing methanol as a by product of their life cycle. Seems to me that it would be smart to be piping coal plant gases through a hydroponic farms of these algae would make good use of the carbon laden exhaust gases and help recycle the pollution they make.
Switch grass, wood chips, garbage, and agricultural trash all make good sources of methanol and at no cost to the food supply. It is the perfect multi-source fuel for one-stop-shop to keep America driving!
T. Boon Pickens rantings are starting to sound pretty good about now!
Any good links for those camper fuel cell generators?
Direct Methanol Fuel Cells do look really good. Toyota, Honda, and the others should be looking at this very idea, if they aren't already.
CH30H is such a simple fuel, it's producible in many ways. From *any* biomass, not just sugars. DMFCs can even be run in reverse to build methanol from concentrated CO2 and water. One day they may even be able to pull it from atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Of course, the real prize is in the efficiency numbers, which I don't have.
But, we know ethanol production and hydrogen transport/storage is inefficient already. So why do we put so much money into just developing those? Why not develop DMFCs with public money, too.
Already, the electronics companies, the same people who made Li-Ion batteries, are seeing methanol DMFCs as a good answer to energy storage. These guys do do their homework. I kind of think that they wouldn't be looking at this unless they knew that methanol could be easily produced from many sources.
See this
http://gnuber.com/pix/fuels.png
Anderlan-
Did you see the stuff about creating methanol via methanogenic microorganisms and microbial electrolysis?
Read about a little this morning on GreenCarCongress. Makes a very strong case, in my opinion, for methanol fuel cells.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/03/researchers-show-direct-bacterial-production-of-methane-from-electricity-and-co2.html#more
Hey, thank you for the post, its very informative, I liked it.
I've been thinking about how methanol fuel cell / rechargeable battery hybrids may be the ultimate combination for some time now. For one thing, there's the enormous versatility of energy production sources for both methanol and electricity. The methanol can come from natural gas, biomass crops, and even throwaway garbage. Electricity can come from solar, wind, nuclear, geothermal, various forms of ocean power, and etc.
Except that instead of plug-ins, why not cordless electromagnetic induction, where you simply park your car over an electric coil to recharge?
And contrary to some people's ignorance on subjects, alcohol production does NOT necessarily have to compete with food production. There are many other more efficient ways to make alcohol than the corn boondoggle and utter fiasco.
Furthermore, many ignorant and poorly informed people need to learn the difference between alcohols. Drink ethanol and you get drunk. Drink poisonous methanol and you die. That's the only bad thing. People who don't know the difference will commit suicide trying to drink it. But that problem is easy enough to fix. At all fuel pumps which dispense methanol there should be a big sign with a skull and crossbones and a message which tells people: " Methanol is NOT the same kind of alcohol as drinkable ethanol and is deadly poisonous to human consumption." Hopefully, that will keep the suicidal idiots at bay.
well, i'm a fan as well Chris. the future might just be all about methanogenesis.
Due to carbon-based fuel consumption(coal,oil,natural gas),the world's oceans are absorbing more CO2 and the pH balance becoming more acidic.When CO2 dissolves in water it forms carbonic acid.This poses a major threat to the entire ocean ecosystem and all marine life.The phytoplankton in the ocean(algae)are responsible for even more oxygen renewal than the tropical rainforests.This threatens to crash the entire planet's life support system.
The solution: extract CO2 from seawater......and run a fuel cell in reverse to create renewable methanol fuel from the ocean.Several companies out there are already working on this concept.
And it's not all that difficult or far-fetched at all.The problem with extracting CO2 directly from the atmosphere is the low concentration distributed in the air,which means you are working against entropy at great difficulty and expense.But when the oceans absorb CO2 from the atmosphere,it becomes more highly concentrated.In fact,the amount of CO2 dissolved in seawater is about 60 times more concentrated than in the air.
By using nuclear power,solar power,OTEC ocean thermal gradients,and etc. ......we already have all the currently existing technology to extract CO2 with permeable membranes from seawater......and convert it into a virtually inexhaustible supply of methanol for fuel cell hybrids.
Also,I still think we need to go beyond plug-ins......to cordless electromagnetic induction charging.What if you are in such a hurry to go somewhere until you forget to unplug?
You've just damaged and destroyed your extension cord and wall outlet.
What the world needs is an electromagnetic coil mat......which you simply lay on the ground......in parking lots,your driveway,parking garage,and etc.When you park your car over it,some kind of sensor would automatically activate the magnetic coil and begin cordless electromagnetic induction charging.A secondary pick-up coil located on the underside of the car would recieve the occillating magnetic field and recharge the batteries.
And if ultracapacitors were used in conjunction with batteries,it would not only improve the performance of an electric car,but save wear and tear on the batteries and greatly extend their operating life.
At the current time,all these technologies like ultracaps,etc.,are still too prohibitvely expensive to go mainstream for the average auto buying consumer.But economies of scale and improved mass production can eventually bring costs down.The only reason things like this cost so much is because of very limited production.
On longer distance trips,some kind of electronic sensing device in the car would automatically switch-over from batteries to methanol fuel cells when it sensed batteries running low.The transition could be so smooth until the driver does not even notice the switch-over.
Also,a car could recharge on rooftop solar cells even at night(like if you work a daytime shift and return home at night).If you had a large enough battery bank in your home,solar power could not only run all home appliances,but recharge the car as well.Although there would be some loss of efficiency transferring stored solar power from one battery to another battery......and having to store it twice......it would give the advantage of recharging with solar power anytime 24/7 whether the sun shines or not.
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