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
6 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
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