To create the hydrogen and oxygen, why not use solar cells to create an electric field in tap water, same as the old high school chemistry experiment? Hydrogen goes to one field, oxygen to the other. Don't see why it wouldn't work even in pressurized tanks. The skin of the vehicle could be solar panels like on the racing cars the college kids build. If the sun isn't shining, plug it in or use deep cycle batteries which are charged by the solar panels. Howard On 1/12/05 5:05 PM, "chbenneck@juno.com" <chbenneck@juno.com> wrote:
Hi Bill,
I've had my nose in the fuel cell business many years ago, when I worked for United Aircraft.
Fuel cells sound great, but, .............
They are very complicated devices
Yes, they work on hydrogen and oxygen, but then you either have to have hydrogen filling stations, which means a conversion of the whole infrastructure we currently know, or....you have to create hydrogen by cracking gasoline.
To do that you need a reformer. The reformer is then an on-board distillation plant. The problem becomes the old Stanley Steamer bugaboo - start up time.
To start from cold you just can't jump into the car, twist the key and roll away. First you have to fire up the reformer, and once it reaches operating temperatures, only then does it start producing hydrogen which goes to the fuel cell.
This time delay is a killer for what you are currently used to driving........
Connie
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