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_TJ_ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-18-05 02:23 PM
Original message
The world's energy crisis is solved!
Everyone just needs to get one of these...

http://www.rubbermag.com/news/050315_04n.html

They even look cool :)

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fat free goodness Donating Member (153 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-18-05 02:30 PM
Response to Original message
1. Unfortunately, no.
It uses hydrogen for fuel. Hydrogen that comes from where? It will be made by using electricity to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen.
The electricity is still made by conventional means.
However, there are significant losses in transporting the electricity from the plant to the fuel cell in the form of hydrogen, and more losses converting it back to electricity. Hydrogen fuel cells, from power plant to motion, are LESS efficient than a good internal combustion engine (ICE). They may or may not be less polluting when the whole system is considered.
Hydrogen (excepting fusion) is not an actual source of energy, it’s only a transport mechanism. Just think of it as a liquid battery.
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firefox Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-18-05 02:50 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. It helps.
It consumes less energy than a car and it does not pollute, at least directly. Being quiet helps too.
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fat free goodness Donating Member (153 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-18-05 05:05 PM
Response to Reply #2
4. Even that's not really true.
Consumes less energy than a car: Certainly. But probably more than a regular motor scooter. (Since far more power must be generated than is actually needed by the bike, this is not necessarily insignificant. Power is generated, transmitted to hydrogen making facility, used to split water in to oxygen and hydrogen, hydrogen shipped to filling station, stored (hydrogen evaporates quickly in storage), loaded into bike, used to generate power, which drives an electric motor. You will be lucky to get 20% efficiency.)

Does not pollute: Not exactly true. There is no pollution coming out the tailpipe; the plant used to generate the power also generates the pollution.

Quieter: Most certainly.

Displacing the pollution from downtown to the power plant has some value, even if the total pollution is not reduce. And it may be reduced, if the plant is very celan (for instance, hydro.)
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tech3149 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-18-05 02:57 PM
Response to Original message
3. Question everything
The range caught my eye.
On a full tank, the ENV bike could be used continually for up to four hours without any need for re-fuelling." Compare that to the specifications

Performance Data

Acceleration - 0 ­ 20 mph in 4.3s (32kph), 0 ­ 30 mph in 7.3s (48 kph), 0 ­ 50 mph in 12.1s (80kph)
Top speed - 50 mph (80kph) (note: ENV has been tested to 50mph ­ however, with further refinements and redevelopments, this top speed is expected to be exceeded)
Range - At least 100 miles (160km)

Though the four hour statement doesn't reference speed, an honest article would take that into consideration.

I don't discount the possible benefits of the "hydrogen" technology, but when all the cost's aren't considered or the benefits are exaggerated, it challenges the validity of the study.
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fat free goodness Donating Member (153 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Mar-18-05 05:07 PM
Response to Reply #3
5. In the setting where it would be even reasonable to use,
the top speed is probably not an issue. The only possible use for this vehicle would be downtown, short trips. There is no way I (at least) would drive one where cars might be going 50 miles an hour!
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