[Rhodes22-list] Boat Show Questions & replies

Roger Pihlaja cen09402 at centurytel.net
Fri Jan 7 10:37:40 EST 2005


Rummy,

"Anything that would improve the air quality of the planet without depleting
natural resources is what we are all looking for. "

Rummy, that's exactly my point!  Given that the only practical technologies
for producing the amounts of hydrogen required would be catalytic reforming
of fossil fuels and/or electrolytic splitting of water using fossil fuel
produced electricity, hydrogen is a net loser - more fossil fuel consumed
and more net greenhouse gas emissions.  You have to take a broader look at
the process beyond the exhaust pipe of the fuel cell car.  That's just the
mass and energy balance part of the hydrogen economy.  The story gets really
ugly when you start talking about problems with hydrogen transportation and
storage infrastructure; safety in generation, storage, transport, and at the
filling stations; materials of construction; long term reliability and cost
of the fuel cells; the incredible amounts of precious metals like platinum
and ruthenium required for the fuel cells (way more than the proven global
reserves); and on & on.  If the hydrogen economy had only one or two of
these huge problems to solve, well OK, maybe it could be made to work.  But,
taking all these formidable obstacles together, no way Jose!

Sure, GM and others can demonstrate a cute hydrogen powered vehicle.  I've
seen the concept vehicles at the North American International Auto Show in
Detroit, MI the last couple of years.  But, GM and everyone else has no
answers for the rest the of the issues crucial to actually implementing a
hydrogen economy.

Rummy, I've spent my adult life doing R&D.  The hydrogen economy is a LOSER.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium


----- Original Message -----
From: <R22RumRunner at aol.com>
To: <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 9:30 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Boat Show Questions & replies


> Ed,
> I found the National Geographic program very interesting, primarily
because
> they were discussing the direction that General Motors had taken in the
design
>  of their new Hydrogen powered platform. It can accept several different
body
>  styles.
> I also found it interesting because prior to selling my company, Current
> Technologies, we did some wire harness's for GM which were going to be
used on
> the Hydrogen platform. There is obviously a huge difference in opinion as
to
> what will work and what won't. I guess we will just have to see how it all
> washes out.
> Anything that would improve the air quality of the planet without
depleting
> natural resources is what we are all looking for.
>
> Rummy
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
>




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