Re: Fuel Cell Cars

>
>
>Karl, you expressed interest in knowing if foreign auto makers would
have 
>access to Bush's Fuel Cell program.
>
>  
>
After the moon landings and the first Arab oil embargo there was alot of

discussion
about alternate fuels and the use of fuel cells (when in collage such 
discussions go
 well with pizza and beer). Certain truths came out that no amount of 
media BS
will change.

1) Liquid hydrogen is an unstable explosive that will never make a safe 
general
     purpose fuel.
2) Gaseous hydrogen is safe but is not dense enough to be used as a fuel
for
     anything but short run trips.
3) Until hydrogen can be stabilized so that it will be safe to store 
under usual
     conditions (-20 F to +120 F temperature and -200 to + 5000 feet 
elevation)
     and can let a reasonably loaded vehicle travel 250+ miles without 
refueling
     it will never be a good general purpose fuel..

Some of the jokes that we came up with when referring to liquid hydrogen

were:

-What is the name for a liquid hydrogen fuel station - The Hindenburg.

- How do you know who owns a hydrogen car - He's the one who parks his
  car 100 yards from his house (in front of your house).

- Why does hydrogen fueled cars reduce the number of medical injuries - 
fewer
   survivors (you don't count the dead as injured).

At the time we came to the conclusion that as a substitute for natural 
gas (or
liquified natural gas LNG) hydrogen would work. As a fuel in specialized
vehicles (trains and maybe long distance trucking) it may work. As  a 
general
fuel it would be more dangerous then it was worth.

Scott Siebold