The problem with hydrogen is it costs $2 to make $1 of product. On ABC this week was a story about hydrogen cars in Australia...all 6 of them. They could only re-fill at Toyota's facility and the cost of fuel is at least as much as petrol.
I was once at NASA Langley talking to the man in charge of everything on the Shuttle except the engines. My business partner at the time suggested he would love to go to Mars. The good Dr from NASA said "why would you sit on a bomb for three years".....
The only way to make hydrogen work is nuclear power, either fission from Uranium or fusion from Lithium 6. I have serious doubts about BMWs claim, although can be a niche product.
Roll on Chinese New Year next week and the two week holiday. After that, hard to believe LOL, the price will recover for spodumene A and Li hydroxide.
Call Glencore and ask them for a price and delivery for 15,000 tonnes of Lithium Hydroxide. I know the answer, call back next year or the year after.
Btw, I am an Engineer.
by La Grada 01/26/2024 06:43 in Automobiles
BMW says goodbye to electric cars. It has solved the problem of hydrogen engines and begins a new era
According to a recent report from Information Trends, hydrogen engines are likely to become the future of automobile transportation. EVs have been the primary focus of zero-emissions car manufacturers, while hydrogen vehicles were relegated to the background.
The electric vehicle companies’ goal is to make them the dominant player by 2030, but it appears that hydrogen engines also want a cut of the market share. Hydrogen cars are similar to EVs but they have an electrochemical device known as a hydrogen fuel cell that emits only water vapor, which is a huge advantage in the competition for the most sustainable vehicle.
To date, around 2.5 million EVs have been sold in the United States. Meanwhile, as of mid-2022, roughly about 15,000 hydrogen cars were on U.S. roadways, and all of them are located in California.
The future of mobility will prioritize performance, rapid refueling times, and environment-friendly solutions. In line with these trends, hydrogen engines might be the next big thing to enter the automobile market. There are only a few selective manufacturers that are already working on this new technology to be ahead of the hydrogen vehicles, and BMW is one of them. As BMW CEO Oliver Zipse announced hydrogen engines will play an important role in many regions of the world in the long run.
A hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle (HFCV) uses a motor that is similar to that found in a battery-electric vehicle. However, instead of being powered by a heavy battery, it runs on a stack of fuel cells where hydrogen (H2) mixes with oxygen (O2) from the surrounding air to produce water vapor and therefore electricity. In other words, fuel-cell vehicles are technically a series of hybrids commonly known as fuel-cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEV).
Although hydrogen is the most common element in the universe it’s never found in its pure state, since is generally combined with other elements. As a consequence, creating pure hydrogen for vehicles requires a great deal of energy process to break the compound, which is derived from fossil fuels like natural gas.
HFCVs are similar to EVs but with specific differences that make hydrogen vehicles a unique green offer. Hydrogen engines can be refueled just as fast as their counterparts, and they don’t lose driving range with temperature variations.
The BMW iX5 Hydrogen is one of three hydrogen-backed vehicles coming to BMW dealerships in 2024. The sustainable SUV concept aims to usher in a new era of electric mobility and do so with overachieving performance in mind. For companies, cities, and countries to meet their net-zero carbon emission timelines over the next few decades, a range of renewable energy sources is needed to fulfill the high demand for electrification. Hydrogen plays a key role in that future.
Some of the BMW iX4 hydrogen strengths are:
Despite the number of electric cars on the road has been increasing dramatically over the last three years. The International Energy Agency estimates that by 2022, only 14% of cars will be electric, and by the end of 2023 is expected to rise another 4%.
This is a great opportunity for hydrogen cars to get a portion of the automobile market, which is still dominated by high-emissions vehicles. Hydrogen engine manufacturers should keep in mind that no single solution will meet every customer’s mobility need globally, therefore several alternative driving systems could coexist in the future.