Rick Raw: Hydrogen Cars Soon To Be A Reality–Space Technology Saves Environment

By Rick Grant rickgrant01@comcast.net www.rickatnight.com

Three years ago, I wrote a Rick Raw piece about the early development of hydrogen fueled vehicles. At the time, BMW had a prototype in the testing phase. Today, GM has loaned out some fuel cell powered Chevrolet Equinoxes to various ordinary drivers in the Washington, D.C. region to see how they work in everyday driving situations. Of course, to do this there had to be at least a few hydrogen stations for the test subjects to refuel their cars. Indeed, the nation’s capital is a great place to test these cars in front of the Hill, so our lawmakers can lobby the industry to get these cars into production pronto. Well, when their not having affairs or making deals.

These vehicles are powered by electric motors, charged by fuel cells using hydrogen and oxygen as the reactants. I know about this technology because I helped develop it for Project Apollo, our moon landing initiative. At the time, I knew that eventually fuel cells would be running substation-size power plants, but I never dreamed that we would be testing fuel cell cars. Hallelujah, the 1960s beat-the-Russians into space race has produced a practical spin-off other than Tang and toothpaste food.

For the technically challenged, the difference between a battery and a fuel cell is: A battery has a limited source of reactants being used up in the acid bath to produce current. A fuel cell carries its own reactants in a closed loop under pressure. The "cell" looks like two dinner plates placed together with a thin wafer-like centered (impregnated with tiny capillaries) electrode in HCI (acid) separating the explosive reactants. As the reactants pass over the electrode, a flow of DC current is created in the capillaries, and drinkable water is produced as a byproduct of the reaction. As you stack up the cells, the number of cells is directly proportional to the desired rise in output.

The manufacturing of H2O is important for space vehicles because the astronauts could drink the water. They just couldn’t take a ton of water into space. So a constant supply of water was being produced as well as the electricity powering the space craft. In future space vehicles, in addition to fuel cells, urine will be recycled into potable water. Aye, pee me a cup, Captain!

Yes, by now you’re remembering your high school chemistry classes and thinking that if hydrogen and oxygen meet-- ka-boom. But the acid keeps it separated. I know this because of the hundreds of hours of testing the early fuel cells to make sure that the reactants couldn’t ever come in contact with each other. We did have trouble with the cells flooding acid into one or two of the gas chambers.

As a shocking downside-- carrying a cylinder of pressurized hydrogen in your car would be like carrying a small atomic bomb. If that tank ruptured in an accident, all hydrogen needs is air to instantly explode. The ensuing explosion would be spectacular and instantly vaporize the occupants of the car. Ah, but the eggheads at GM say that they have developed a tank that would defuse the hydrogen into the air in a nonflammable concentration if the tank was punctured or leaked. Okay, but I’ve seen hydrogen explosions and I would need more reassurances.

Of all the eco-friendly alternatives to gasoline, fuel cells promise the best and cheapest choice in the long run–the equivalent of 45 to 50 mpg–with zero emissions and drinkable water coming out of the exhaust. Fuel cells operate at 80% efficiency compared to the internal combustion engine which runs at 40% efficiency. There are new ways of making hydrogen that do not use fossil fuels. Holland has a hydrogen highway with fueling stations that manufacture their own hydrogen using solar energy.

If this "Project Driveway" proves the viability of hydrogen fueled cars, then there is no reason we can’t have production models in dealerships next year. But, the major oil companies will have to cooperate with building hydrogen pumping stations across the land. Imagine having to drive to the Kennedy Space Center to fill up your tank from one of NASA’s giant cylinders.

Remember all those trips to the moon from the late 60s, the utility vehicle’s three fuel cells (wired in parallel) only failed once during Apollo 13. But, they failed because the oxygen tank exploded, robbing the cells of one of their reactants. And that was almost forty years ago and fuel cell technology has advanced exponentially since then. It’s time to switch to hydrogen cars.