New Fuel Cell concept vehicle from MB

[glojo]

Maybe a future replacement for your Sprinter if you could bear lower your standards?

Been there... The Ford Transit I mean. There is absolutely no way I would go back. I will have to look up thevehicle though.

Thanks,
John

 

[Thmsshaun]

Just checked insurance on Tesco website the car is listed but then you get the what fuel type question.

Petrol or Diesel being the options so it wont let you go past that screen

 

[BTB 500]

Just checked insurance on Tesco website the car is listed but then you get the what fuel type question.

Petrol or Diesel being the options so it wont let you go past that screen

EXCELLENT!!

 

[Thmsshaun]

Elephant worked £275.10 with protected NCB £250 Voluntary excess.


*EDIT*

Just added my partner and the price came down to £213.15

 

[jeremytaylor]

Been there... The Ford Transit I mean. There is absolutely no way I would go back. I will have to look up thevehicle though.

Thanks,
John

Yes, the last one I drove (Diesel, last generation) was REALLY REALLY REALLY rattly with the vaguest gearshift ever imaginable. Absolutely no comparison with a Sprinter!

 

[uumode]

*EDIT*

Just added my partner and the price came down to £213.15

That's because there are four pairs of eyes to watch out for hazards? - or because half the time the car might be driven by a sedate female

Same here.. add my partner and the quote goes down slightly.


Anyway, what I was originally going to post was this 80 mpg car that does 0-62 in 6.3 seconds! http://www.askaprice.com/torque-article.asp?article=VW_shows_next-generation_diesels&item=534 and I saw a price indication of about £17k elsewhere. OK, it is fossil fuel, but sips much less of it.

 

[anarchy-inc]

For some reason I though Hydrogen could be produced fairly simply from water... ok its going to take some energy to break the H2 from the Oxygen, but less than refining crude oil, one would have thought?

The problem is still as you hinted towards, where is the energy gonna come from? At the moment the energy needed to extract hydrogen comes from burning fossil fuels . . . so no real gain. Here is an interesting article about it; http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hydrogen-economy4.htm

 

[anarchy-inc]

Solar power on its own is a false economy in this country, very difficult to recoup the purchase cost of the panels, as you say. However, somewhere with plenty of sun like Australia or the Sahara desert, could be worthwhile (eventually)!

The problem is still that the size of photo cells are too large. Even if you could (in theory) blanket the whole country in cells, you'd still not generate enough electricity even in Australia. The technology is always improving . . but it ain't there yet!!!

 

[smartbrabus]

Looks promising though...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/21/nano_crysals_solar_panels/

 

[guydewdney]

Electricity is free if you have your own micro hydropower station.. or old water mill converted..

Why does noone talk ablout alcohol as a petrol substitute? The brazillians have been using this for ages (they stick a bit of petrol in it to stop peeps from drinking it)

Also - deisel => peanut oil / vegetable oil (old one this one - Im not going down this route)

 

[Thmsshaun]

Electricity is free if you have your own micro hydropower station.. or old water mill converted..

Why does noone talk ablout alcohol as a petrol substitute? The brazillians have been using this for ages (they stick a bit of petrol in it to stop peeps from drinking it)

Also - deisel => peanut oil / vegetable oil (old one this one - Im not going down this route)

Going to stay away from the Veggie oil route. Been there before. How cheaply / Easily can Alcohol be produced though. Could it ever be a real alternative? I only know it as a fuel generally associated with drag racing.

 

[BTB 500]

Electricity is free if you have your own micro hydropower station.. or old water mill converted..

Friend of mine who lives in an old mill in Devon has done this ... they sell any surplus back to the national grid. I think it was pretty expensive (and time consuming) to set up though.

 

[guydewdney]

Going to stay away from the Veggie oil route. Been there before. How cheaply / Easily can Alcohol be produced though. Could it ever be a real alternative? I only know it as a fuel generally associated with drag racing.

http://motoring.excite.co.uk/display/visualizzanews.php3?id=9012

http://www.envocare.co.uk/ethanol.htm

etc etc - interesting to note that they were using alcohol / petrol mixes in the second world war..

 

[Thmsshaun]

Thanks guy some interesting reading there. So fuel companies could produce it cheaply and easily and would also produce an increased farming market to produce the raw materials required.

The way I see it is the only real answers will come when people simply cannot afford to pay the price at the pump.

Solar would be good though when cells can produce effeciently. That going green car combined with a solar panel roof. Now that would be an idea.

 

[Shude]

Solar would be good though when cells can produce effeciently. That going green car combined with a solar panel roof. Now that would be an idea.

Solar panels would probably get you about 3 inches more range

Apparently solar panels are handy to keep the mini-12v aux battery topped up. No regular car-type battery needed for electric vehicles due to no starter motor . Aux battery is usually charged by inverter from the main (100-200v) battery pack but solar panels would mean less load on the main cells (which in the end will mean fractionally more range).

 

[Thmsshaun]

Solar panels would probably get you about 3 inches more range

Apparently solar panels are handy to keep the mini-12v aux battery topped up. No regular car-type battery needed for electric vehicles due to no starter motor . Aux battery is usually charged by inverter from the main (100-200v) battery pack but solar panels would mean less load on the main cells (which in the end will mean fractionally more range).

Sorry Shude will turn on futuristic mode [futuristic] [/futuristic] Is that the one

Was implying if the technology were here now to effectively charge the main batts during daylight hours. It isnt and I know it cant be done.

 

[Shude]

Sorry Shude will turn on futuristic mode [futuristic] [/futuristic] Is that the one

Was implying if the technology were here now to effectively charge the main batts during daylight hours. It isnt and I know it cant be done.

In the USA there are electric vehicle parking bays that have curved solar roofs on them, 8 hours parking there isn't quite enough to completely charge the cars but it's free and environmentally sound (carbon neutral).

 

[Thmsshaun]

The problem is still as you hinted towards, where is the energy gonna come from? At the moment the energy needed to extract hydrogen comes from burning fossil fuels . . . so no real gain. Here is an interesting article about it; http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hydrogen-economy4.htm

Very very interesting article. :bannana:

So to produce hydrogen you either need to burn fossil fuel no gain. Or use electricity to split the water down. No gain as most electricity is produced by fossil fuels.

So a gain will only become aparent when more hydrogen is produced by electrolysis than electricity is used to create it. Which I doubt is possible.

So there are plenty of options out there I guess its what technology becomes available first.

I am undecided. Is Electrical power really the answer I can see it but long term battery life?? Quick recharge times the technology needs to move a long way.

Solar Power. - Panel efficiency / charge times and storage ability.

Fuel Cell. I can see this but it looks like the infrastructure is a long long way off.

Time will tell.

The idea of Veg oil and alcohol refining seem good soloutions.

Is it that the above are just too simple and its not just about what fuel but also what technology can be produce who can do the best. Keeping people in jobs and taking government money for development projects etc.

 

[Thmsshaun]

Just come across this website to have a browse through.

http://www.evfinder.com