| Daimler's
Hydrogen-powered car
Hydrogen is not a source of energy
A few problems ... |
Daimler-Chrysler has announced
a new Mercedes that has an electric motor driven by the electricity from
a fuel cell fueled by hydrogen.
There are no hydrogen wells, of course: hydrogen is not a source of energy. In most fuel-cell applications --- with stationary generators of electricity --- the hydrogen is extracted from natural gas by a high-temperature process. However, the time required to heat the system up to start releasing hydrogen makes the process cumbersome for automotive applications. Therefore, the hydrogen is to be prepared elsewhere (where?), transferred (as liquid hydrogen, but how?) to various filling stations (where?), and pumped into ultra-cold (-253 degrees C, -423 degrees F) dewars (Thermos-like containers) in the cars. |
