Replacing Oil Blog

Eight different auto manufacturers drove from Portland, Maine to Los Angeles in modified hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. I was pleasantly surprised with this video from GreenEnergyTV despite the opening, “It was a finish with no medals but many firsts”. Please!

The purpose of the cross country trip was to spread the word. Sadly, most Americans I meet still confuse hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with dubious “HHO Technology” that allows you to mystically “run your car on water”. I’m hoping that the hundreds of people that peeked under the hoods realize that these cars use electric motors.

I can’t understand the statements from the Hyundai representative who offers his insight on fuel cell vehicle manufacturing: “who knows exactly when we’ll see a hydrogen vehicle”. He must be familiar with Honda’s FCX Clarity, a 100% “Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle”. It might be limited to areas with available filling stations, but we’re seeing them right now, just not from Hyundai.

Air New Zealand is closer to a biofuel test flight. It plans on using a Boeing 747 with Jatropha derived biofuel in an engine manufactured by Rolls-Royce. The fuels are being refined in the United States with test samples being sent to Rolls-Royce. The company is testing the fuel on their recently successful Trent 1000 engine.

This is a big moment for biofuels. Once this test flight is underway it will be the her world’s first flight on a large passenger aircraft use of fuel sourced from the Jatropha weed her says that airline’s head of operations David Morgan, aka Captain Morgan.

Globally, airlines are complaining about fuel costs, New Zealand air spent an extra three hundred million dollars last year on jet fuel prices for a barrel had risen to as high as a hundred and seventy four US dollars. The Jatropha derived biofuel can be produced for about thirty percent less.

However, it’s not just a cost savings that has Air New Zealand interested in biofuels. The company is hoping to impress more affluent customers concerned about the size of their international flights carbon footprint. Whatever the reason it’s exciting to see a major airline serious about actually using biofuels.

Air New Zealand has an ambitious plan to run sustainable hybrid fuels on at least ten percent of its fleet within the next five years. although ten percent might not seem impressive. That’s still enough to reduce the airlines dependency on oil by one million barrels per year.

The Pickens Plan to shuffle our resource usage in order to free America from it’s addiction to foreign oil is picking up steam. Now with over a million members it’s got some political power as well.

T. Boone has recently met with both presidential candidates about the plan. They have no choice now, but to take the former oilman seriously. Energy policy is a huge issue this election and the Pickens Plan website has over 4 million visitors. They’ve got to act interested!

Not only do the candidates take the plan seriously, a national poll shows that most (almost three quarters) Americans believe that it’s possible to completely cut dependance on foreign oil within 10 years. Interesting enough though most Americans have no faith in COngress or the Senate to allow the plan to succeed. Shocking.

Honda’s FCX Clarity may be the most promising hydrogen fuel cell vehicle today, but good luck getting one. They’re only leasing 200 this year, and even those will only be offered in Southern California. It appears they’re being very selective about who they allow to pay $600 a month for the cars, instead of a first come first serve system.

It’s not easy to lease a new FCX Clarity

I just saw that the 2nd of only 200 people to receive the world’s first automobile engineered specifically for hydrogen fuel cell power will be Jamie Lee Curtis and her husband. She hasn’t starred in anything I’ve enjoyed since she did a very memorable strip tease in that movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Does anybody remember what it was called?

I’ll dance in my underwear for a FCX Clarity!

Is that what it takes to be allowed the opportunity to pay $600 a month to lease this car? A strip tease for a future governor? If so, most of us stand little chance of ever driving one. At least now I understand why they’re only leasing them in Southern California.

Hydrogen Filling Stations Please!

Unless you live in Washington DC, New York State, or Southern California you’ll probably only be able to see the FCX Clarity on youtube. Hydrogen is getting cheaper and the amount of filling stations and infrastructure will expand, but when? I want one now!

Hydrogen, How Low Can You Go?

Two weeks ago a Penn State research team supported by a DOE grant found a way to produce hydrogen directly from solar energy using nanotubes in a photoelectrochemical diode. This means that the energy from the sun is directly stored in the form of hydrogen. Depending on the cost of the arrays, once they’re being manufactured, this could mean some super cheap hydrogen.

Just over a week ago Global Hydrogen Inc. reported that they could produce hydrogen for $2.47 per kg. using higher efficiency electrolysis generators. Surprising enough the industry average for hydrogen production is about $3.57/kg. To put that in perspective the Honda’s new FCX Clarity runs between 60-70 miles on a kg of hydrogen. So now, instead of paying $10 to drive 200 miles, you can go 300. Cheap!

An MIT researcher did something, everybody pay attention!

I’m very shocked by the lack of attention heaped on the Penn State research team and Global Hydrogen, it seems their developments went largely unnoticed. I guess they should of included a photo of themselves looking intelligent, yet rugged, like MIT researcher Daniel C. Nocera.

It’s not that his findings aren’t significant, they certainly are. Platinum costs around $2000 an ounce and is the main expense in both electrolysis equipment (makes H2O just H and O) and hydrogen fuel cells (generates electricity by letting H and O come back together). Basically the MIT team found a way to do it with cobalt and phosphate which are, compared to platinum, practically free.

Where do I fill up the FCX Clarity that I can’t purchase?

Unless you live in California, Washington D.C. or New York State you have to enviously watch other prople fill up their fuel cell vehicles, but not the FCX Clarity they’re still testing the first 100 production models in Southern California.

While watching remember that it only costs $10 to fill it up and then quickly compose a scathing letter to your state legislators demanding hydrogen filling stations!