Honda’s NSX Factory Is Shifting To Plug-In Hydrogen CR-V Production
The title of this post, is the same as that, of this article on Road and Track.
Hyperion XP-1 Hydrogen Car Unveiled With 1,000-mile Range
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
This is the specification of the hydrogen-powered Hyperion XP-1.
- 1,000 mile range.
- No batteries as it uses supercapacitors.
- Five minute refuelling time
- All-wheel drive
- 221 mph top speed
- 0-to-60 mph in 2.2 seconds
- Weighs just over a tonne
- Carbon-titanium monocoque
- Outrageous styling
Unbelievable!
Why BMW Chair Oliver Zipse Says Hydrogen Cars Will Be The “Hippest Thing” On The Road
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
This is the introductory paragraph.
BMW Chair Oliver Zipse recently spoke at an interview in Goodwood, England, underscoring that hydrogen cars will soon be the most desirable zero-emission passenger vehicles to drive, not battery electrics.
He made these points and predictions.
- Electric vehicles will hit their peak in about ten years, then H2 will take over.
- After the electric car, which has been going on for about 10 years and scaling up rapidly, the next trend will be hydrogen.
- When it’s more scalable, hydrogen will be the hippest thing to drive.
I agree with him, but I do find anybody called Zipse to take seriously, because of the character in the Tom Sharpe novel; Porterhouse Blue.
AA Unveils Hydrogen Fuel Cell Patrol Vehicle
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on FleetNews.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The AA has revealed a hydrogen fuel cell roadside breakdown vehicle – the Hyundai NEXO – to target breakdown jobs in ultra-low emission zones.
Could we see other service companies switching to the Hyundai NEXO.
Volkswagen Transformation Boosts Spending On Electric Vehicles
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the first paragraph.
Volkswagen plans to increase its spending for battery-powered electric vehicles by about 50 per cent to €52 billion by 2026 as part of the carmaker’s far-reaching transformation.
That is a lot of euros.
This is a statement from their Chief Executive; Herbert Diess
We are becoming a battery manufacturer, a charging infrastructure manager, software is playing a more dominant role . . . We are developing new business activities with an unbelievable dimension for us.
Vehicle manufacturers must either change or die.
Jaguar Car Brand To Be All-Electric By 2025
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
It would appear, that some of the larger vehicles will be powered by hydrogen.
But it is an interesting, even if it is an inevitable move.
I find these two paragraphs interesting.
But it has dropped plans to build an electric version of its XJ saloon at the Castle Bromwich plant, meaning the site will eventually stop making cars.
Chief executive Thierry Bolloré said the plant would focus instead on “non-production” activities in the long term, without giving details.
Note.
- Castle Bromwich is a large site.
- It’s probably not in the best place to build thousands of cars.
- Would turning it into a giant battery-pack factory be classed as non-production?
It sounds like there’s a cunning plan.
- As an engineer, I believe, there’s only one way to build an electric car and that is as light in weight as possible to make sure the car goes as far as possible on each charge of the battery.
- So this will mean the sort of construction methods used for Formula One cars and aircraft.
- Will this in turn mean a brand new factory, that makes cars in radically different ways?
I think there’s a lot more to be disclosed.
Dangerous Innovation
I had to put a link to this article on the Romford Recorder, which is entitled Heritage: Sootigine, Dagfert and Baxtrol.
It is a tale of dangerous products mainly developed in East London.
It has to be read, as no precis of mine can do it justice.
I will add a story, that was told by the guy whose bottom fell out in this post.
The guy in the story had at one time been the Complaints Manger for Ford in Dagenham.
This was one of his tales.
Ford received a complaint via the main dealer in East London.
- The engine had failed in a car about six months old.
- So he arranged a time to meet the owner at the garage.
- When they arrived, he asked, the garage manager to start the car.
- He said that he’d never heard such a noise. All big-ends and the small-ends were making a lot of noise and it was the worst engine he’d ever heard.
- So he asked the manager to put the car on a lift and drop the sump to have a look.
- When the sump was dropped, the manager showed him the sump, which looked like it was full with a waxy solid.
So they asked the owner, who was of Mediterranean origin, what oil he was using in his car.
They got the immortal reply!
“Good enough for my fried fish! Good enough for my car!”
Liquid Hydrogen Tested As An Auto Fuel
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the Lethbridge Herald.
I find it strange that I have only picked up this story from a local newspaper in Alberta.
Lethbridge is a city, with a population of a bit over 100,000. It doesn’t seem to have much to do with Alberta’s oil industry, which might see hydrogen as a threat.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A recent demonstration project was evaluated for a hydrogen-fuelled vehicle by the U.S. Department of Energy Division. This demonstration will be applicable to other means of transportation such as trucks and trains.
This paragraph describes the conversion.
They used a 1979 Buick Century four-door sedan with 3.8-litre displacement, turbocharged V-6 engine. This vehicle provided a good compromise on trunk space for installation of the DFVLR tank, passenger accessibility for demonstration, engine compartment space for versatility in selection of substitute engines, available engine sizes, efficiency and suitability for modification of hydrogen operation.
I am left with the impression, after reading the article, that it might be possible for large American style cars to be converted to hydrogen.
Blues On The Right, Whites On The Left
I just thought, that this arrangement of Minis in Winchester, needed to be snapped.
Why the formation?
Fire Up The Quattro: My Other Car Is An Energy Supplier
An article with this title is on Page 3 of the Business Section in today’s Sunday Times.
This is the first paragraph.
Car companies could be encouraged to become electricity suppliers under an overhaul of the energy market being explored by the government and the regulator.
This is an excellent idea.
These are a few of my ideas.
All-In-One Deals
It would open up the scope for all-in-one deals for the purchase of electric cars.
The cost of the car, servicing and electricity would all be included.
A cost per mile could be guaranteed, which might rise with distance.
Most importantly, he car company would handle all the hassle and give the customers appropriate training.
It Could Be A Range Anxiety Solution
Some articles in the media, are saying that range anxiety is holding back sales of electric cars, as no-one wants to get stuck in remote locations with flat batteries.
Up market brands already have their own rescue service and I can envisage a network of electric trucks, which can rescue stranded vehicles, by giving them sufficient charge to get to the nearest charger.
These trucks could even be in a common fleet with video screens informing everybody they were a particular car company’s Electric Vehicle Rescue Truck. So when rescuing an Audi, they would say Audi’s El;ectric Vehicle Rescue Truck.
If a prospective punter, saw a rescue truck, with their favourite make on the side, it might persuade them to pop in to a showroom.
Free Or Reduced Cost Parking In Electric-Only Car Parks
In Airport Plans World’s Biggest Car Parks For 50,000 Cars, I outlined how a massive car park like this could hold electric cars with a total battery capacity of 1.35 GWh.
This storage capacity could be used to store surplus energy, whilst cars were parked.
I can see a consortium being put together to provide electric-only car parks.
- National Grid to provide and distribute the electricity.
- The car companies to provide the customers.
- Airports and rail stations, local authorities to provide the land.
But not all car parks would be large!
I can imagine new housing developments bringing in an electric vehicle-only rule.
I wouldn’t mind living in one of that type of development.
There would be various charges in these electric vehicle-only car parks.
- An hourly or contract charge for the actual parking.
- A charge for the electricity used to charge the vehicle.
There would also be a payment from Nation Grid based on the amount of energy stored in the vehicle’s battery.
Billing would be automatic, based on when you were connected to the charger and the various energy flows.
\suppose you were flying away from Heathrow for a week, National Grid would have use of your vehicle’s battery to store electricity for seven days.
The car companies would be in a unique position to enable this deal.
- They have the customers.
- They can make their cars compatible with the car parks.
- They can handle the complex billing, as part of an All-In-One deal.
- \drivers would probably prefer to deal with BMW, Jaguar etc., than an energy company.
I would expect this model of car-parking to multiply.
- Many drivers would only use public transport on pain of death, so buying an electric car is the lesser of two evils.
- It would cut emissions in the centre of towns and cities.
- It would appeal to High Streets and Town Centres, as it could attract shoppers and visitors.
- For those with home chargers, it must surely reduce range anxiety
The only disadvantage, is that it might increase the use of cars for short journeys and increase traffic congestion.
But at least the extra vehicles would be non-polluting electric ones.
Conclusion
Used creatively, the proposal of allowing car companies to be energy suppliers, would appear to have possibilities.
.
The Anonymous Widower 