University of Birmingham To Test Hydrogen In England

The British Midlands Development Corporation has announced that the University of Birmingham has unveiled a fleet of Hydrogen powered cars, making it the only university in the United Kingdom to have these vehicles.

The vehicles will be used as part of a study to research the viability of Hydrogen in transport applications. Engineers will be comparing the Hydrogen powered vehicles with gasoline, diesel and electric vehicles to learn more about their efficiency and performance. The researchers will determine how these vehicles need to be adapted in order to make Hydrogen an attractive and cost effective option.

The cars will utilize a Hydrogen fueling station at the university designed by Pennsylvania based Air Products that can fuel up to six vehicles per day. The Hydrogen fueling station is part of a cluster being set up across the region by the British Midlands Hydrogen Forum. The cluster known as the Midlands Hydrogen Ring consists of stations that will be at the heart of the Hydrogen fueling infrastructure planned throughout the region. A second station is already operational at Loughborough University and further sites planned include vehicle testing centers, an airport, a visitor attraction and eventually the open road.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/British-Midlands-University-Unveils-Fleet/story.aspx?guid={9AC0AD32-92E3-451A-AA85-88266E8DB4FD}

BMW Hydrogen Fit For a Prince

Prince Albert II of Monaco has been given a BMW Hydrogen 7 at the opening of the EVER MONACO environment exhibition. The event is part of the "Sustainable Environmental Protection" program, which is one of the cornerstones of policy in the Principality of Monaco.

The BMW 7 Hydrogen required 20 years of research and development at the BMW Group. The vehicle is powered by a V12 engine and the transition from gasoline to Hydrogen is done at the push of a button. The Series 7 Hydrogen can travel more than 430 miles (700km) and has a reservoir that safely contains more than 17 pounds (8kg) of liquid Hydrogen kept permanently at a temperature of minus 253 degrees.

http://www.thenewsmarket.com/CustomLink/CustomLinks.aspx?GUID=fb928bf8-0723-4522-970f-6c0e29723846&bhcp=1

New Fueling Stations for London's Hydrogen Buses

Air Products & Chemicals Incorporated announced that it has signed an agreement with Transport for London to supply Hydrogen fuel and a dedicated fueling station for 10 Hydrogen-powered buses. The deal is worth around $6.8 million, with extra being paid for the fuel. The company expects the buses, which will form a central part of London's Hydrogen transport program, to be operating by 2010.

Air Products is based out of Allentown, PA and is the world’s largest supplier of merchant Hydrogen, operating over 60 gaseous and liquid Hydrogen production plants.

http://www.eta.co.uk/node/10409

Hydrogen and Hythane Station In Delhi

Hythane Company LLC (owned by Eden Energy Limited) has been selected by IndianOil Corporation to install and supply the first public Hydrogen fueling station in India. The $1 million retail outlet is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2008 and will be located at one of India's busiest natural gas fuelling stations in the center of Delhi .

The station will produce, store, blend, and dispense Hydrogen as well as Hythane (a patented mixture of Hydrogen and natural gas that provides a dramatic reduction in nitrous oxide emissions) that will used to power natural gas vehicles, including buses, cars, and trucks.

India has set a target of having at least 20% of all of its vehicles operate on Hydrogen based fuel by 2020 (an estimated one million vehicles). This Hydrogen fuel project in Delhi is seen as a important springboard for the commercial rollout of Hythane worldwide.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/industries/energy/article/eden-energy-install-supply-indias-public-hydrogen-fueling-station_463499_11.html

Korean Researchers Make Hydrogen From Water Look Easy

Korean researchers at the Korea Institute of Energy Research have successfully developed the processing technology necessary to mass produce Hydrogen from water. The researchers completed the development of the processing technology, which operates at normal temperatures with improved efficiency, to mass produce more than 3/4 of a gallon (3 liters) of Hydrogen from Hydrogen iodide.

This breakthrough is very positive as the least expensive way to produce Hydrogen is to separate Hydrogen from water molecules although the connection between Hydrogen and oxygen is very strong.

The Korean government aims to increase the proportion of Hydrogen used for energy to 0.1% by 2012, 3% by 2020, 7% by 2030 and 15% by 2040. Hydrogen is expected to account for 10% of the energy used in developed countries by 2030.

http://english.etnews.co.kr/news/detail.html?id=200801170002

Cadillac Provoqs The Hydrogen Vehicle Market

General Motors has unveiled its new Cadillac Provoq Hydrogen concept vehicle at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV.

The Provoq contains two 10,000-psi Hydrogen tanks that feed a fuel-cell stack to produce up to 88kW of continuous power that charges a lithium-ion battery pack. This power is used to spin both a 70 kW co-axial electric drive system at the front wheels and two 40 kW in-wheel motors at the rear. Fully fueled and charged, the Provoq will run 300 miles and get to sixty miles per hour in a respectable 8.5 seconds and achieve a top speed of 100 mph.

The Provoq also comes with several nice options including dual battery charging ports in the left and right front fenders, a roof-mounted solar panel to boost the electric charge, and front grille louvers that close up at highway speeds to improve aerodynamics.

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/01/cadillac-unveil.html

Hydrogen To Go

Millenium Cell Inc. and Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies have announced that they will be debuting a pre-production version of their HydroPak portable Hydrogen-fueled generator at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The HydroPak will use disposable Hydrogen fuel cells to provide instant power in the place of traditional gasoline and diesel powered generators. The HydroPak has been designed to be lighter and quieter and will run indoors without problems thanks to the lack of harmful emissions. Just like a traditional generator it is able to provide continuous electricity for 14 hours to low-power devices like portable work lights, portable televisions, and communications networks. One Hydrogen fuel cell should provide enough electricity to recharge a laptop eight to ten times.

The generator should cost around $400, with refill Hydrogen packs costing around $20.

http://news.digitaltrends.com/news/story/15314/hydrogen-powered_generator_to_debut_at_ces

Zoom Zoom SuPREMACY

Mazda has unveiled a new hybrid vehicle that runs on Hydrogen but can switch to gasoline if needed.

The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid also has a lithium-ion battery that drives the motor and recharges itself using energy from braking.

The vehicle will debut at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month and will be available in Japan next year. For now it will only be available on lease from the factory at around $3,577 a month.

This Hydrogen/electric/gasoline hybrid is very intriguing and should do well as it can bridge the gap for now between gasoline vehicles and vehicles that run solely on Hydrogen.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g3Y7kOunpk649M_zNkwQ4nV3ng0A

Good Day Sunshine

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Bioinorganic Chemistry in Mülheim, Germany have developed a promising new catalyst for splitting water using sunlight and storing the Hydrogen and oxygen produced.

The team of scientists found that titanium disilicide (TiSi2) can split water using a photocatalytic process similar to photosynthesis whereby chlorophyll molecules use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose. The semiconductor is also able to separate and store the Hydrogen and oxygen released.

Using simply the sun and no other fossil fuels to produce Hydrogen is about as clean as a method as one can find. Assuming this can be implemented on a large scale it will definitely be something that we can expect to see in the Hydrogen Future.

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2007/October/01100701.asp

Driving on Egg Shells

Engineers at Ohio State University have discovered that egg shells can be used to filter out the carbon dioxide that is produced during the seperation of Hydrogen from hydrocarbons.

As it turns out the calcium carbonate found in egg shells is one of the most effective carbon dioxide absorbers ever tested.

The engineers were however quick to add that egg shells alone may not be adequate to produce enough Hydrogen for the whole country but at least it would be better than just dumping them into lanfills.

This is promising technology but not perfect since the use of hydrocarbons is still involved.

http://www.livescience.com/technology/071001_eggshell_hydrogen.html

He Sells Hydrogen Hyundai's on the Sea Shore

Hyundai has unveiled its new Hydrogen fuel cell concept vehicle called the i-Blue at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. The company says that the zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) is built on a car based crossover platform in what it calls a two plus two crossover utility vehicle (CUV).

Hyundai is confident that they have succeeded in designing a true Hydrogen fuel cell ZEV that still retains the comfort, convenience, safety and driving range of a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle. The company is optimistic that it will begin mass production of the vehicle within the next decade.

Hopefully with all of their technology and ingenuity Hyundai will become successful in producing the Hydrogen fuel cells necessary for vehicles like the i-Blue without using any fossil fuels. This would position the company very well into the Hydrogen Future.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4217080a30.html

Coming to a Movie Premiere Near You - The New Toyota Hydrogen SUV

Toyota has announced that a new version of the Highlander SUV fitted with Hydrogen fuel cells is capable of driving 900km (560 miles) at around 80 km (50 mph) on a single tank of Hydrogen. This is excellent news especially given that the only exhaust produced during the trip would be water.

The company did not mention when the vehicle might become available or what it might cost.

Once again though we have to ask whether the original Hydrogen fuel cell was made using fossil fuels or not. Either way, this is very promising.

http://www.tech.co.uk/gadgets/future-tech/news/toyotas-hydrogen-car-covers-new-ground?articleid=832724589

The Basics of Hydrogen

Hydrogen gas (H2) represents nearly 75% of the universes elemental mass and is the most abundant of chemical elements. It is odorless, colorless, tasteless, nonmetallic, and highly flammable. Hydrogen is lighter than air and since it rises into the atmosphere it is not found on earth by itself but rather compounded together with other elements. When combined with oxygen it is water (H2O) and when combined with carbon, it forms other compounds such as methane (CH4), coal, and petroleum. Hydrogen is also found in biomass and is an abundant element in the earths crust.

Since Hydrogen is not an energy source itself it has to be produced by either electrolysis of water or reforming of fossil fuels. Electrolysis of water is a process whereby electricity is used to split water molecules (H2O) to create pure Hydrogen and oxygen. Although this process can be done just about anywhere it is the more expensive of the two processes. In the reforming of fossil fuels, a device called a fuel processor or reformer is used to split Hydrogen off the carbon in hydrocarbons that are found in oil and natural gas (methane) to create pure Hydrogen and carbon, the latter being discarded into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

In order to create a true Hydrogen Future pure Hydrogen should be derived from renewable sources and not fossil fuels so that there is no release of carbon into the atmosphere. Today this can be achieved only by generating pure Hydrogen through electrolysis utilizing electricity that is not generated itself by fossil fuels. There are several non fossil fuel options for generating the electricity needed for electrolysis which include wind turbines, solar cells, hydroelectric dams, nuclear power, geothermal power, wave and tidal power and co-generation.

The Hydrogen Future will be driven in large part by the non fossil fuel option that becomes not only the safest, most feasible and most efficient source of electricty needed to produce pure Hydrogen but also the most affordable.