Hydrogen Powered Cars and Vehicles

One of the promising "future fuels" is hydrogen. Although hydrogen is already used as fuel in vehicles like cars, buses, and rockets, it still is not feasible to have it propagated to the masses. Hydrogen powered cars are now available but only for fleet lease and commercial vehicles.

Hydrogen shares the same principle as fossil fuel in terms of being used as fuel. Hydrogen is still burned in the combustion chamber that will eventually convert it to mechanical energy. In fuel cells, hydrogen is reacted with oxygen to produce electricity (with a by-product of water) that will power an electric motor. Also they are considered as zero-emission vehicles.

Hydrogen powered cars are slowly gaining popularity in industrialized nations. With the government's heavy subsidies, people are slowly flocking to the hydrogen fuel cell cars. Many car manufacturers have a hydrogen car in their model line-up. But they are mostly prototype or leased to private corporations. But in June 2008, Honda unveiled the first commercial hydrogen fuel cell car, the FCX Clarity. It plans to produce 200 cars in the next three years. This is initially available in California because of the hydrogen infrastructure existing there.

The integral part of the FCX Clarity is the fuel cell. Simply put a fuel cell converts chemical energy into electrical energy. A fuel cells output is DC voltage which will then power an electric motor. The type of fuel cell depends on the electrolytes that it will use. Also there are types for stationary or mobile-portable use. A fuel cell will convert energy more efficiently than gasoline engine. According to some calculations, if hydrogen is used as primary chemical in fuel cell, it could convert 80% of hydrogen into electricity. Converting this electricity into mechanical energy uses an inverter; a reasonable efficiency ratio for this is around 80%. Getting the overall efficiency we will get around 64% comparing to a gasoline engine with and efficiency ratio of around 20%

So why are hydrogen power not coming online as fast as we expect? First is the problem of producing hydrogen itself. The economics of producing it is not yet feasible for mass production. In fact, hydrogen production could contribute to emission of more greenhouse gases because of the fossil fuel used to in its process. It will be more prudent if we could make hydrogen using alternative fuels like solar, wind, or nuclear power. Hydrogen infrastructure to support a big mass base is still not yet developed. Either you have more hydrogen filling station or bring an insanely big tank of hydrogen whenever you travel. Another problem is the storage issue of hydrogen. As this is a very volatile gas greater care must be practiced in handling it.

Fuel cell cost is also a big issue right now. The components that make up this fuel cells are very costly specially the rare metals that are used in it. Currently a PEMFC (a common type of fuel cell membrane) generation cost is at $110 per kilowatt, compared to the $35 per kilowatt for gas powered cars.

But hydrogen is still a great and promising alternative fuel. If developments will continue to move along we could expect a hydrogen-car filled future.

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Water Powered Car - Too Good to be True?

Is the Idea of a water powered car too good to be true? In a time where the price of gasoline is sky high, one would think so.

However the idea of a water powered car is in fact a reality. For years scientist have been working on alternative fuel sources for cars. Some of the more popular ideas are the Solar Powered Car, The Hydrogen Powered Car, The Steam Powered Car, and Hybrid and Bio Fuel Cars. Lets look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

The Solar Powered Car has been around for a while now, however no major car manufacturer has picked up production of these vehicles in mass quantities. Some challenges facing solar powered cars are miles per hour and horse power. while being able to be powered without gasoline these vehicles don't typically travel fast and have limited horse power.

The Steam powered car requires lots of steam pressure to be built up in order to run. Storing steam at such high pressures proved to be not only dangerous in the event of accidents but also hazardous in the event of a mechanical malfunction, and the risk at the moment is to great for it to be effective.

Hybrid cars are definately on the rise and a rising favorite of auto manufacturers. A Hybrid car is a combination of an internal combustion engine, usually powered by gasoline or diesel, and an electric motor powered by a battery that can be charged. These Vehicles offer a greater increase in MPG efficiency than current automobiles. however to take advantage of this change you must purchase a new vehicle. This technology is new and relatively expensive.

Bio-fuel is a favorite of the government. Bio-fuel is made from renewable energy sources, such as corn or soybeans. The disadvantages of bio-fuels are that they take up the farmland once used to grow crops for food consumption. This decreases the amount of crops available for food consumption and drives up the cost of corn or soybean, while at the same time decreasing the farmland available to grow food for consumption.

Hydrogen Powered Cars have long been a heavily desired commodity, they would be extremely environmentally friendly, since hydrogen is a renewable resource. However the problem has long been that hydrogen is extremely flammable and there has not, until recently, been a way to store it safely in large quantities. So what changed?

In the Early 1990's a Gentleman by the name of Stan Meyers realized that hydrogen was already stored, in large amounts, in the form of water. He realized that if a way was found to release the hydrogen already found in water that the hydrogen could then be burned in an internal combustion engine as a fuel source. This fuel source would then be not only cleaner burning, resulting in cleaner emissions, but would also be renewable since the hydrogen once burned would exhaust in the form of water vapor. The end result would be a water powered car. Because water could be stored locally in the car and the hydrogen separated on demand, and burned as needed.

Stan's dream was to give everyday people an alternative to the costly oil companies, and at the same time free America from its dependence on foreign oil. He did in fact create a conversion kit for the gas powered internal combustion engine that allows it to run on water.

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Water Powered Car

For more than 100 years, the car as we know it has been using oil derivates to function. Gasoline and diesel both have significant power levels when ignited, they were relatively easy to obtain and for a long time their prices have been low enough to be widely available.

However, they have one large disadvantage: the gases that result after their ignition are very pollutant and contribute to the global warming symptoms. For several years now, scientists have been trying to find alternatives to oil and oil derivates for greener, fuel-efficient cars. You could one day use water to fuel you car for totally un-pollutant and environmental friendly vehicle. Is this just a Sci-Fi movie script?

Think again, as future prophecies may be closer than you think. In response to finding an alternative fuel to gas, engineers have found several viable alternatives, such as solar powered cars, hydrogen powered vehicles, hybrid cars and bio fuel cars. Each of them has their own Pro's and Con's, in the next paragraphs, you will read some information about each of the above alternative fuels.

The technology to create solar powered car has been around for several years, but it is recently that this technology has become mainstream enough to be used in mass production. However, none of the large, important car manufacturers has built a solar powered series car. Solar powered cars have some disadvantages however, as some of the challenges facing solar powered cars are speed and horsepower. These vehicles are not very fast and cannot run for a lot of time on solar power alone.

Steam powered engines have started the industrial revolution and they work by using steam pressure that has to be built up in order to run. Steam powered cars would nowadays be heavy and dangerous, as steam under such a high amount of pressure is very dangerous. The latest trend in car manufacturing is creating hybrid cars.

More and more car manufacturers sell or plan to sell hybrid cars in the near future and in some countries the word hybrid has become similar to environmental friendliness. So what is a hybrid vehicle?

Well, a hybrid car is a combination of a normal internal combustion engine, with power supplied by gasoline or diesel, and a battery powered electric motor that has to be charged. When running solely in batteries, these cars can run for several dozen miles without burning any oil at all.

Of course, this can be achieved only if the car moves at slow speeds, as is the speed increases, the car will start its internal combustion engine to deliver the necessary levels of power. While it has some visible benefits, this technology is new and relatively expensive.

More and more governments in the world focus on developing the Bio-fuel technology and encourage car manufacturers and users to buy cars powered by the use of bio-fuel. Bio-fuel is usually corn or soybeans based, plants that can be grown almost anywhere, making it a renewable energy source, but they have some disadvantages: these crops take up the farmland once used to grow crops for food consumption, so there will be a in-balance created.

Hydrogen Powered Cars have been seen by many as tomorrow's car technology, as they are extremely environmentally friendly, since hydrogen is a renewable resource, but hydrogen is extremely volatile (see the Hindenburg disaster) and there has not, until recently, been a way to use it safely in mass quantities.

However, back in 1990, scientists re-discovered water, so to say. Water is made out of hydrogen and oxygen and the hydrogen in the water can be extracted to fuel the car. The focus of all car manufacturing companies is to develop cheap and efficient methods of using water as car fuel, so expect your future car to run with plain water in the next 5 or 10 years.

Dennis runs Car Dealer Check which has independent Car Dealer Reviews written by the car dealerships customers and information on Car Buying Tips.

Solar energy-this Is the way our cars will be powered?

It may sound very strange to many car lovers if we try logical to the idea that solar cars are the future of running machines on the road. Yes, there are always naysayers who try to figure out a problem or another with the cars running on solar energy; They complain about the bad gear or the queer looking to despise the usefulness of these cars from scratch. Now, let's see what the big car-design companies and experts on solar cars feel; they opine that solar cars are the future, but the current of running machines on the road. If we are to go through the volume of the effort and money in research into solar energy, large and obsolete solar car designs a passé shortly during the passing of the baton at the suave-looking car that would run on solar energy.

People often get wrong when they feel that the use of solar cars will mean the end of the fast and the furious watch gasoline powered cars. No, it's not! In fact, solar cars nothing but only fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly supplements of the conventional cars powered by fuels such as petrol and diesel. The use of solar energy to fuel cars is not only environmentally friendly but also would be a great money saver (both for individuals and countries under the pressure of rising fuel prices reeling).

Using the solar-powered cars in the race track or commuting in the city is a viable option. Many car manufacturing companies try to get the odd looking solar panels redesigned to produce more stylish looking solar cars (as the word of industry insiders are anything to go by). The great and not-so-great shaped solar panels can easily be replaced by the smaller solar panels that are used for commercial purposes. You would have batteries in the car that would store the excess solar energy, which would be used when the solar energy is not available.

Light weight and better designed engines, compare with that of the conventional cars, is the future of solar cars and companies are already their resources for the production of stylish car kijken's concentrate. The obvious question that bugs every car owner is "what are the benefits of the use of solar cars"? Countless! The use of solar cars would strongly bring down fuel costs. It would just be a one-time investment and also there would be no need to stand in a queue at the gas station to get a refill; just a drive in your car on a sunny day and get a fuel refill! How was that? Now, these were the economic benefits of using a solar car, but do you know the environmental benefits of the use of these cars? These cars will work if the antidote for air pollution which threatens the future of the Earth. If you even a little worried about the future of your children or grandchildren are there is no better way to get the problem other than choosing the greener four wheelers.

Visit Here solar energyfor a great insight on solar energy and other great ideas for saving energy.

Electric powered cars – the real truths about electric cars

I must say, the thing that really got me interested in electric powered cars have was the Tesla Roadster. I really like cars and when I saw that it speeds up how quickly? (0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds.) -It definitely caught my eye. Since that I've been looking for the perfect electric transport for my family and learn a lot on the road. I must say at the beginning I found myself very confused, extremely fast when I tried to find out about electric cars! Electric bikes and electric scooters are all great .... but for me and most other people ... There is no beating the cars!

But when I began to look closer there seemed to be all sorts of things going against electric cars. as ... There are lots of great looking sports cars ... but they are so incredibly expensive for what they give and you have to stand in line! Or ... can you have one that is ugly PLUG-but hopefully you will feel better knowing your saving the environment! Or ... oh wait! Here is a car that can give you everything you need ... would you one? Sorry, they're not out for another 12 years when we get around to make it! AND ... This is really cheap ... but it won't be something fancy like ... GO UP A HILL and you usually need to recharge it about 10 times per day! So where are the facts in all this science fiction and promises? Well this is some of the "truth" I heard about electric powered cars after all my research. What is really a electric car? There are a few different types of electric cars:

-Neighborhood electric vehicles

(NEVs) or low speed electric vehicles (LSVs) electric carare s with a relatively small range (about 40 km) and a limited speed (25 mph legally in the US). This kind of cars would be used in cities where you wouldn't travel far if in London where cars such as the Reva G-wiz has flourished. Or it is used in resorts and neighborhoods where they usually done up like a golf cart as the GEM e-series electric cars. electric cars such as the Tesla Roadster or the Tango electric car that are designed to be able to keep up with a normal petrol/diesel car. These cars can go on highways and travel usually fairly long distances (100-200 km). There are also plug-in hybrids out there that are not fully electric but come close enough. They can be recharged from a plug as well as by the engine and be able to travel exclusively on electricity until their range (usually small) battery expires.

-What promises electric cars?Well first of all-a greener, gasoline-free tomorrow! They can be performed on clean electricity (not from a coal-fired plant) and emission free if you want to be able to run. Sounds pretty good to me!

So which promises they can make at this time? Unfortunately, there is a lot of now:

-Cheap and reliable batteries
-A goodinfrastructure of spots and a quick recharge time charging.
-Many different brands of cars now available.
-Lots of good value cars that could travel long distances (they can usually still only get 50-100 mile range).
-That the company will not make or sell them at any time disappear as they are usually distributed by smaller companies.
-A competitive price-they are always much more expensive than normal cars. The good thing though is that all these things are constantly improving and there is set up so that major changes in the coming years.

-So how do they work? Also the all-electric cars which are both in a similar way. The tank petrol/diesel has been replaced by lots of batteries which the electric "fuel". There are three types of lead-acid batteries, nimh, Li-ion, li-ion batteries with the most energy saving in the least amount of space.

A regulator then ensures that the energy of the batteries is nice and stable. The engine is then replaced by a motor which is typically as close as possible to the wheels, and in some cases in the wheel itself. There are a few types of engines available but I won't go into that now. A potentiometer than measures on how much you're pressing down the throttle and the engine tells. This happens smoothly and provides direct a huge amount of torque. Most electric cars have incredible gear!

-How are electric cars designed? Well there are a few things first in all electric car designs. Air resistance and weight are two big problems. Because the batteries so much weight to the car must be designed as light as possible, that is why many of the cars are so small. The batteries are also usually put at the bottom of the car to keep the weight down and stopping the overthrow. All that weight in the soil means that even if the largest SUV side swipes you, you're not going anywhere! Lower air resistance also helps with the range if the car and not have to use energy trying to fight the air.

-How the future of electric cars? The future looks pretty good for the electric car. Most major manufacturers have a electric car planned for around 2010 or 2011 showing how mainstream and there are even some great cars on the road from some of the smaller companies.Technology of the future looks bright as there are plenty of breakthroughs come regularly nowadays.

-Are there Solar Electric Cars there?There certainly are! They are a long way from becoming mainstream already if they don't come cheap and range and speed are a problem, but they're on their way. There are numerous major races all over the world for solar power electric cars that a lot of attention from colleges and large enterprises and all that attention can only be good for their development. There are even options to solar panels on many electric cars to help with charging also so the technology is sure to creep.

Well I think that's enough for now electric powered cars but if you know more about one of the topics that I talked about, there is a lot more detail on everything on my website all-electric vehicles that everything about my quest for the perfect Electric transportation.

Solar powered cars are a realistic option?

True solar powered cars are powered by solar panels actually electric vehicles. The panels production of electricity by the rays of the sun into energy stored in batteries. These batteries power the vehicle.


The problem is that makers of solar-powered cars not yet how to solve some very big ... problems that true solar cars conceived of being commercially viable.

In order to facilitate the effective energy from the Sun, solar-powered cars have to be extremely lightweight plus they must be designed to be as close as possible to aerodynamically perfect as possible ... and none of these restrictions makes for a good road vehicle. After all, you don't want a car that can at least 5 persons and go 70 mph on the highway? And how about air conditioning?

If that's what you want from a vehicle, you do not want a solar-powered car ... not yet. In the first place, where solar-powered cars at this time no more than 2 persons. Now, that would be great if you want a sports car. But, if you want a sports car, you probably want to go more than a top speed of 60 miles per hour.
Granted, ongoing work on solar cells enable them to become much, much smaller and the cars she used to be "user-friendly".

But in the meantime, simply because where solar powered cars could still the stuff of dreams, solar-powered hybrid vehicles can actually prove to be quite practical.

Indeed, systems enabling the use of solar energy to loading a hybrid car battery pack (along with a system of supplementary solar battery) actually allow for hybrid cars to operate for extended periods in the electric (rather than gas) mode for need to be charged. The use of such a solar-powered charging system could increase fuel consumption by at least 25%.

The use of solar energy makes by reducing the dependence of the hybrid battery by running it on solar energy, instead of a gasoline power, hybrid vehicles even more "green" than they already are.

Be careful

Steve Longoria







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Alternative Fuel Powered Cars

Now, we have the technology to run cars on solar power, electricity from your house, gasoline, diesel, ethanol from corn, ethanol from waste, and some enterprising scientists have even found a way to create bio diesel from coffee grounds. Seemingly every day, we have found new ways to fuel our vehicles. It's actually quite a revolutionary time in automobile technology.

While this technology hasn't quite seeped completely into mainstream automobiles yet, it is still possible to find alternative fuel vehicles to drive yourself. One alternative fuel that is very popular with the do-it-yourself crowd, is biodiesel. It is the fuel that you can make yourself from waste vegetable oil or from other sources. The cool thing about biodiesel is that you can convert an old diesel vehicle, which is cheap, to use it just by replacing the hoses. Even better, biodiesel actually runs your diesel engine more smoothly than regular diesel.

Of course, you can't write about alternative fuel powered cars without talking about the hybrid fuel phenomenon, the Toyota Prius. That vehicle has single-handedly taken hybrid cars to the masses and hasn't looked back. Because of that car, other companies such as Ford, Chevrolet, and Chrysler are all working as fast as they can to create a real competitor.

All of this just means more choice and better choices for each and every one of us. We are lucky that while fuel prices have skyrocketed beyond what we ever thought it would, that there are smart people still want to solve this problem.

You can easily convert your car into an electric car [http://www.electric-hydrogen-cars.com/why-choose-an-electric-car] or a hydrogen powered car [http://www.electric-hydrogen-cars.com/hydrogen-fuel-conversion-kits] using car conversion kits.

Ronald Wesley is a professional car power analyst.