The new High Temperature Fuel Cell (HTFC) uses layers of carbon fiber cloth to insulate the cell membrane, allowing operating temperatures as high as 120 degrees Celsius (248 Fahrenheit). Fuel cell prototypes that don't utilize the carbon fiber insulation are restricted to temperatures of 80 degrees Celsius (176 Fahrenheit). The higher heat allows for a more effiecient fuel cell.
Better insulation also means that VW's new fuel cell requires a smaller cooling system, in turn allowing the company to implement the HTFC in a wide range of vehicles, from subcompacts to small trucks. Unfortunately for ecogeeks chomping at the bit to hop into a HTFC Rabbit, Volkswagen says the technology won't be considered for production until 2020.
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written by Me, November 14, 2006
I applaud all the research and development going into fuel cells. However, the electric motor is already ready today... and we could have been already making the transition to pure electric vehicles. Hydrogen is an exciting new possibility. And it's especially romantic because the combustion or oxidation of hydrogen creates absolutely no pollutants. Anyhoo... aren't you glad we aren't living in the 1800s or the 1700s where the coalsmoke in cities was so thick that it blackened the walls, and the trees, and everything in the city?
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written by Colin, December 02, 2006
This is pretty cool but 2020 is WAY off when you consider the big picture of peak oil. Will there be enough energy then to mass produce a lot of HTFC vehicles? Since Hydrogen is only an energy storage medium, the initial energy has to come from somewhere as well. Where is that? And then there is the loss of some energy every time you convert it from one form to another. So this is good news but I would rather see biodiesel hybrids NOW and someone looking into efficient ways of using renewable energy sources for electrolysis so we don'tr end up doing something silly like using fossil fuels and nuclear energy to make hydrogen from water.
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written by Me, December 25, 2006
Where is the energy going to come from for creating hydrogen? Well... if we use hydrolysis (electricity), I believe a lot of the energy we need can be regained through conservation. For instance, it won't be too many years before our homes are completely lit using more efficient whiter, brighter, LED lighting. I'm sure there are big strides which can be made in the efficiency of refrigeration and cooking as well.
There's a plant in palo alto, california which is going to start rolling out extremely cheap photovoltaic panels in 2007 (CIGS). This will be another source of electricty for homes.
There's a plant in palo alto, california which is going to start rolling out extremely cheap photovoltaic panels in 2007 (CIGS). This will be another source of electricty for homes.
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NOV 04
"Where is the energy going to come from for creating hydrogen? Well... ..."
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