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> anyone could trivially break the record "Make it bigger" doesn't really work in cars, otherwise range anxiety wouldn't exist as a concept. The record still

> anyone could trivially break the record "Make it bigger" doesn't really work in cars, otherwise range anxiety wouldn't exist as a concept. The record still makes sense because the Hyundai Nexo is commercially available and it's not a prototype with a comically-large just for the record tank.

542458 5y ago
“Make it bigger” does work, but it increasingly stops resembling a car. Check out the range this one can get on a single tank of hydrogen! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas-Centaur https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas-Centaur I don’t know what you’d consider the max range here to be, but it’s definitely better than 887km.
- beckingz 5y ago
  I think the space shuttle may win for most kilometers traveled on a single hydrogen tank.
  - 542458 5y ago
    I would have citied that, but they use solid boosters which makes the number messier... I could get a lot of range on a Tesla if I was allowed to use solid fuel boosters!
  - 0x64 5y ago
    Shuttle had solid-fuel boosters and hypergolic thrusters for on-orbit maneuvering. The Delta IV Heavy, on the other hand, is a fully hydrogen-powered rocket: three common cores, with an RL10-powered upper stage. It also launched the Parker Solar Probe, which has been doing rounds around the sun for a while now.
- dweekly 5y ago
  Excellent range. And to the point of the comment, said linked vehicle is a production vehicle where the tank was not added for the sole purpose of breaking a record, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
hwillis 5y ago
While it's true that you could add probably double the H2 storage to most HFC vehicles, I think this is the correct take. The Mirai's fuel tank is 37.25 gallons/141 liters vs 12-15 gallons/45-55 liters of gasoline for most cars. Tank capacity only helps so much. You may have to fill up half as often, but having to go out of your way for a special station is annoying. ICE vehicles could easily have 40 gallon tanks, and eventually FCVs won't have these incredibly high ranges.
- donkeyd 5y ago
  > but having to go out of your way for a special station is annoying I went back from a Tesla to a diesel car. I hate going out of my way to special stations to fill up my car with diesel. I much preferred unplugging in the morning and plugging back in in the evening.
- toast0 5y ago
  > ICE vehicles could easily have 40 gallon tanks My first vehicle had a 33 gallon tank. Not much room for anything bigger; of course mileage was awful. My most efficient car can do about 600 miles on a 14 gallon tank; if it had room for a 33 gallon tank, it could go halfway across the country on one tank.
cptskippy 5y ago
> "Make it bigger" doesn't really work in cars, otherwise range anxiety wouldn't exist as a concept. Sure it does. Just look at Tesla, at the time EVs had 24kwh or smaller batteries and they more than doubled that to give reasonable ranges.
- contriban 5y ago
  My point is that there’s a limit to it. Teslas still don’t have the same range as a gas car in the same category/price. They could increase it but then I don’t think they can sell a lot of $150k Model Ss. At some point you’ll have more drawbacks than it’s worth it (size, price, weight, efficiency, safety).

542458 5y ago

“Make it bigger” does work, but it increasingly stops resembling a car. Check out the range this one can get on a single tank of hydrogen! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas-Centaur https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas-Centaur I don’t know what you’d consider the max range here to be, but it’s definitely better than 887km.

beckingz 5y ago
I think the space shuttle may win for most kilometers traveled on a single hydrogen tank.
- 542458 5y ago
  I would have citied that, but they use solid boosters which makes the number messier... I could get a lot of range on a Tesla if I was allowed to use solid fuel boosters!
- 0x64 5y ago
  Shuttle had solid-fuel boosters and hypergolic thrusters for on-orbit maneuvering. The Delta IV Heavy, on the other hand, is a fully hydrogen-powered rocket: three common cores, with an RL10-powered upper stage. It also launched the Parker Solar Probe, which has been doing rounds around the sun for a while now.
dweekly 5y ago
Excellent range. And to the point of the comment, said linked vehicle is a production vehicle where the tank was not added for the sole purpose of breaking a record, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

hwillis 5y ago

While it's true that you could add probably double the H2 storage to most HFC vehicles, I think this is the correct take. The Mirai's fuel tank is 37.25 gallons/141 liters vs 12-15 gallons/45-55 liters of gasoline for most cars. Tank capacity only helps so much. You may have to fill up half as often, but having to go out of your way for a special station is annoying. ICE vehicles could easily have 40 gallon tanks, and eventually FCVs won't have these incredibly high ranges.

donkeyd 5y ago
> but having to go out of your way for a special station is annoying I went back from a Tesla to a diesel car. I hate going out of my way to special stations to fill up my car with diesel. I much preferred unplugging in the morning and plugging back in in the evening.
toast0 5y ago
> ICE vehicles could easily have 40 gallon tanks My first vehicle had a 33 gallon tank. Not much room for anything bigger; of course mileage was awful. My most efficient car can do about 600 miles on a 14 gallon tank; if it had room for a 33 gallon tank, it could go halfway across the country on one tank.

cptskippy 5y ago

> "Make it bigger" doesn't really work in cars, otherwise range anxiety wouldn't exist as a concept. Sure it does. Just look at Tesla, at the time EVs had 24kwh or smaller batteries and they more than doubled that to give reasonable ranges.

contriban 5y ago
My point is that there’s a limit to it. Teslas still don’t have the same range as a gas car in the same category/price. They could increase it but then I don’t think they can sell a lot of $150k Model Ss. At some point you’ll have more drawbacks than it’s worth it (size, price, weight, efficiency, safety).