4 ms·

Same question from me also. Also, hydrogen is highly explosive, so how can that be safely used in cars without detonating a la Hindenburg whenever there's a col

Same question from me also. Also, hydrogen is highly explosive, so how can that be safely used in cars without detonating a la Hindenburg whenever there's a collision?

gnull 5y ago
It is explosive only when mixed with enough oxygen, much like gasoline or propane. Hindenburg did not explode, it burned (quite fast, I should add). As I understand, If you make a hole in hydrogen tank and set it on fire, it will just burn (don't try to do this at home).
- trutannus 5y ago
  > If you make a hole in hydrogen tank and set it on fire Right, the issue is though that in a collision you won't always just have a nice small controlled hole and burn. I've worked around Hydrogen before, and storage was always a tricky issue. I remember the regulations stating something like needing to store the tank with either Argon or Nitrogen beside it. Not really something I'd want in the back, or any part for that matter, of my car.
  - gnull 5y ago
    Sorry, my bad, I misunderstood what you meant.
_gtly 5y ago
The danger of using hydrogen gas in a vehicle may be on the same order as compressed natural gas (CNG) which is used for e.g.: some busses. Hydrogen is stored under very high pressure in tanks, which if ruptured in an accident can cause a physical explosion. A study on CNG in busses says: "One can therefore conclude that CNG buses are more prone to fire fatality risk by 2.5 times that of diesel buses, with the bus passengers being more at risk by over two orders of magnitude." source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15876211/#:~:text=One%20can%20therefore%20conclude%20that,)%20fatalities%2Fbus%20per%20year https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15876211/#:~:text=One%20can%....
- trutannus 5y ago
  > 2.5 times that of diesel buses These are not compelling numbers. Ideally you'd want something safer, not a few times more dangerous.

Same question from me also. Also, hydrogen is highly explosive, so how can that be safely used in cars without detonating a la Hindenburg whenever there's a collision?

gnull 5y ago

It is explosive only when mixed with enough oxygen, much like gasoline or propane. Hindenburg did not explode, it burned (quite fast, I should add). As I understand, If you make a hole in hydrogen tank and set it on fire, it will just burn (don't try to do this at home).

trutannus 5y ago
> If you make a hole in hydrogen tank and set it on fire Right, the issue is though that in a collision you won't always just have a nice small controlled hole and burn. I've worked around Hydrogen before, and storage was always a tricky issue. I remember the regulations stating something like needing to store the tank with either Argon or Nitrogen beside it. Not really something I'd want in the back, or any part for that matter, of my car.
- gnull 5y ago
  Sorry, my bad, I misunderstood what you meant.

_gtly 5y ago

The danger of using hydrogen gas in a vehicle may be on the same order as compressed natural gas (CNG) which is used for e.g.: some busses. Hydrogen is stored under very high pressure in tanks, which if ruptured in an accident can cause a physical explosion. A study on CNG in busses says: "One can therefore conclude that CNG buses are more prone to fire fatality risk by 2.5 times that of diesel buses, with the bus passengers being more at risk by over two orders of magnitude." source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15876211/#:~:text=One%20can%20therefore%20conclude%20that,)%20fatalities%2Fbus%20per%20year https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15876211/#:~:text=One%20can%....

trutannus 5y ago
> 2.5 times that of diesel buses These are not compelling numbers. Ideally you'd want something safer, not a few times more dangerous.