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There's a hydrogen fuel cell version too that has been demonstrated. This is one potential pathway towards cleaner aviation.
by Gravityloss 6mo ago
There's a hydrogen fuel cell version too that has been demonstrated.
This is one potential pathway towards cleaner aviation.
- sehansen 6mo agoHydrogen has a volume problem, though. A 1st generation Toyota Mirai contains 5 kg of H2, equivalent to 197 kWh. That would take up 55 m3 at atmospheric pressure which is why the Mirai stores it at ~700 atmospheres. That's still a 78 liter tank. AFAICT 200 kWh of petrol takes up 25 liters, i.e. a third. On top of that the high-pressure tank in the Mirai weighs 87 kg.
- JumpCrisscross 6mo agoHydrogen also sucks in that it puts you in your own scaling lane. Relying on batteries means EVs, grid storage, et cetera drive down your costs for “free”.
- card_zero 6mo agoBertha Benz faced a similar problem in 1888, and had to refuel the Patent-Motorwagen by seeking out pharmacies. Drivers of the steam cars that were popular in France could just pick up a bag of coal from anywhere. (Wait, that doesn't sound right. A bottle of kerosene, then.)
- deleted 6mo ago[deleted]
- Intralexical 6mo agoI like the idea of fuel cells, but hydrogen's going to have an image problem as soon as people see the failure mode, if it's just being stored as H2 in compressed tanks. Liquid fossil fuels and electric batteries burn with a gradual flame. Hydrogen suddenly detonates, with a supersonic, shattering shockwave, if it's mishandled. Even with Cold War money, Lockheed's famed Kelly Johnson couldn't make the logistics work for the CL-400.
- nradov 6mo agoIf we want clearer aviation then manufacturing synthetic liquid jet fuel (kerosene) is more likely to be viable than hydrogen.