Vaughn wrote:
On 2/5/2013 1:05 PM, wrote:


One would think the research money for big electrical sources would be
better spent on fuel cells (not that they don't have problems of their
own like generating a lot of heat) than on batteries and capacitors.

Oh no! We can't have any machinery in a vehicle that generates lots of
heat!

I'm as discouraged about fuel cells as you are about batteries.

This fuel cell plane is distinctly unimpressive, I haven't heard any
recent news on it.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/tech...n/news/4257294

There's also not much recent news on the few fuel cell cars that Honda
was or is leasing in California. Plain Hydrogen has some real problems
as a mass fuel. I don't see fuel cells becoming popular until they
perfect reformers, which are the "Holy Grail" technology that will allow
them to use liquid fuels. So far, reformers work mostly only in the
lab, and are very sensitive to fuel impurities.

Problem is current fuel cells generate a LOT of heat and there are limits
to how much you can easily dump, especially for a car at a stop light.

I don't see fuel cells as becoming a mass anything until they run on
something the average idiot can handle at least as safely as gasoline,
and hydrogen has far too many issues to qualify.