[Graeme]

HYDROGEN FUEL CELL VEHICLES POISED TO GET ROLLING

A convergence of factors is propelling a market rollout of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, according to a new study from the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis. A key to hydrogen’s potential success is a new smart solution that clusters hydrogen fuel infrastructure in urban or regional networks, limiting initial costs and enabling an early market for the technology before committing to a full national deployment, suggests the study.

The researchers behind the study, “The Hydrogen Transition,” probe the variety of factors combining to increase the likelihood of successful hydrogen-powered car commercialization. These include new thinking by government and industry on strategies for developing fuel station infrastructure, falling costs for fuel cell vehicle and hydrogen station components, a new array of sporty hydrogen cars about to come to market from major car makers, ample low cost natural gas for making hydrogen, and the strengthening U.S. interest in climate change solutions.

“We seem to be tantalizingly close to the beginning of a hydrogen transition,” said lead author Joan Ogden, professor of environmental science and policy and director of the Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways (NextSTEPS). “The next three to four years will be critical for determining whether hydrogen vehicles are just a few years behind electric vehicles, rather than decades.”

earthtechling

[Graeme]

More info about the above study in the following links:

Why the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle rollout may now succeed

A convergence of factors is propelling a market rollout of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, according to a new study from the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis. A key to hydrogen's potential success is a new smart solution that clusters hydrogen fuel infrastructure in urban or regional networks, limiting initial costs and enabling an early market for the technology before committing to a full national deployment, suggests the study.

The researchers behind the study, "The Hydrogen Transition," probe the variety of factors combining to increase the likelihood of successful hydrogen-powered car commercialization. These include new thinking by government and industry on strategies for developing fuel station infrastructure, falling costs for fuel cell vehicle and hydrogen station components, a new array of sporty hydrogen cars about to come to market from major car makers, ample low cost natural gas for making hydrogen, and the strengthening U.S. interest in climate change solutions.

phys.org

greencarcongress

[hvacman]

A key to hydrogen's potential success is a new smart solution that clusters hydrogen fuel infrastructure in urban or regional networks,

Ironically, the key to the EV's potential mainstream success relies more on overcoming range anxiety with a de-clustered fast charge DC charging infrastructure in the hinterlands on rural highways and interstates, as local charging infrastructure is largely already available built-in at home.

ample low cost natural gas for making hydrogen,

Finally, the hydrogen technology supporters acknowledge that success will be driven by low cost natural gas. Going two steps further down that road, if low cost natural gas is the result of the shale gas revolution and that revolution relies on fracking, does that mean that hydrogen supporters are frack-pots?

[Graeme]

No, they're not "frack-pots". NG will be used initially but read phys.org post:

Methods for cost-effectively producing low-carbon hydrogen from renewable sources hold promise for greater greenhouse gas emission reductions. Hydrogen FCV emissions are already less than half that of conventional gasoline vehicles, due to the greater efficiency of the fuel cell.

The long-term environmental, economic and societal benefits of hydrogen FCVs are significant. Fuel cost savings for customers and the reduced costs of air pollution, oil dependence and climate change outweigh transition costs by 10 to 1.

[Graeme]

HyperSolar Hails International Hydrogen Fuel Advancements

HyperSolar, Inc. (OTCQB: HYSR), the developer of a breakthrough technology to produce renewable hydrogen using sunlight and water, commented today on the significance of hydrogen growth in foreign countries, further signifying and advancing hydrogen fuel cell expansion.
In just the last two months, Japan, Denmark, and the United Kingdom have announced significant technological breakthroughs and ambitious plans to support hydrogen fuel powered vehicles, and industrial and manufacturing development. On June 19, Japan laid out a timeline for objectives and actions over the next 25 years to commercialize fuel cell vehicles and utilize hydrogen energy applications for other areas of use. Similarly, and an example of hydrogen fuel cell infrastructure growth, Air Liquide announced the planned installation of four hydrogen filing stations in Denmark, as supported by the European Commission. In technology development news, UK researchers from the Science and Technology Facilities Council recently announced a breakthrough that they believe would make hydrogen fuel production storage and cost more viable for commercialization.
The announcements and development overseas add further momentum to the hydrogen fuel industry that has seen a surge of interest and capitalization in 2014. Large companies such as Toyota, Hyundai, Walmart, and others have committed to hydrogen fuel either in planning and funding, or by placing orders or entering into agreements with companies like PLUG Power and Ballard Power Systems. This growth has been sustain from international support, such as the International Energy Agency recently outlining how "...hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles account for more than half of on-road passenger cars by 2050..."

marketwired

[Graeme]

Hydrogen highway inches closer

California is inching tantalizingly closer to the birth of a new automotive industry based on hydrogen.

Fuel cell vehicles — electric cars that run on hydrogen — will be popping up this year and next near new clusters of fueling stations in and around San Francisco, Los Angeles and Orange County.

San Diego will get one hydrogen station next year as a lifeline to visitors from Orange County and beyond, part of a scaled back expansion strategy.

Under Gov. Jerry Brown, California is striving to get 1.5 million zero emission vehicles on the road by 2025 to reduce health threatening air pollution and greenhouse gases. Regulators and major automakers see a supporting if not starring role for fuel cell vehicles, the only alternative to battery-electric vehicles that also has no tailpipe pollution.

utsandiego

[Graeme]

CATARC and UC Davis establish China-US ZEV Policy Lab to accelerate adoption of plug-in and fuel cell cars in US and in China

The University of California, Davis, and the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) have entered a new agreement to work together to help speed the commercialization of plug-in and fuel cell electric cars in China. CATARC is China’s the administrative body that oversees and regulates many activities of the auto industry in China, the world’s largest new-car market, and in the US.

The five-year memorandum of understanding, signed on 6 September during the 2014 International Forum on Chinese Automotive Industry Development in Tianjin, China, establishes the China–US ZEV Policy Lab. Primary UC Davis partners are the Institute of Transportation Studies and the UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy.

The collaboration is intended to help expand the global market for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). The function of the China–US ZEV Policy Lab is to be the expert research institution for US and China ZEV/new energy vehicle policies as well as the intellectual support body for each government’s policy design. The partners will cooperate in four specific areas:

greencarcongress

[Graeme]

More efficient fuel cells for vehicles: Angling chromium to let oxygen through

Researchers have been trying to increase the efficiency of solid oxide fuel cells by lowering the temperatures at which they run. More efficient fuel cells might gain wider use in vehicles or as quiet, pollution-free, neighborhood electricity generating stations. A serendipitous finding has resulted in a semiconducting material that could enable fuel cells to operate at temperatures two-thirds lower than current technology, scientists reported August 18 in Nature Communications.

In an attempt to create a metal oxide with the properties of metal, researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory created a new form of the metal oxide. This particular strontium-chromium oxide performs as a semiconductor, or a material whose ability to conduct electricity can be turned on and off. It also allows oxygen to diffuse easily, a requirement for a solid oxide fuel cell. Best yet, it allows diffusion at a temperature that can lead to much more efficient fuel cells.

sciencedaily

[Graeme]

Hydrogen production breakthrough could herald cheap green energy

Scientists have taken a major step forward in the production of hydrogen from water which could lead to a new era of cheap, clean and renewable energy.

Chemists from the University of Glasgow report in a new paper in Science today on a new form of hydrogen production which is 30 times faster than the current state-of-the-art method. The process also solves common problems associated with generating electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind or wave energy.

Hydrogen is easily produced from water by electrolysis, a process which uses electricity to break the bonds between water's constituent elements, hydrogen and oxygen, and releases them as gas. Hydrogen gas can be burned to produce power with no negative impact on the environment, unlike power produced by burning fossil fuels.

One of the problems of generating electricity via renewable power is that the output either needs to be used immediately or stored. Using renewable power to produce hydrogen allows the capture of electricity in an environmentally-friendly state which is easily stored and distributed.

Currently, industrial production of hydrogen relies overwhelmingly on fossil fuels to power the electrolysis process. The most advanced method of generating hydrogen using renewable power uses a method known as proton exchange membrane electrolysers (PEMEs). To reach optimum efficiency, PEMEs require precious metal catalysts to be held in high-pressure containers and subjected to high densities of electric current, which can be difficult to reliably achieve from fluctuating renewable sources.

The new method allows larger-than-ever quantities of hydrogen to be produced at atmospheric pressure using lower power loads, typical of those generated by renewable power sources. It also solves intrinsic safety issues which have so far limited the use of intermittent renewable energy for hydrogen production.

phys.org

[JV153]

Hydrogen fuel cells will never replace a significant number of current mass produced vehicles.
http://www.physorg.com/news85074285.html

[Graeme]

Solar, wind power proposed as way to refill hydrogen stations

The Environment Ministry is considering using alternative energy sources to generate hydrogen for the refueling stations being built to recharge fuel cells in next-generation automobiles, ministry officials said.

The ministry aims to set up pilot projects across the country in places deemed suitable for solar and wind power generators, which will be used to make hydrogen by electrolyzing water, the officials said.

The hydrogen would then be transported to hydrogen stations to recharge fuel cell vehicles, which major carmakers are planning to launch in the near future.

The hydrogen could also be used to recharge fuel cells being used to power offices and households, they said.

japantimes

Toyota FCV Has Passed its Most Important Stage Yet

With anticipation and excitement growing stronger and stronger for the Toyota FCV’s release, we are now one step closer to seeing it on the road with Toyota gaining the government’s approval status for them to build and inspect manufactured hydrogen tanks that carry high amounts of pressure.

This has been a large hurdle in Toyota’s race to produce the world’s first road legal hydrogen powered vehicle due to the strict Japanese laws that outline all pressurised gas containers should be type-certified and should be available at all times to inspect for an official safety inspection throughout the manufacturing process.

Now that Toyota have been given the go ahead, this boost in plans means that they can now ramp up the production of hydrogen tanks that can store hydrogen fuel at 70mpa (700bar) pressure. As a knock on effect of this, the manufacturing of the Toyota FCV will also being increased placing it nicely on track to be ready for the market introduction in Japan, Europe and America in next year.

carsuk

[Graeme]

TEST DRIVE: 10 Things You Need to Know About Toyota's 2015 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicl

For the past 20 years, Toyota has been working on a vehicle that could revolutionize the way we get around. It’s virtually silent, its emissions are so clean you could drink them, and it’s finally ready to hit the streets next year. Meet the 2015 Toyota FCV – the first fuel cell vehicle you’ll actually be able to buy. We recently had a chance to jump behind the wheel and test drive Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell car in San Francisco – read on for our first thoughts and 10 things you need to know about this groundbreaking vehicle.

Hybrids are everywhere on today’s roads, and all-electric vehicles are on the rise. While Elon Musk is setting his sights on a cheaper plug-in EV with the Tesla Model III, Toyota is planning to kick-start a hydrogen revolution with its upcoming Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV). Here are 10 things you should know:

1. It looks like a future car

You don’t start a revolution with conservative lines and subtle styling. The Toyota FCV looks like it just flew in off the set of Blade Runner. Toyota’s electric blue FCV concept made a splash when it was unveiled earlier this year – and now that the vehicle’s exterior has been finalized we’re happy to say that its most distinctive features remain.

The aggressive air intake valves and laser-sharp LED beams are sure to turn heads, and the vehicle’s sharp lines flex energetically in a way the Prius and the Nissan Leaf never did. The production vehicle will be available in black, silver, and metallic blue, and the interior has yet to be unveiled – although we can expect to catch a glimpse later this year at an “upcoming auto show.” Hint: Los Angeles

2. It drives like a normal car

We stepped inside a test mule vehicle outfitted with Toyota’s fuel cell powertrain and we were surprised by how familiar it is. We hit the ignition button, pulled into drive and glided down San Francisco’s Embarcadero, enjoying its peppy acceleration and smooth handling.

inhabitat

[Graeme]

You Won't Believe How Safe Toyota's Hydrogen Car Is

But after doing plenty of research, I can tell you I'd much rather drive around with hydrogen in my tank than gasoline. One big reason is that hydrogen, which is 14 times lighter than air, escapes upward at a rapid rate. Heavier gasoline fumes, on the other hand, pool around the leak.

Toyota's solution

Still, the perception of hydrogen is causing automakers to go above and beyond when it comes to designing their hydrogen-powered vehicles. I shot the video below at the recent Washington Auto Show in Washington, D.C., where Toyota's (NYSE: TM ) Bob Wimmer showed off a cutaway version of the 2015 Toyota fuel cell vehicle. This hydrogen FCV, possibly named "Mirai," will be released in a few months. Wimmer said the safety design not only included crash testing, but also testing with high-caliber bullets and even the Boeing lightning chamber.

Warren Buffett's worst auto nightmare (Hint: It's not Tesla, or this Toyota hydrogen car)

Hydrogen is just one of many major technological shifts happening in the automotive industry. But one has really caught Warren Buffett's eye. He recently called it a "real threat" to one of his favorite businesses. An executive at Ford called the technology "fantastic." The beauty for investors is that there is an easy way to ride this megatrend.


Bob Wimmer, Toyota: The question of safety often comes up with hydrogen vehicles. In this vehicle Toyota has gone to extremes to ensure safety. First, the tanks, which hold 10,000 psi hydrogen, are actually designed to withstand up to 23,000 pounds of pressure on the inside before they burst, so 2.3 times the internal pressure of the tanks. We've also shot high-caliber bullets at them. We have put the vehicle itself in the Boeing lightning chamber and struck the vehicle with lightning. We have run numerous crash tests on the back of the vehicle to ensure the integrity of the tanks, and we've not seen any issues with the tanks or the fuel system at all.

fool

[Graeme]

Government–industry funding to accelerate hydrogen fueling, fuel cell cars in the UK

The UK government has announced up to £11 million (€14 million, US$17.7 million) of funding to prepare for the national rollout of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

The investment by government and industry will help establish an initial network of up to 15 hydrogen refueling stations by the end of 2015, and includes £2 million of funding for public sector hydrogen vehicles.

Planning for future growth

The funding is part of the UK government’s drive to become a global leader in ultra-low emission vehicles, and follows news earlier this month that Toyota has chosen the UK as one of the first markets for its FCEV when it goes on sale next year.

This is just one of the ways that the government plans to decarbonise road transport, alongside battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), with £400 million of support available in the current Parliament and £500 million committed in the next (from 2015).

renewableenergyfocus

[Graeme]

DOE seeking feedback on findings of hydrogen production and delivery workshops

The US Department of Energy's Fuel Cell Technologies Office has issued two requests for information (RFIs) seeking feedback from the research community and relevant stakeholders about electrolytic hydrogen production (DE-FOA-0001188) and hydrogen delivery research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities (DE-FOA-0001187) aimed at developing technologies that can ultimately produce and deliver low-cost hydrogen.

The purpose of these RFIs is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to electrolytic hydrogen production pathways and hydrogen transmission and distribution, specifically with respect to reports developed at workshops on the topics convened by the DOE in February.


DOE is also interested in the community’s opinion of the technologies that have the most potential to meet DOE goals of producing low-cost hydrogen at $2.30/kg for forecourt (1,500 kg/day) and $2.00/kg for centralized (50,000 kg/day) by 2020, and reducing hydrogen delivery from the point of production to the point of use in consumer vehicles to <$3/gallon of gasoline equivalent (gge) by 2015 and to <$2/gge by 2020 (delivery only, all costs in 2007$).

Electrolytic Hydrogen Production

Electrolysis systems could provide a relatively simple, scalable and easily-deployed source of hydrogen for smaller retail and commercial uses near the point of consumption. Water electrolysis uses many technologies with different levels of commercial readiness and attributes that make them suited for particular applications. The dominant technologies in commercial installations are alkaline and PEM, with the others in pre-commercial development in laboratories.

The February workshop was attended by experts from industry and national laboratories representing polymer electrolyte membrane, traditional liquid alkaline, solid oxide electrolysis, alkaline exchange membrane, and reversible systems.

Highlights of the workshop by topic area included:

greencarcongress

[Graeme]

I don't normally like promoting commercial marketing reports but their summary is just too enticing:

Fuel Cell Market Chain (Global, China) Report 2014-2016

ReportsnReports.com adds Global and China Fuel Cell Industry Chain Report, 2014-2016 market research to its store. This report says that in 2013, fuel cell shipment worldwide reached 215.3MWh, in which the biggest percentage (about 187MW) was contributed by large stationary fuel cell power station. The application of large fuel cell power station was mainly concentrated in America, S. Korea and Japan, widely for power generation, combined heat and power generation (also called cogeneration), IT data center, etc. Complete report is available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/ ... -2016.html .

As of 2014, the application of fuel cell in automotive industry, despite of small scale, was the most important among other fields. After two decades or more of development, the current fuel cell technology is relatively mature, and the fuel cell supply chain is gradually improving. Amid the three issues (durability, low-temperature working and cost minimization) that hinder the practicalities of fuel cell in the early stage, the former two have been addressed. In the past 3-4 years, Pt consumed by per 100kw fuel cell catalyst reduced to 30g, system cost dropped by more than 50% to USD500-1000/KW, durability was able to reach as long as over 10 years, and fuel cell start-up test at minus 30oC was completed.

The period of 2015-2025 will witness fuel cell vehicle developing from mature technology to mature technical process, and after 2025, there will be a stage of popularization, as it is projected. Order a copy of this report at http://www.reportsnreports.com/purchase ... ame=313506 .

Toyota and Hyundai each plan to launch 1,000 fuel cell vehicles in 2015 priced at USD50,000-100,000, close to the price of pure electric vehicle Tesla Model S, with 90% cost cuts as opposed to the figure a few year ago. 2015 is expected to be the first commercialization year for fuel cell vehicles.

prnewswire

[Graeme]

Carmakers Prepare To Shift to Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Concerned about slow sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids, automakers are increasingly betting the future of green cars on hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Even Toyota Motor Corp., maker of the popular Prius gas-electric hybrid, will use hydrogen instead of batteries to power its next generation of green vehicles.

"Today, Toyota actually favors fuel cells over other zero-emission vehicles, like pure battery electric vehicles," said Craig Scott, the company's national manager of advanced technologies. "We would like to be still selling cars when there's no more gas. And no one is coming to our door asking us to build a new electric car."

But even hydrogen's most ardent proponents agree the technology faces enormous hurdles. Like electric cars, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are expensive. So is the infrastructure to refuel them.

Car companies have been slow to put hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the market in part because of the lack of fueling stations. Operators of fueling stations, in turn, won't build more retail outlets unless they see more fuel cell car sales.

sci-tech-today

Mercedes Unveils Hydrogen-Electric G-Code Concept

Ahead of its unveiling in LA later this month, Mercedes has taken the wraps off the G-Code concept, a compact crossover that previews a potential Audi Q1 rival. At 4,100 mm long, it would slot in below the GLA. The odd-looking urban concept gets its styling from Mercedes’ design studios in Germany and China. Boasting short overhangs, LED lights all round and 21-inch alloys, the high-riding compact hatch adopts a canopy-style glasshouse, two cameras instead of side mirrors, while the front grille lights up in red, blue or purple depending on the driving mode.

According to the carmaker, power comes from a turbocharged engine that runs on hydrogen coupled with an electric motor that drives the rear wheels. Power is sent to all four wheels via a dual-clutch transmission and electric propshaft. Cutting-edge features on the concept include the “multi-voltaic” paintwork that produces electric energy under sunlight and regenerates electrostatic energy when wind draws over the surface of the body. Energy is also generated via a “power on-the-move suspension” that uses the rebound movement of the dampers and springs to drive a generator.
Carbon-fiber seats and a large digital display are found upon opening the coach-style doors, while a pair of electric scooters is housed under the trunk and recharged when the concept is driven. Ensuring clean, fresh air at all times, the AC system uses the oxygen created during hydrogen synthesis.

carbuzz

[Graeme]

Hydrogen May Prove Fuel of the Future

Humans have harnessed hydrogen for a variety of applications, from blasting rockets into space to making common household products like toothpaste. Now, after decades of development, hydrogen is about to find its way into the family car.

In June, Hyundai Motor Co. began leasing its Tucson Fuel Cell and has pledged to produce 1,000 units globally by 2015. Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. will start sales of their next-generation fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) next year. Yesterday, Toyota released a video showing the Mirai, its first commercial fuel cell car.

Several other automakers are aiming to release fuel cell cars in 2017.

One benefit is that FCVs bring tailpipe emissions down to zero, so tightening auto emission standards will be less of a problem for automakers. Another benefit is that while plug-in electric cars have range limits and time-consuming refueling, FCVs—which use hydrogen to make electricity—will be very familiar to car buyers.

They can be refueled in less than five minutes and boast a 300-mile driving range. For these reasons, several governments and car companies are betting on hydrogen as the clean transportation fuel of the future and one that will ultimately win consumers' favor.

scientificamerican

This Toyota Fuel Cell Car Can Power Your House

Honda to provide $13.8M to FirstElement Fuel to support build out of California hydrogen refueling infrastructure

[Timo]

Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai have committed themselves to hydrogen vehicle production over Plug-in EVs. They have a HUGE mountain to climb, but that mountain is much smaller in their own domestic markets. Building the infrastructure to distribute hydrogen in the same fahsion as gasoline is much more feasible on a smaller scale, such as exists in Japan and S. Korea than in the US or Europe. Mercedez looked into FC cars, but stopped after they realized the impracticalities of replacing the entire automotive infrastructure to support hydrogen as the primary source of fuel for vehicles. In the US, forget it. There will be a few, but they will not be driven hardly at all because no one is going to invest the trillions of dollars necessary to rebuild the entire infrastructure necessary to make FC cars a practical reality. Every single vehicle owner in the US can plug their car into their own home electric charger, every single night. The infrastructure for distributing electricity already exists. It's does need modernization to allow for home-based generation, but until the generation of home-based hydrogen can be made universally available, forget about FC cars ever making a significant dent into the global market for vehicles. I will make an exception to this POV about semi-trucks and trains. For this larger scale applications, FCs make a greater degree of sense. The infrastructure to supply hydrogen to those fleets is smaller, and thus much more attainable, and can also be supplied by the transportation companies, themselves. BNSF wold have no problem building hydrogen fueling stations along their rail lines to support their engines. But for private cars, i do not see FCs making any dent into the global market at all. Japan, S. Korean, NZ, OK. Smaller infrastructure to transfrom. More feasible. But, those are small markets by comparison. As for cost? FCs are now, and will remain much more expensive than plug-in electrics, and PEV's cost is coming down almost daily. The electric storage technology is progressing much faster than storage and generation of hydrogen. In my opinion, which is extreme (granted) FC vehicles for 99% of the global consumer market is a waste of money. I would much rather see home-based fuel cells being developed that can power entire homes, rather than cars alone. Substitute hydrogen for natural gas, and the infrastructure already exists. Pipe the hyrdogen to the home and into the fuel cell. The fuel cell converts that hyrdogen into electricity. That electricity supplies a charge to the electric vehicle. Everybody wins.