Fuel Cell
-
Electric powered vehicles are widely perceived to be the way forward for personal transport. Fuel cell vehicles, which create electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen, offer many advantages over traditional battery-based systems thanks to the relatively energy-dense storage of hydrogen in tanks. However, the biggest hurdle to a hydrogen fueled society remains a lack of infrastructure, something that could potentially cost tens of billions of dollars. That’s a problem utility companies and automakers alike are hoping to alleviate. In fact, General Motors, one of the biggest proponents...
-
Toyota Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Car To Come In 2015, For $50,000Toyota's first production vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell will be a sedan model with the range of a gasoline model, said a company executive last week. It will be priced at roughly $50,000, and go on sale in 2015. That's more expensive than upcoming electric vehicles like the 2011 Nissan...
John Voelcker -
BMW's New Hydrogen Hybrid Mini: Hydrogen, Huh? Oh, REALLY?
Perhaps we're a little cranky this morning, still being on Greenwich Mean Time while the clock says Eastern Daylight. Or maybe we're just cynical. But could everyone please take a deep breath and consider reality before getting all hot and bothered over news that BMW seems to be working on a...
John Voelcker -
Geneva Motor Show Preview: Mercedes-Benz F800 Style Concept
Mercedes-Benz rarely creates concept cars just for fun. Whether they're the "Vision" models that show up at the Frankurt Motor Show every other year, or lesser concepts for other shows, they always hold clues to what's coming down the pike with a three-pointed star. For the 2010 Geneva Motor Show...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Greens a Dealership, Honda Makes Hydrogen With Solar Power
For automakers, being green can extend well beyond the vehicles themselves. This week, hybrid pioneers Toyota and Honda each showed off new infrastructure projects that burnish their green credentials beyond well beyond the vehicles they sell. Honda started producing hydrogen to power its fuel-cell...
John Voelcker -
Green Tires From Orange Peels Use Less Oil, Bring Better MPGs
Sadly, they're not actually orange. Nor do they smell like citrus when they get hot. But by infusing orange oil into natural rubber, a new line of tires from Yokohama cuts four-fifths of the petroleum needed to manufacture a tire. They lower rolling resistance too, meaning better fuel efficiency...
John Voelcker -
Every time we make a joke involving the US Marine Corps, first we check it with our friend Cap'n Connors, a former Marine. With multiple deployments under his belt, and much multicolored art under his skin, the cap'n is our source for all things having to do with the most profane of the armed forces. Even he was impressed at the steps his service has taken to green its Camp Pendleton base along the southern California coast. And a substantial portion of their efforts go toward alternative-fueled vehicles. Most prominent are two Chevrolet Equinox Fuel-Cell Vehicles, the popular midsize...
