Comments on: Honda to Launch Production Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car in 2008

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:26:29 +0000

Check out this webpage:
http://www.pearsonfuels.com/

E85 is making its way to California. Near my home two opening by end of 2008. If it does work out to be cheaper to run E85 then you will see a movement in that direction. It just isn’t the case right now. Even with the sky high gas prices 87 octane gives more bang for the buck. Unfortunately the higher unleaded gas prices go the more feasible other fuel types become. Either way we are going to pay, but at least with other fuel types we will not pollute or at least reduce pollution.

By: Mr. T

Mr. T — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:11:12 +0000

Shhhh!....The Oil companies are listening. Why would we want to use electric engines in our cars that are 90% efficient when we can continue gulping gas in our standard IC-engine cars. It would be completely impossible to take an electric motor just like the ones we use in factories all across this country and put it in our car. And batteries (you know, like the ones we use in our cell phones) would never work because they are too dangerous, right. Although, we put these dangerous batteries right up against our skull everyday....hmmmm.
These companies don't want people to know that only 30% of the gas we put in our cars actually move our car! The other 7 out of 10 gallons creates the need for additional equipment to cool our cars - radiators, water pumps, etc. Wow, our automotive companies do a great job of marketing, don' t they.
Even our current hybrid cars are only 60% efficient. But I digress. Why should we really worry our pretty little heads about such trivial things.
The electric outlets that are currently in my garage should really only be used to re-charge my hedge trimmer. And even though the energy required to move me to work and back every day would be less than the electricity that my AC uses, why would I want to increase my electric bill by $30 a month - when I can continue making my monthly $400 contribution to OPEC?
Or if one chose to install a solar energy system at their house, they could be off the grid and practically never stop at another gas station again.
But....SHHHH!....the oil companies are listening.

By: R

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:49:20 +0000

Not so bad.. the by-products are no longer hydrocarbons.

By: FOR US

FOR US — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:15:47 +0000

Hmm, it's funny but no one seems to mention that there is an American car maker that is producing a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle, GM. They are test driving them now in New York and LA.

I also think that Honda's "If we build it they will make Hydregen filling stations" apporach is flawed. I have never seen an E85 Gas station, and there are hundreds of thousands of E85 vehicles on the road.

This is a point when we need the goevernment to step in a force this issue. We need a multi-proged approach to breaking free of Middle East oil. More drilling, higher efficiency laws, tax breaks for new ultra-low or non pollutant green technology.

I am a very patriotic American, but I know we can't do this alone either, we have become more globally aware as a people. Remember we all do live on the same little rock that everyone else does. By the way, I'm not left wing loonie, I am Republican, I am just using common sense. Let's keep politics out of this and just make things right.

By: Rice Eater

Rice Eater — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:58:55 +0000

Hi I eat rice over here in Japan and take offence at your “hydrogen is worthless comment.” Dude, I have 2kilowatts worth of solar panels on my house. I use the excess solar power during the day to produce hydrogen and store that in tanks. Then I use the hydrogen to produce any make up power during particularly rainy periods. And….I could fill up a Honda FCX and drive 270miles for zippedy free.
Sunny areas of the world have a huge advantage regarding Hydrogen development because the key is to produce the hydrogen on site. At home or on site at the Gas Station (A couple of solar concentrating dishes in warm areas could produce more than enough and mains power would just be a back up). Batteries are cool too. The FCX also uses batteries. Don`t say no to the hydro bro.

By: M.T. Swinehart

M.T. Swinehart — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:03:48 +0000

You obviously have spent no time in Japan. They love to have you visit and are polite to a fault. But, they do not want you to stay…and certainly will never accept you into their culture or their families, Gaijin!

By: Brian A NY

Brian A NY — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:07:22 +0000

With all this talk about using a massive amount of fossil fuels to make Hydrogen, the US should build hundreds of Nuclear Power Plants. They then can use this power to make Hydrogen and also power the Grid for use in Plug in Vehilces. With the Honda at home Hydrogen maker, a by product of fuel cell coversion is heat, this heat can be used for domestics hot water, heat and also for cooling by using evaporators/chillers. Industries that require heat or hot water for production can use fuel cells for electric use and the resulting heat in thier factories. This process is called cogeneration and has been aroound for years. I beleive Hydrogen Fuel Cells is the way to go and will be around for years.

By: Roger Masters

Roger Masters — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 03:38:55 +0000

The question of whether the production of hydrogen will require massive energy and involve pollution (compare Craig’s comment) illustrates how rapidly a “common sense” question is answered by the combination of FACTS and TECHNOLOGY. Craig’s assumption about the method of producing hydrogen as fuel (that it would cause pollution and be expensive) is apparently false (as far as Honda is concerned): see
< http://world.honda.com/FuelCell/HomeEnergyStation/>. The hydrogen producing device shown on this site makes possible a “home using Home Energy Station IV to help produce heat and electricity and also to refuel and FCX Clarity” — a process that “can reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 30 percent and energy costs by an estimated 50 percent.” Whether it will work only time will tell, but the essential point is that instead of drilling for oil in the Atlantic, as President Bush proposed (AFTER the Honda announcement), we all need to shift gears and focus on hydrogen as the fuel of the future. The major issue will be the transition costs for our entire oil based automobile SYSTEM. I would propose the Federal Government establish a $3 billion loan fund to permit the auto industry and other gasoline suppliers to convert to the coming hydrogen systems (of which Honda won’t be the only one; BMW already has a hydrogen car). Much of that fund may go to license the Honda technology: if so, so be it. Ultimately, the loans get paid off. (And if they didn’t, $3 billion is small change compared to the $3 trillion cost that Columbia University’s Nobel Prize winning economist Stiglitz estimates as the total cost of the war in Iraq to date). This shift to hydrogen is an urgent matter of national security, since with the hydrogen fuel-based economy, we can tell the Arabs to drink their oil.

By: Donald

Donald — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:23:12 +0000

We are fortunate enough to have 3 vehichles (all of which are paid for) that are in good operating condition. I have already stated to my wife and others that I will not buy another gasoline powered vehicle. Now, assuming all goes well with my current lot of vehicles, that may be a reality.
Personally, I would love nothing more than to send the Arabs back to the stone age, which is where they belong and they can kiss our collective asses.

By: Layne

Layne — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:13:45 +0000

Who care about planes? There will be enough reduction in gasoline consumption from not using gasoline to power cars that airline travel will be affordable again. Unless you are looking at from a pure tree hugger perspective.