hydrogen conversion?

[derek vivian]

I have a 1997 V90 and would like to know if it can be converted to run on hydrogen? Anyone know if this is possible please?

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by derek vivian

I have a 1997 V90 and would like to know if it can be converted to run on hydrogen? Anyone know if this is possible please?

Anything within reason is possible Derek but usually cost is the prohibitive factor.

I've not heard of any universal kits for retrofitting hydrogen fuel to existing petrol cars but LPG would be a good alternative.

As things stand at present, LPG is fairly well catered for by many filling stations and by quite a lot of fitting services. There are several in London, search for LPG converters in London, Barking, Battersea, West Drayton were just 3 locations i found. Knowing how the London traffic varies, not to mention the ULEZ and Congestion Charge it may be better/easier/cheaper to drive a bit further to West Drayton than somewhere apparently closer so i'll leave that to your better judgement.

At present, LPG is ~60p/L so about half the price of Super Unleaded - cost me 125.9p/L to fill up today on BP Ultimate.

[Dippydog]

Honda[could be another of the Japanese manufacturers]have built a few hydrogen powered cars to "prove" the concept.However then comes the chicken and egg scenario as they've said they won't build more until there are the fuelling stations to cater for them,while the fuel station operators won't build such things until the demand for them is there.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Dippydog

Honda[could be another of the Japanese manufacturers]have built a few hydrogen powered cars to "prove" the concept.However then comes the chicken and egg scenario as they've said they won't build more until there are the fuelling stations to cater for them,while the fuel station operators won't build such things until the demand for them is there.

Fairly sure you're right about it being Honda, i wonder if they will stay the same if some of their competition start building hydrogen powerd cars in the hope filling stations will be built because the demand is there.

They seem to have invested heavily in EVs though, the Honda E is a strangely retro-looking beast, somewhat reminiscnet of the original 70s Civic at first glance.

From what i can see, most of these new EVs seem to be somewhat basic in equipment so i wonder how long it'll be until people realise they can't plug all their phones, i-pods and so on in with impunity and having to walk home because the battery has gone flat prematurely?

On aonther site i'm on (by coincidence a Honda forum), one of the guys was given a Peugeot Partner EV and on the first day (it was delivered fully charged) after just 68 miles it needed recovery because the battery was dead.
Thinking it was a fluke, battery reading surplus voltage and it wasn't really charged at all, it was once more charged overnight only for the same thing to happen again the next day!
Once more he is running a company van on Satans fuel so it didn't last long.

The "icing on the cake" as it were is the company he works for deal in batteries, UPSs etc so they thought it would be a good idea.
Two lost days of service calls said otherwise though!

[classicswede]

Hydrogen has been considered the way forward for a long time. So far there has been no big step forward with it. I think it will come soon but will take time to get going. Many manufactures have been playing with it.


The big problem with electric is the battery. You either need to have a very long extension cable or a better energy storage electric is just not going to work

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by classicswede

Hydrogen has been considered the way forward for a long time. So far there has been no big step forward with it. I think it will come soon but will take time to get going. Many manufactures have been playing with it.


The big problem with electric is the battery. You either need to have a very long extension cable or a better energy storage electric is just not going to work

Hydrogen could have been played with for a long time and refined in the ideas on it. Even back in WW II they were converting vehicles to run on hydrogen because petrol was in short supply.

If they'd played with that instead of the Devils Fuel for the past 40 years, we'd have a car parc of clean running cars by now.

The other major problem with EVs is how the planet is going to be raped of rare minerals to produce the batteries. This also creates a huge carbon footprint - none of the greenies that are currently advocating electric cars tells the public that though!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Hydrogen could have been played with for a long time and refined in the ideas on it. Even back in WW II they were converting vehicles to run on hydrogen because petrol was in short supply.

If they'd played with that instead of the Devils Fuel for the past 40 years, we'd have a car parc of clean running cars by now.

The other major problem with EVs is how the planet is going to be raped of rare minerals to produce the batteries. This also creates a huge carbon footprint - none of the greenies that are currently advocating electric cars tells the public that though!

This is developing into a parallel discussion to the one on the 240 section Dave.

I'm a great fan of the devil's fuel (because I'm a tightwad and like getting 58 MPG from a 140 HP estate car), but I concede it does have its drawbacks.

Every solution to storing energy has drawbacks - electricity is that it is really difficult to store (and the physics of the problem means we won't make batteries all that much better than they are now, plus (as you rightly say) their manufacture causes a lot of environmental problems that we conveniently ignore), with hydrogen the issues are safety (that is the Hindenburg problem, hydrogen oxidises a bit too easily), distribution and storage at very high pressures.

Hydrogen is probably most of the long term answer for vehicles, particularly for heavy trucks: the logistic problems of storing hydrogen at an industrial depot are much easier to solve than in a suburban garage, and rechargeable batteries may never be a viable option for 30 ton vehicles, they just don't have sufficient energy density without weighing too much to be practical.

Interesting discussion.

[Laird Scooby]

I wonder how long it will be before a decent, small and efficient anti-gravity engine is developed so we can use ionic propulsion to power vehicles that float a foot or so above the ground? Potholes will no longer be a problem then!

[230ina245]

I'm surprised no-one has linked Tesla's (the inventor) idea of transmitting electricity through the air to anywhere on earth to power electric cars. Don't know how this works but I think I read that a modern company is trying to pick up on this.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by 230ina245

I'm surprised no-one has linked Tesla's (the inventor) idea of transmitting electricity through the air to anywhere on earth to power electric cars. Don't know how this works but I think I read that a modern company is trying to pick up on this.

That would indeed be an interesting concept, especially if it could be made to work.

Putting on my cynical head though, you'd get loads fo greenie protesters claiming the side effects were shocking!

There has to be a reason why the idea wasn't pursued over a century ago but technology has moved on considerably since so it may in fact be viable now.