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Hydrogen: Can Work, Can Run!
Moving to a hydrogen economy is the ultimate triple play
Imagine America no longer dependent on Middle Eastern oil. Imagine air without car fumes and with far less CO2. Imagine innovation jobs in South Carolina.
Daring? Yes.
Deluded? No.
Can America's hydrogen highway survive changes in congressional control? Sure it can. This isn't a Republican highway or a Democratic highway; it's America's highway.
One of the lessons of the 2006 election cycle is that Americans really don't care which team gets the credit for solving our problems; they just want the problems solved. They also want us to be bold. America didn't get to the moon by waiting for it to come close. America's hydrogen highway won't just appear one day.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong turned off the rudimentary computers that were supposed to land the Eagle on the surface of the moon. He wanted to fly it himself. Understandable, because he may well have been landing in his grave; we had no way of knowing the depth of the moon dust. As the world watched, everyone at Mission Control knew that the Eagle could disappear, never to be heard from again. As God would have it, the thrusters blew away a thin layer of dust, and the Eagle landed safely.
If we went to the moon on boldness, determination and slide-rule calculations, imagine what we can do here on Earth as we break our addiction to oil.
Inglis' hydrogen and energy op-eds
- The Hill: We can benefit by building a hydrogen highway (February 28, 2007)
- Spartanburg Herald-Journal: We can benefit by building a hydrogen highway (December 10, 2006)
- The Hill: With a little help, private sector will change energy (June 28, 2005)
- The Greenville News: Hydrogen can be element of automotive revolution (June 5, 2005)
Latest Hydrogen & Fuel Cell news from the Automotive Industry
- Energy Information Agency (EIA) releases report on the increased use of hydrogen (September 19, 2008)
- Columbia gets fuel cell plant (September 17, 2008)
- Dantherm Power Established to Provide Clean, Fuel Cell Based, Reliable Power Solutions to North American Market (September 12, 2008)
- SC Alliance to increase hydrogen education (September 11, 2008)
- Car fueled by hydrogen drives through (August 17, 2008)
- Inglis to teens: U.S. needs your ideas (April 29, 2008)
- Top Three Automakers Show Alt-Fuel Cars at the White House (March 27, 2007)
- S.C. betting on hydrogen for economic future (March 25, 2007)
- Hydrogen Cars Inch Forward (March 21, 2007)
- Mazda hydrogen cars - Could launch into mass production in 5 years (March 17, 2007)
- GM's Production Sequel Fuel Cell Vehicle to Arrive in 2010 (February 13, 2007)
- Ford unveils plug-in hybrid hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (January 23, 2007)
- Hydrogen Power From Fantasy to Reality (January 2, 2007)
- Honda's next-generation model is close to production (December 14, 2006)
- Hydrogen cars ready to roll — for a price (December 13, 2006)
- Nissan sees fuel-cell future; Next-generation vehicle in works for early 2010s (December 11, 2006)
- Honda unveils lighter, peppier hydrogen-fuelled concept car (December 8, 2006)
- GM: The new green carmaker? (December 1, 2006)
- Ford Unveils Hydrogen Fuel-Cell SUV (November 29, 2006)
- GM Hopes Engine of Future Sells Cars Now (November 29, 2006)
- Honda to Start U.S. Leasing of Fuel-Cell Cars in California (November 15, 2006)
- Honda's vision of the future -- a car powered by hydrogen (November 15, 2006)
- BMW's Hydrogen 7: A different take on hydrogen power (November 14, 2006)
- Road Testing BMW's Hydrogen 7 (November 13, 2006)
- Honda shows off fuel cell, diesel, ethanol (September 25, 2006)
- GM developing home hydrogen refueling device (September 25, 2006)
- Army to test hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (September 22, 2006)
- Chevrolet to Launch World's Largest Fuel Cell Vehicle Fleet (September 17, 2006)
- BMW to Roll Out First Hydrogen-Burning Car Next Year (September 12, 2006)
- S.C. Hopes to Lead Hydrogen Economy (September 12, 2006)
- Honda fuel cell works even in extreme cold (May 19, 2006)
- BMW Plans to Make Hydrogen-Fueled Car (March 14, 2006)
- States get into the driver's seat of fuel-cell development (April 26, 2005)
- Hydrogen cars ready to roll — for a price (June 23, 2004)
What's on the road now!
- Top speed = 143 mph
- Range = overall more than 400 miles (hydrogen = 125 miles / gasoline = 300 miles)
- Horsepower = 260 hp
- Acceleration = 0 to 62 mph in 9.5 seconds
- Dual-mode power unit featured in the BMW Hydrogen 7 switches over seamlessly to conventional gasoline. Switching over from one mode to another has no effect on the driving behavior and performance of the BMW Hydrogen 7
- Storage = 19.6 gallon gasoline tank / 17.6 lb liquid hydrogen tank
- Based on the BMW 760i
- First vehicle in the world to successfully integrate a hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system with a broad menu of advanced technologies such as steer-and brake-by-wire controls, wheel hub motors, lithium-ion batteries and a lightweight aluminum structure.
- Range = 200 miles
- Horsepower = 97 hp
- Acceleration = 0 to 60 mph in 12 seconds
- General Motors plans to put a fleet of 100 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles on the road in 2007 as part of the “Project Driveway.”
- Check out General Motors' entire fuel cell fleet
- Top speed = 90 mph
- Range = 300 miles on its hydrogen supply
- Acceleration = 0 to 60 mph in 10 seconds
- All-wheel-drive crossover vehicle with fuel cell and by-wire technology
General Motors Fuel Cell Truck
- Top speed = 93 mph
- Range = 125 miles
- Horsepower = 164 hp
- Acceleration = 0 to 60 mph in 19 seconds
- Military has a mandated task to reduce petroleum-based fuel consumption by 75 % and reduce harmful emissions of heavy-duty commercial trucks and buses on bases.
- Based on the Chevrolet Silverado
- Announced it will begin production in Japan of its next generation FCX hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicle in three to four years.
- Top speed = 100 mph
- Range = 354 miles
- Under development for release in 2008
- New fuel cell stack is 20% smaller and 30% lighter than the current FCX FC Stack, yet its power output is 13.8 hp greater.
- Can run on either hydrogen or gasoline
- Horsepower = 110 hp hydrogen / 210 hp gasoline
- Storage = 29 gallon hydrogen tank / 16 gallon gasoline tank
- Range = 62 miles on hydrogen / 341 miles on gasoline
- Range = 250 miles
- Horsepower = 134 hp
- Based on the Mercedes-Benz B-Class
Other hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles on the horizon?
The H-Prize Act of 2006: Energy Security Through Incentive and Innovation
H-Prize -- an entrepreneurial challenge and incentive to attract the best and brightest minds to solve the outstanding problems related to moving to a new form of energy.
The H-Prize is a monetary reward to innovators who conquer the technical science challenges of moving to a hydrogen economy. Science breakthroughs in storage, production, utilization, and distribution will receive $1 million. Up to four awards would be made every other year. A successful prototype use of hydrogen can expect a $4 million award, and one grand prize would award $10 million in cash and up to $90 million in federal funds to match private capital to be sure that this advancement is headed toward commercialization.
Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Links
- Clemson University-International Center for Automotive Research
- University of South Carolina Center for Fuel Cells
- Savannah River Site
- Savannah River National Laboratory
- The Clyburn Transportation Center at South Carolina State University
- BMW Manufacturing Co. on the CU-ICAR Campus
- South Carolina Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Alliance
- Greater Columbia Fuel Cell Challenge
- National Hydrogen Association
Allyn Steele (11/21/07)
Many thanks for your work on seeking alternatives to oil. I would like to hear your ideas for seeking alternatives to coal, which produces 50% of our nation's and 35 to 40% of our state's energy needs. Though cheap for us, its human and environmental impacts on the people of Appalachia are tremendous. You receive funds from coal related industries for your campaigns. I love having you in office, but I would rather you not benefit from an industry that--historically and presently--subjects indigenous and local people to a lower quality of life.