Hydrogen Power Mini Van

[Marsman]

Hydrogen is cleaner yes. More efficient, well? Hydrogen being a simple atom doesn't yield as much energy when combined with O2 as do more complex atoms such as methane, butane, gasoline, etc. That's why we've used those instead of hydrogen as they produced more energy per unit. It's only now that technology with fuel cells and electric cars has reached the point where hydrogen begins to become a viable souce.
As with any company with a primary limited lifetime product, they had better be looking for ways to diversify or perish in time. Obviously any company will resist giving up their primary product, but they know there comes a day that it's either embrace the new or fade into the sunset. So I'm not surpised that an oil company would team up with an auto producer for a project like this. I'd suspect you will see a few more such mergers in the coming years.

[OneManArmy]

Originally posted by Hamma
Screw that.

I like my Supercharged V8

I'm with hamma on this one

[Bighoss]

Screw OPEC when it comes to hydrogen fuel. I think we should just develop our own and watch the Arab economy collapse. It gonna be a pain in the ass to do a full switch over. I guess it will start with gas stations having like 1 or two fill up things for hydrogen and over 10 years or so they'll all be.

the scary thing car crashes could be a hell of a lot more explosive ... I think

[Tobias]

nope, compressed hydrogen does not make a very large explosion. It is flameable though. Big poof of fire then its gone.

[Arshune]

I also heard that when they finally miniaturize fuel cells enough they're going to start putting out one chassis and then a host of cheap bodies that can be swapped out with relative ease by the consumer.

Am I the only one here who thinks that's really friggin' cool? Imagine it, sports car to work and back, then a few minutes in the garage and you're ready to take the kids to soccer practice. That kind of design also allows for bodies that would look drastically different from the ones we see today...

[Tobias]

Arshune, you are indeed correct, This would also allow for you to have a truck, van, and other thing all in one. Also switching form rear to front wheel drive in under 30 mins or changing many other things are in the works.

[MrVulcan]

yep yep yep, since the cars will be computer and energy based, the car itself will be very compact (a few inches tall w/o wheels) so we can change how it looks all the time, and it will be much more powerful than the current cars, etc. Remember that electric moters are MUCH stronger than gas, and they run with almost no sound could you see a semi the size of a pickup that you can hear, now that would be weard.

Here is the page about that car/truch/thing

http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/...TT_052002.html

also they have a lot of other info on that site there, here is the index:
http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/...our/index.html

[Headrattle]

Originally posted by MrVulcan

Do you really think that we can produce oil over there cheaper than they can???? It costs us (due to our laws) much more to produce the oil, that is why we dont, we have the oil, Texas, Alaska, and offshore along the gulf have as much oil as they have, but it is cheaper to get it from them since they have virtually no labor laws, I mean if it is cheaper to ship oil half way around the world than produce it here, why would we want to produce it over there???

It can not be about the oil, it is a lose lose scenario.

Well we won't be producing it. They will. What you are saying would be true if we sent Americans over there to produce the oil. But we won't. What is left of the Iraqies will be producing the oil.
We will just be buying it.

Any amount of oil we get after the invasion will be more then what we get now. The embargo says that we can trade oil for food with Iraq, last I heard. But if we occupy the area, suddenly all of that oil can be shipped to our oil companies, at a lower cost. If we decide to bypass Opec. Which we won't. reguardless. Invading Iraq will increase possible oil production and thus lower prices.

If you say "Why would the iraqies produce oil for us?" Well they have to feed their families. And at least the Iraqies working for us about oil will be better off then under Saddam.

Like I said, it isn't the only reason we are so interested in Iraq. but it does make an impact on our decisions.

[Airlift]

Originally posted by Arshune
I also heard that when they finally miniaturize fuel cells enough they're going to start putting out one chassis and then a host of cheap bodies that can be swapped out with relative ease by the consumer.

Old news, Lego has been doing this for years