Joe

Fuel cells? I'll be sucking dandelions by the roots long before an
economically and environmentally viable fuel cell sees the light of day!
Yes, I know that GM are investing zillions in the technology and they
can get an efficiency of 1.5 kW/l but let me ask you a few questions à
la avocatus diabli:

1. Would you wish to drive a car with heavy gas cylinders containing
highly compressed hydrogen in the back?
2. Would you like to have to stop to fill up your hydrogen cylinders
every 150 or 200 km?
3. Would you like to drive on roads, shared by thousands of hydrogen
tankers, delivering to the doubled number of filling stations?
4. Would you like to live close to where large quantities of hydrogen
are stored?
5. Would you prefer that the n-tupling of hydrogen production be by
electrolysis of water (using power from thermal power stations, of
course) or by cracking (CH4)n molecules from fossil fuels, liberating
the CO2 produced into the atmosphere? (Currently, the latter is the more
common and cheaper method.)
6. Would you wish to wait a few minutes before you can drive off your
car (or use your telephone), while the fuel cell boots up to speed?
7. Would you wish to live in LA or any other large city under
temperature inversion conditions with an RH reaching saturation, in hot
weather? Even water vapour can cause pollution.
8. For your telephone, would you like to keep a hot (c. 80°C) fuel cell
(and a small gas cylinder), spouting forth steam, in your pocket?

Sorry, I cannot believe that the fuel cell, as we know it today, will be
the panacea of our energy crisis. It is simply inefficient, compared to
generating electricity by conventional means from the same primary fuel
source. For personal transport, the best short-term bet is, IMHO, the
hybrid car and for mobile phones, the accumulator, but one designed for
5 years service. Take a holistic viewpoint.

Best regards,

Brian