[extropy-chat] Fuel cell vehicles arriving in 2005

[Brent Neal]

 (1/9/05 23:42) Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:

>
>No, it's fossil fuels reforming, most likely onboard (because cryogenic fuel
>or pressurized hydrogen storage is pretty much insane in small vehicles).
>
>Why bother, I wonder, direct-alcohol fuel cells don't need no steenkin
>reformers (of course methanol reforms completely cleanly).


The problem is that the catalyst membranes used to rip the protons off of light alcohols are prohibitively expensive for large wattage applications.  Works fine in Toshiba's little cell phone fuel cells (on the order of a few mm^2), but I doubt that they've been able to manufacture more than a handful of membranes large enough for a car.

IMO, DMFC catalysts represent one of the defining materials engineering problems of this decade.

B
-- 
Brent Neal
Geek of all Trades
http://brentn.freeshell.org

"Specialization is for insects" -- Robert A. Heinlein