Tuesday, 14 September 2010

The future of motoring?

A video report from the BBC today showcases the first hydrogen-powered car to be made commercially available - although not, so far, in the UK. The Honda Clarity is powered by an electric motor, which is charged by a fuel cell stack that converts the hydrogen to electricity and water. Its range is over 200 miles.

The catch, of course, is the lack of a hydrogen filling station network, but Honda has addressed this by developing a solar-powered hydrogen generation station suitable for domestic installation. It is designed to use grid electricity overnight to create 0.5kg of hydrogen, then return the energy to the grid from its solar panels during the day. The hydrogen generated in 8 hours is only sufficient for 30-35 miles, however.

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