DOE to slash fuel cell vehicle research

[kristopher]

DOE to slash fuel cell vehicle research
by Martin LaMonica

The Department of Energy's proposed budget boosts research on energy efficiency and renewable energy sources but makes cuts in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles because the technology is many years from being practical.

The DOE published details of its $26.4 billion fiscal 2010 budget request on Thursday, and Energy Secretary Steven Chu held a news briefing to cover the highlights. (Click for a PDF of his presentation.)

"We asked ourselves, 'Is it likely in the next 10 or 15, 20 years that we will convert to a hydrogen car economy?' The answer, we felt, was 'no,'" Chu said in a briefing, according to Energy & Environment Daily.

Fuel cells have been touted by politicians and people from the industry for many years. The major auto companies have hydrogen fuel cell development programs and lease a limited number of cars to people near the few hydrogen filling stations in the U.S. ...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10236740-54.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=GreenTech

[GliderGuider]

1. That seems to be sensible reasoning

There are other options that are much more promising, and the time frame is short, so let's not dilute our efforts too much. Keep a broad enough research portfolio to maximize the chances of a hit in some area, but don't waste time, brainpower or money on candidates that are running far back in the pack.

I support Chu's decision.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. More information

http://www.energy.gov/about/budget.htm

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. Honda, GM (and Toyota) Stick to Fuel-Cell Plans as Obama Guts Hydrogen Funds

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601072&sid=abc.hrgl1DPQ&refer=energy

Honda, GM Stick to Fuel-Cell Plans as Obama Guts Hydrogen Funds

By Alan Ohnsman and Tina Seeley

May 11 (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. say they’ll push ahead with development of hydrogen-powered autos after the Obama administration http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/10budget/Content/Highlights/FY2010Highlights.pdf">gutted fuel-cell funding plans in favor of biofuels and batteries.

U.S. Energy Department funding for hydrogen-related projects would be cut by 60 percent to $68.2 million next fiscal year under budget plans that President Barack Obama presented last week. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the department will concentrate on projects such as hydrogen power for buildings because it’s unlikely the fuel can be widely deployed for vehicles anytime soon.

“Honda has a significant commitment to fuel cells and we’re going to pursue it,” said Ed Cohen, vice president of U.S. government and industry affairs for the Tokyo-based automaker, in an interview. “We have a limited number of options to achieve transportation objectives which include less use of petroleum and reducing greenhouse gases. Hydrogen is one of them.”

Carmakers for a decade poured billions of dollars into developing electric models powered by hydrogen, promoting the fuel as an eventual replacement for oil and a way to cut carbon exhaust linked to global warming. While the http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Top-Gear-Honda-FCX_205799.htm">driving performance of Honda, GM and Toyota hydrogen models rivals gasoline-engine vehicles, hurdles include high production and materials costs, durability and a lack of fueling stations.

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[madrchsod]

5. general motors is test driving 28(?) various hydrogen vehicles across the country

the largest test fleet of any auto assembler in the world

[madrchsod]

4. i`ll take the word of a a nobel prize winner .....

he has an extraordinary family....

2 brothers and 4 cousins---3md`s,4ph.d`,1 jd , plus his father,mother,grandfather,uncle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Chu

[kristopher]

6. For a readable detailed overview of H as an energy carrier

http://www.energybulletin.net/node/2401

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. A report by the National Academies

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12222

Transitions to Alternative Transportation Technologies--A Focus on Hydrogen

…

The use of HFCVs can achieve large and sustained reductions in U.S. oil consumption and CO₂ emissions, but several decades will be needed to realize these potential long-term benefits. Considerable progress is still required toward improving fuel cell costs and durability, as well as on-board hydrogen storage. The substantial financial commitments and technical progress made in recent years by the automotive industry, private entrepreneurs, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) suggest that HFCVs and hydrogen production technologies could be ready for commercialization in the 2015-2020 time frame. Such vehicles are not likely to be cost-competitive until after 2020, but by 2050 HFCVs could account for more than 80 percent of new vehicles entering the fleet.

An accelerated transition to HFCVs would require that automobile manufacturers ramp up production of fuel cell vehicles even while they cost much more than conventional vehicles, and that investments be made to build and operate hydrogen fueling stations even while the market for hydrogen is very limited. Substantial government actions and assistance would therefore be needed to support such a transition to HFCVs in the 2020 time frame, even with good technical progress on fuel cell and hydrogen production technologies. Substantial and sustained research and development (R&D) programs also are required to further reduce the costs of fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen after 2020.

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The analysis did not really consider "battery electric vehicles."

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Based on a comparison of the three scenarios in http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12222&page=16#p200161e29960016001">Figure S.5, the committee concluded that no single approach is likely to deliver both significant midterm and long-term reductions in oil demand and greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, conventional and hybrid vehicle technology, biofuels, and HFCVs should be considered not as competitors over the next few decades, but as part of a portfolio of options with a potential to deliver significant energy security and environmental benefits across a variety of time horizons. Other technologies not analyzed in this study, such as plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles, and other types of internal combustion engines, also should be examined as potential candidates for this portfolio. As in other domains, a portfolio of technology options is most likely to improve the chances of success while reducing the risks in the event that any one option fails to deliver on its promise.

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For more information on the possibilities of EV's check:
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12113

Review of the Research Program of the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership:
Second Report

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Electrochemical Energy Storage

Improved battery performance, durability, and cost are critical to gaining more widespread acceptance for hybrid and plug-in hybrid automobiles (including fuel cell hybrids). Very significant progress has been made during the last 2 years, and lithium ion batteries have been developed that can meet several of the FreedomCAR 2010 goals, including weight, volume, and cycle life requirements, with good prospects for meeting the remaining goals as well as the calendar life requirements. New approaches have increased the safety and abuse tolerance of these batteries. Cost is the largest remaining barrier, with estimates of current cost about two times the 2010 goal. Substantial additional research is ongoing to find lower cost materials. The success of this effort will largely determine the viability of these batteries in mass-produced hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

A significant additional breakthrough in battery technology is needed to enable a competitive all-electric automobile that would help meet the FreedomCAR goals. Furthermore, the potential benefits of PHEVs in reducing petroleum consumption have been recognized by the Partnership, yet there seems to be a lack of urgency in finalizing and executing the R&D plan for PHEVs.

Recommendation. The Partnership should conduct a thorough analysis of the cost of the Li ion battery for each application: hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), PHEVs, battery electric vehicles (EVs), and hydrogen-fueled fuel cell HEVs. The analysis should reexamine the initial assumptions, including those for both market forces and technical issues, and refine them based on recent materials and process costs. It should also determine the effect of increasing production rates for the different systems under development.

Recommendation. The Partnership should significantly intensify its efforts to develop high-energy batteries; in particular it should look for newer higher-specific-energy electrochemical systems within the long-term battery research subactivity and in close coordination with BES.

Recommendation. The Partnership should move forward aggressively with completing and executing its R&D plan for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

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