Topic: Breakthrough fuel cell tech is discovered by Purdue

[Electric Eye]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070518/us_nm/fuel_hydrogen_dc

They should not factor in the cost vs gasoline or crude oil products, they should be thinking of "America has LOTS of aluminum" and jobs would be created, not to mention the money spent by the consumer stays in country instead of going to Saudi Arabia in the form of "Petrodollars."

I wish I had a machine shop, I would love to tear down the Camry and Honda and make an engine that runs off an aluminum based fuel cell.  Of course the ECU would need to be thrown out (I'd give it to a gas powered Camry owner that needed one) as it would need a totally new P/C that is based upon the fuel cell energy values, transmission values, etc...

Can you imagine driving around and not having to worry about your gas tank level?  I spend on average 40 bucks for a 13.5 gallon tank about every 2 weeks, that's 80 bucks a month, times 12 is 960 dollars a year savings!

[Lieutenant_Q]

I'd love to do that.  Even if I could take a downgrade in HP for a lower fuel cost without having to spend the big bucks up front, id do it in a second.  I run deliveries for a living now, and I put 35 bucks every two days into my tank. 

[Brush Wolf]

Very interesting although I wonder how pure the water needs to be? Living in a part of the country that temperatures of -50F are not unknown the water would need some form of anti-freeze in the winter months.

[Electric Eye]

I'd love to do that.  Even if I could take a downgrade in HP for a lower fuel cost without having to spend the big bucks up front, id do it in a second.  I run deliveries for a living now, and I put 35 bucks every two days into my tank. 

 

Dang dude, what kind of truck are you using? I found this, and UPS doesn't play, transportation and delivery is their business.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5567217

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/26/epa-unveils-hydraulic-hybrid-ups-delivery-truck/

Hmmmmmm, maybe those delivery trucks will outsell regular cars and P/Us! 

The benefits of using a hydraulic hybrid system, according to EPA claims, are a 60%-70% increase in fuel economy (based on lab tests), a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions, and a lower "hybrid penalty" costwise, which can be recovered in as little as three years due to fuel savings (1,000 gallons of diesel/year) and reduction in brake maintenance costs.

 

That is badarse!

[Lieutenant_Q]

Its a car, but when I run for 10 hours a day, it adds up.

[Electric Eye]

I wonder how much a used UPS truck costs? Couple that with a 3 year investment plan for the system, and after that it's gravy.

Don't forget, that application could probably work for a USPS truck too, though you would be "inventing" it for yourself since as far as I know it has only been designed and applied to the UPS truck fleet so far.

Out of curiosity, what do you deliver? IIRC, business mileage (IIRC, even when you work for a business in case you do not own a business) is deductible at the Federal level, which IIRC is 40 plus cents a gallon. That's not chump change.