Fool Sell Fiasco
Folly in the Valley

 

The real reason oil companies may be pushing fuel cells: they see themselves as dispensing the Hydrogen gas, if the folly ever became widespread, and, as seems likely, if the whole thing is a shuck, they can continue with their OIL MONOPOLY for the indefinite future.

May, 2003

The problem is not that we are going to run out of oil; the problem is that more and more of it keeps turning up. We may be able to burn ourselves into an amazing mess.
Yet it is not only possible, but pleasant, to live oil-free right now, here in the USA without withdrawing from the auto-based society that everyone seems to love.
The answer: rooftop solar power, and battery electric vehicles.
In the day, during periods of peak demand, the solar power flows into the grid, lowering the need for extra generator plants. At night, when electic usage is at a low point, we charge our EVs, helping amortize the cost of generators over more hours of use, not providing any drain at all on the system, instead, leveling demand and lowering costs for everyone else.

Fuel Cells work, of course; but getting the Hydrogen gas, or liquid Hydrogen, to run them would take 3 to 4 times the energy that you get out of the fuel cell stack. This high cost of Hydrogen means that making it will require massive amounts of petroleum and/or nuclear fuel -- not a clean solution. The idea of providing this masive amount of power is ludicrous, leading many to think the whole program is a sham and diversion.
The Oil Lobby -- "Oilies" -- pours millions into fuel cells for one reason: fuel cells are not a threat to their control of USA transportation and their control of your pocketbook.
The Oil Lobby's power comes from the invisible chain leading from drivers' necks to the gas pump. We are dependent on their dispensing of gasoline. That dependence gives them an enormous power, and leads to "oil dependency anemia" of the USA as our treasure and moral capital flies out to defend foreign oil supplies.
Foreign oil would not be necessary if a significant number of commuters used cheap, clean and fun Electric Vehicles.

 

 

This truck holds 300 kg of H2 at 2400 psi -- the equivalent of about 300 gallons of gasoline.05/18/20036:32 This much energy, converted to electric power (35 kwh per gallon) would be enough to drive an EV1 more than 36,000 miles.06/13/200311:07


Hidden fact behind the fuel cell fiasco: this truck, hidden away from the public area.

 

Can you see grandma plugging into liquid H2, much more dangerous than the gas, at 35,000 psi?05/18/20036:33


Danger: Hydrogen Flammable Gas

 

 

 

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Recall Davis05/18/20036:33 Lockyer for Governor!05/18/20036:42

This EV1 is oil-free and gas-free -- even free of Hydrogen gas! This EV is 6 years old and trouble-free, and can beat any one of these fuel cell cars off the line any old day. Yet GM is confiscating and removing the evidence from the hands of happy drivers!

 Closeup of setting up solar array

Farce05/18/20036:47

Almost more cars than people at the sparsely-attended fuel cell fiasco.

UCI ordered dirty diesel generator 

CARB killed this clean car program by allowing the auto makers too many ways out.05/18/20036:34

Most of the iterest was from EV drivers, who came to view -- perhaps to laugh!

 

Honda killed the EV Plus program05/18/20036:34 Why is Honda here at the fuel cell rally?07/13/200316:48

All the major foibles were there -- but no crowds.

Climbing to install banner hardware 

Ford never had a good EV, and still only came up with the ford EV Ranger, only 60 miles. They actually took batteries out to reduce the range when converting to NiMH05/18/20036:35

This gigantic truck was used to haul the whole show around -- could it be where the $1 million fuel cell cars are stored for safety?

 

Elaborate! Stupid! EV infrastructure -- the electric power grid -- is already in place.05/18/20037:22

More equipment. The stops are pulled when it comes to fuel cells, yet they fought battery powered EVs tooth and claw, sabotaging the batteries, charging too much, refusing to sell the vehicles, hiding the interminable "waiting lists", sneering at prospective buyers and lessees, then cancelling the program just as it was starting to catch on. The proof: why else would they forcibly take the cars from happy drivers if EVs were no threat to their plots?

Gasoholics05/18/20036:35 The reason oil companies are not afraid of Hydrogen is that it's just another version of gas--giving them control of drivers. Some think it's just HOT AIR!07/13/200316:49

Hydrogen dispensed like gasoline? NOT going to happen, say rational analysts.

Triumph!05/18/20036:35 ev1 wipes out all competition, finishes first!07/13/200316:50

EV1 sneers at Fuel Cell cars, which are FINISHed!

Parked right in the middle of Fairfax05/18/20036:36

Jack it up, it's still a farce.05/18/20036:36

 

 

Take a tanker of oil from the Middle East. Use much of it to fuel military ships, tanks, trucks, & planes around the world. Use much more to transport, process (remove sulfur, nitrogen, benzene, and hazardous materials), and deliver it to my local community. Now convert this into fertilizer, irrigation, and diesel fuel to raise corn. Now use natural gas to process the corn into ethanol. Now use electricity to convert ethanol to hydrogen and burn the carbon as waste. Now you can know that you have done your part for the world environment (and peace) by driving efficient non-electric cars.06/02/200316:33
Don't tell the import car this, but the first company to pony up and put into 10,000+ production of a small low cost EV commuter vehicle is going to make a fortune. Why because after you cover the design, retooling, and startup cost of any new vehicle then comes the unit production cost. The unit production cost per vehicle with 1/3 the parts of a gasoline vehicle will cost considerably less to produce. The cost of maintenance is less in an EV commuter vehicle without a costly EPA approved exhaust system, fuel pump, water pump, starter, alternator, oil pump, engine, transmission, etc. to consider. I can tell you how great it feels to leave a noisy sports car struggle to keep pace out of an intersection, pass by a quick lube where a line of car wait to have oil, sparkplugs, filter or whatever done, and to never have to wait until evening (in a line) on red alert day at a gas station. I just don’t know I lived before.06/02/200316:10
The reason car companies left Battery EV's after the gasoline engine invention was that families could only afford one car and they wanted one that could go great distances. In todays world many families have several cars. When they need the long distance of gasoline they tend to use the same vehicle time and time again (rental, newest, largest, ...) The rest of the time the kids drive to and from school. "Dad" drives to and from the store, church, et al. "Mom" drives to and from work. Grandparents drive to from community center, friends houses, et. al. Most of use day in and day out never drive more than 20-40 miles a day which makes an BEV as a perfect 2nd and 3rd vehicle.06/02/200315:40
I hope you don't simply brush-off all fuel cell solutions; Ballard Power here in Vancouver has produced several fuel cell powered buses for CM Translink, which have proven to be just as cost-effective as the dedicated electric buses running here. Naturally, the caternary / internal combustion buses are the most cost-effective, but Ballard has shown that it is not only possibly but feasible to run with fuel cells. I don't see this scaling down though, as the maintenance and fueling needs of the buses are of a nature unacceptable to the average consumer.05/29/20030:34
Hi, I totally agree with you and this page that we need new cars that dont blow up the planet and I think its a crime for the car companies to kill hybrid cars. But I wanted to also say that we could have compressed air cars instead of hydrogren cars. Please check out this web site. http://www.theaircar.com/index.html. I think that we could be coverting all cars to compressed air, much easier and sooner then hybrid cars, because you would just have to replace the fuel injection with air injection, rather then puting in a whole new engine or have all new gas stations. Also if we figure it out, air cars could be made to be a purtetual motion machines. A compressor would fill the tank, ran be a battery, which could be charged by a alternater. I still think that we need a hydrogen economy, but residential fuel cells. http://www.fuelcellstore.com/products/coleman/airgen.html Thankx for listening. Todd in Colorado 05/21/20039:48
I hope you've been in touch with Bruce Meland about making this a feature article in the next PRINT issue of Electrifying Times which should be going to print a month or so... Call Bruce if you have not done so already: (541) 388-190805/18/20037:35
Force CARB to stand by the ZEV mandate! Make it stronger, not weaker!05/18/20036:36



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Last modified Sunday, 18-May-2003 07:21:16 PDT