Trends in Transportation - Hydrogen and Fuel Cells: Advances in Transportation and Power - page 176

or are planning to introduce them. If fuel cell cars run on gasoline, there is
minimum disruption but many fossil fuel problems remain.
METHANOL FUEL CELLS
Daimler-Benz has accumulated data on NECAR III emissions with a
dynamometer programmed for a mix of urban and suburban driving. The
results were promising since there were zero emissions for nitrogen oxide
and carbon monoxide, and extremely low hydrocarbon emissions of only
.0005 per gram per mile. NECAR III did produce significant quantities of
carbon dioxide similar to the emissions of a direct-injection diesel engine
where the fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber. Direct-
injection produces less combustion residue and unburned fuel.
Methanol may serve as a bridge to direct hydrogen, but more
hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are appearing. Rapid advances in direct-
hydrogen storage and production could push any liquid fuel out.
Each year the U.S. consumes almost 200 billion gallons of gasoline,
diesel fuel and other transportation fuels for road travel. This is about
20% of total U.S. energy consumption. When travel by air, water, and rail
is added, including pipelines energy, total transportation energy rises to
almost 30% of U.S. energy consumption.
The timetables announced by government and industry have
generally been proven too conservative. Many auto companies already
have running drivable fuel cell prototypes and it appears likely that some
moderate commercialization will be achieved in the next decade. Hybrids
are already here and proving to be popular because of their efficiency.
They are providing valuable data on the type of electric drives that would
be used in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
References
Ashley, Steven, “On the Road to Fuel Cell Cars,” Scientific American , Volume 292 Number 3,
March, 2005.
Hordeski, Michael F., Alternative Fuels—The Future of Hydrogen , The Fairmont Press: Lilburn,
GA, 2007.
Motavalli, Jim, Forward Drive , Sierra Club Books: San Francisco, CA, 2000.
Schneider, Stephen Henry, Global Warming , Sierra Club Books: San Francisco, CA, 1989.
Sparke, Penny, A Century of Car Design , Barron's Educational Series, Inc.: Hauppauge, NY,
2002.
U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2003 (123rd edition) Washington,
DC., 2003.