I've been thinking a lot lately about the development of the fuels that we will use in the future. Oil and gas are on their way out, if for no other reason than the fact that we are no longer finding more new sources of fuel than we are using. We have passed so-called "peak oil". There are really two "future fuels" being developed: electricity and hydrogen. I have no doubt that electricity is going to win hands-down.
Think about it this way: the process to get hydrogen to our cars and homes is basically the same as that of oil because the main source of pure hydrogen is natural gas. Yes, there are other ways, but there doesn't seem to be any significant development on that front. So, like oil, the product is extracted, refined, transported, and stored - well to tank. Hydrogen can't be stored easily - it has to be kept under high pressure in a special tank. All-in-all, a very energy intensive process. Hydrogen can also be produced using electricity, but isn't that just adding an unnecessary step? Also, there is no distribution network in place for hydrogen - a huge amount of investment would be required just to make it possible for people to fuel their cars with it.
Electricity makes so much more sense, mainly because the long process from "well to tank" is almost eliminated. We already have an electrical grid delivering electricity where we need it, all we need to do is plug in. Our electrical grid is overdue for expansion and improvement, so this should help spur that investment - but it can be also produced locally, eliminating transmission over the electrical grid. You could charge your car from solar panels on your roof and never pay fuel costs again. It can be generated in numerous ways, many of which are zero-emission - solar, wind, hydro, etc. Battery and charging technology is advancing in leaps and bounds so any concerns about range of cars are virtually a non-issue. There are now systems in testing that can fully charge a car battery in about 10 minutes! That's really no longer than it takes to fill your tank with gas. These charging stations aren't everywhere yet, but they are much easier to roll out than volatile hydrogen storage tanks. And the car can still be charged in a plain old household receptacle if need be - it just takes longer.
So basically, here's why my next car will be electric:
- The delivery system is already in place - you can plug in everywhere!
- Improvements in battery technology are quickly extending the range of electric cars.
- Charging technology enables complete recharges in the same amount of time as it takes to fill a gas tank.
- I could generate the power myself and never pay a fuel bill again.
In closing, I heard an incredible statistic yesterday - the energy from the sun that hits the earth each day is greater than the total amount of energy we have used since the beginning of mankind. Amazing, huh?
PS: 2009.04.13: A great article on why Hydrogen just doesn't make sense as a power source.
http://www.pluginamerica.org/images/Bossel_E13.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment