Cars using water as fuel
As absurd as it may like, it is a very real possibility. So real that several have laready started working on cars and motorcycles that can use water as fuel. Water exist out of hydrogen and oxygen, on which fuel cells run. In Russia at the scientific insitute of Murmansk, and in Norway or Sweden a car using fuelcells and a closed circuit is or was being tested. In the Uk a small motorcycle was unveiled last year that usses a fuel cell and a has as exhaust, watervapour, which can be drunken or be reused to create fuel for fuelcells with. Fuel cell technology would also be used for small powercentrals in houses, schools and the like. They have the advantage that when used in combination with a system that converts water into hydrogen and oxygen for use in a fuel cell, or to use in a closed loop system, so you do not have to refuel or far less.
On the news I heard about two system in Belgium, and I found them rahter intresting, although they missed one point. Yet this point is missing in most fuel cell related designs. What do you do with the exhaust ?
It could be cooled down using zeolite, for example, so that the water vapour turns to water, that is easier to store and safer. This would allow to add the water in a conversion unit, and reuse it later on. That could be all the exhaust or part of it. It may be useful for the transport sector, because they then could reuse this if there company had such a conversion unit, or deliver it in in a special tank in a tankstation, which would give them a benfit, so they would have to pay less for the fuel they tank. A local shop, and others uses such a system. For everything you buy you get a check with a value representing 5 or 10 % of the amount you bought. A like wise system could be used here. Where the amount of water that one delivers form his/her car stands for an amount one does not have to pay when tanking new fuel. The water delivered is reused to create fuel with.
This system is useful even technologically possible, and parts are under development, yet because it is and probably will be more expensive it won't see deployment everywhere. It doesn't need to to be useful. It would have its use on well visited tank stations, like those found on busy motorways. Certain station in citys for example.
I think it is very well possible technologically speaking to have a rental service in city's like Brussels, New York, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Tokyo, Being, Montreal (possibly), Rome, Barcelona, San Fransico, Los Angelos, Tampa, New Orleans, Athens, Budapest, Lyon, Lisabon, Madrid, Antwerp, Ghent, to name a few, where people can rent a motorcycle that uses fuel cell technology. And refill it with water that came out of there exhaust. Read about them, saw them on a english auto show on the BBC I thought. The prototypes of those motorcycles have been tested, and shown and they work fine. So if they would start producing them the period that it would take to get them to use, would be less then say four years.
I suspect that often the reason for not yet using it, is based on the fact the legal side may be behind the technology, or that others take commerce as a first intrest, but this opens possiblitys that were not there before. Yet the company whom developped that bike, can't wait 4 years, until people make up there mind, and say well, we would want them. They are more expensive then others, but cleaner, and there exhaust can be reused to create fuel with. But I do suspect that as all motorcyle/bikes and cars they will need servicing from time to time. Lets face it, if you had the money, and they wanted to build one for you, you may have it very soon, a year, maybe less, maybe a bit more. Such a rental service could not only have such bikes for rent, but for example the Honda FCX car that uses hydrogen.
It has been certifed for commericial use in the US, and being tested in New York, which also works when it freezes outside. The bikes are ideal for in city's, but would have there use elsewere as well, suburbs and the like. Honda is working on a Home Energy Station, a unit that allows you to fill it at home. It reminds me of a European engine, very efficient, more efficient then most car engines, which can burn hydrogen as well, and emit heat in the process.
As much as we would like thinking that everything that now runs on oil or a derived product of it, will run on hydorgen later on, that maybe not posisble. Therefore having seperate things running on seperate alternative fuels, could sound like to difficult and impposible, prone to problems. But it depends on what you want to do. If for example closed loop systems would be used for the transport and agricultural sector, then they would have to refuel far less.
Why the agricultural sector ? Because if the price for fuel goes up they are hit hard by it. Yet these engines may be more expensive at first sight then conventional ones. They do have the advantage that they could refuel at home, and with closed loop system, may not have to refuel at all. Or potientally at first hybrids could be used. The second reason for the agricultural sector is, because they produce our food, and if the prices of oil goes up to much, or the supply goes down, or both, they would be hardest hit, and a such would we, because the price of food would soar. And not only food.
I have been wondering if fuel cell technology, closed loop or not, is not possible to be used in trains ? They could deliver the water form there exhaust in trainstations which could then convert it back to fuel. So it can be reused by trains, or even by the station itself.
The one thing I may have in common with creationst, sometimes, even I don't agree at all with what they and ID'ers say about the origin of life, and evolution, I often don't take no for an answer. There are things in which I do, but one things I know pretty well, I do far less often. Which is what I suppose teachers may not have liked when they asked question, like give one answer, and you give a different one then the one they expected, because there were multiple possible answers to the questions. If I would be a student now, but I am not, then depending on the subject that may for some teachers then more of a problem then it was in the past.
So if someone would say me that, like we coud do this in 10 years or so, then my answer would, why don't I believe you ? The company that made those bikes could make more, not prototypes but for commercial use, but they can only do so, if they are sure that demand will be enough. Therefore is such a service study would be innitated in a city, and it would have reached the stage where a non retarted study would say, well its feasible, and all the infrastructure would be in place by then, and we 'd use this bike, then that would be the right time to order them. That way the company that makes them can work on them, and they would still be there when the renting scheme would come into place. Otherwise such a study has not much use, it would only be used as a zoethoudertje, something to let people believe that something is done about it, and then it would start, the technology would not be there anymore. They would have tried, and well it didn't work out.
Yet what would have to be studied ? That they are safe, those bikes/motorscycles ? Many of the information needed for such a study may already be available from studys of existing motorcycles, scooters in the city that has been chose, but also form other citys. Certain situation are the same everywhere. Rather then reinventing the wheel, why not look around us, to what others have already done, and are doing. This is not to say that we can not do that, but that doing this completly ourselves without looking at others, learning from them, may slow down things, and may make het zoethoudertje more likley. But by comparing with other studys, by cooperating with them, we can learn form them. Make sure that its not a zoethoudertje, but becomes reality.
One market the company that build those bikes/scooters may already be able to build things for, is for conversion kits. Where in a existing scooter or motorcycle/bike design a fuel cell kit, can be added, or even replace the current fuel tank, and engine. What could people have against that ? As long as they need servicing from time to time, so that the people who do this now can do that in the future as well, there will be less objection against it. Especially if the Home Energy Stations and the like become available or are made available. If someone would say its unsafe as hydrogen can explode, perhaps that someone should look at what he puts in the tank of his car. And then ask him or herself why we make no problem of that. Because if hydrogen power cars would have to be banned because some would deem them unsafe, almost every other means of tranpsortaiont hat uses fuel, derived from oil or even biofuel would have to as well.
Shell has studys that create scenario's for the future so that they can use those to coordinate and judge there investments against. I found that intresting, and was already doing that, but more personal, so I decided to add some more scenarios, general and specific, and to add more times when they could be revised, if neccesary on the go. In there latest report which was on television, they said that the peak of production was not reached yet, but that new sources became less and those that did were of the kind that made it harder and as such more expensive to get the oil out. Some of these are already in use. Thinking of possible scenarios's for the future is nothing new. Humans do this naturally, how else can you plan when you want to go to the movies, travel and things like that ?
We should ask ourselves what we want. Do we want cleaner air in the citys or not ? If the answer is yes, then we know we will have to do something about it. The next step is how fast would we want to do this, and what may it cost us, and how far do we want to go ? We know its possible, but it will only happen if we want to. Really want it to.
Last but not least, why is it that, we look at other country's and not or won for innovation of this kind ? Because we can't do it, or because we think we can't do it ? That we don't have what is needed, that we don't have enough money for it ? What we should not do is shut the rest of the world out, and take current progress back to square one, because we want to prove we can. The concurence doesn't wait. So if something is going good, then its better not to interfer. Others have thought they had to in the past and often that resulted in delays, or derailments. We may comment on India sending its people out, but we can also learn from them. Why do they send there people out ? To give them a chance to learn tings and do things, and allowing them to come back afterwards to there own country and implement there what they have learned. We can learn that from them. I had considerd such an option, in a future scenario for myself, but when I made public and it became public there were people who sugested that I should go and study in Belgium, because there were good schools there as well, or in Europe, and other that it was ridiculous even to consider that option. I would make a fool of myself. Why would somebody intrested in philosophy, linguistics and language philosophy among other things go and study at one of the best Technical univeristies in the world. Simpley because technology as you can figure out form this blog, is a main intrest of me. And that although I do not have 8 hands, which would come in real useful, other people could work on concepts, ideas, without me taking all the credits on it, just a few. Thats enough for me. It would be very difficult, very challenging, very rewarding as well, and probably the best learning environement I can think off. There may be other great universities, in Europe, but that would be the best one for me. One where I know that the way I learn is an advantage for me, rather then not. And it has the advantage of having mutiple minds attending it, plus one language philosopher teaching there. It would be nice to have someone to talk to once in a while. I can talk with peoples on several things, but not on some things, where it matters most.
What has all this to do with fuelcell technology ? We may look at other countries for what they come up, and may not be aware of what we can do ourselves, yet by shutting the world out, and by limitting the possiblities of our own people, we also limit ourselves. And when they then decide to work with other people in other countries and we would say, no such thing, you have ot work with us, that is creating an environement that is more based on pride then reality. In things like this pride is a bad counselor. It is form going from a good working collaboration to a new colaboration, but rather forced, and therefore not as good , and could lead to the derailement of the research. we will do this, well I'd say that is bad managment. I'm not a manager, but I've come into contact with it enough, to know that that is not something to do. Its common business sense as regconised by many around the world. I'm only trying to say this, we may need to rethink the way we deal with things, and find way that we can deal with globalisation. One way is like India is to allow people to go and study, work in other countrys and to give them the chance to come back later on. Learning from other examples. Often the result is more rather less, although many people seem to think its the other way around. You may lose more by keeping people in your own country when they want to go somewhere else, then by letting them go, and give them the chance to come back later. But it requires long term thinking, and looking to the forward.
If you have seen masterchef, today on een, then I would say that the lady is an example of how to do it right, but only when needed so. Otherwise the best thing is to leave it like it is. Technology and fuels cells is as much about the technology itself, then the managment of how that thechnology is applied, how the study's are done, and how cooperation si doen. If for exmaple multiple city's would consider use those english scooters, why not then cooperate, learn from each other, rather then wanting doing like they don't exist.
Smog is a problem, and we can solve if we want to, the technology is maturing, and some is already mature enough to use, like the bikes/motorcycles, and possibly the conversion kits derived from it. We just have to accept and know that its possible.
These bikes/motorcycles to be used for a renting system, maybe be good for a European projects so that multiple city's could work together in putting such a renting service in place, learn from each other, do studys together, exchange information. Spread costs. It would alos mena that no single city would have to bear the full cost of getting those bikes into production and that several of them could be ordered, providing people with work, making sure that it is not just a theorethical study but also a practical study. That means that people try them out, do there daily course with such a scooter rather then with there normal scooter. It also augments visisblity of the project, can spark intrest. (I leanred this from what General Motors could have done with the ev1, but didn't do at the end. If they would have allowed people to buy the cars, rather then destroy them they would have created a community,and people would have seen the cars and take notice ) People could argue that hydrogen is dangerous and as such does not belong in a city. If you take that as an argument, you have to ban as well any car, scooter, bus, truck that does not run on electricity. There wouldn't be much left, if that would be done. Trafic problems like we know them would be mostly gone, but I doubt people would like that.
For such a study to have effect, and such a rental service to become reality, not only should one look at the technologies that this particular company offers, but also the technologies that other European companies and universities have in preparation. I could include myself in that list, but I won't. There are enough people in Europe, in Belgium and other countries who may have solutions. The best would be if they combined them, got to know about them. There are car designs, dutch, german that could be included in such a project. So that not just one solution is presented, but a mix of solutions, of bikes, cars that can be rented. Because not every solution works for everything. There are 3 wheeler cars that could be rented, or be used of rtaxi services, where a driver would take one person to the location where he or she wanted to go, without having to drive there themselves. Much is possible, already but you can't think of that, if one is n't aware of what is technoloically possible.
Am I aware of everything that is technologically possible ? By far not. I know for which ones I would go, even if I know that not all of those work on hydrogen. I saw a German 3 wheeler under development on CER 2005, and I read about the zwieper A dutch 3 wheeler that came on the market in 2003. They could compelement each other. And for those who say, why no Belgian models, or French, well they may be there, or people thinking about them, or working on such things. Like the z-engine in Poland, I thought. There may be more then we know of, or care to know off. Small smarts might be useful as well.
The question will it ever be possible is not correct, rahter ask yourself when you want it to happen. The EU may have a coordination role here, to allow to put the framework into place that allows such a project to start in multiple city's at once. They seem to be good at it, so why not use that. Not every three wheler car would have to be used in each city, but could be adapted for the climate, and local design could be used. Financial sponsering could come from the city's, countries involved. A spinoff project may include the possiblity for people to rent such cars. So they can try them out if they want to, without having to buy them. This could all be coupeled to existing public transport projects so they complement each other, without taking taxis away, but by giving them the chance to change there transport, or to try out different transports.
Such a setup, could allow students, universities, companies, people intrested in this, with there on designs to work together, and make it reality. Providing: transport, cleaner air, technology, work, a future, and make sure that research in those areas gets a chance to flourish rather then to become a zoethoudertje. That is dutch, it means, a sweet you give to the people so they would think something happens, and then in the end, when the study is finished and the technology is no longer there, no one could be blamed. We would have tried, and failed. And the next time, someone would suggest such a study rather there would be more resistance to it, less chance of it coming there, it would be delayed. But this is about our future, and that of our children and there childeren, and the generations after it. I can only try to inspire people, and if they want me to help them, I will if I can, but a cleaner air, starts with ourselves. We have the potential to do that, but the question that is most important, is if we want to ?
This is a picture of the bike and some more information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4353853.stm
http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-news/fuel-cell-motorcycle/
http://www.mahler-ags.com/
http://www.intelligent-energy.com/
http://www.envbike.com/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
On the news I heard about two system in Belgium, and I found them rahter intresting, although they missed one point. Yet this point is missing in most fuel cell related designs. What do you do with the exhaust ?
It could be cooled down using zeolite, for example, so that the water vapour turns to water, that is easier to store and safer. This would allow to add the water in a conversion unit, and reuse it later on. That could be all the exhaust or part of it. It may be useful for the transport sector, because they then could reuse this if there company had such a conversion unit, or deliver it in in a special tank in a tankstation, which would give them a benfit, so they would have to pay less for the fuel they tank. A local shop, and others uses such a system. For everything you buy you get a check with a value representing 5 or 10 % of the amount you bought. A like wise system could be used here. Where the amount of water that one delivers form his/her car stands for an amount one does not have to pay when tanking new fuel. The water delivered is reused to create fuel with.
This system is useful even technologically possible, and parts are under development, yet because it is and probably will be more expensive it won't see deployment everywhere. It doesn't need to to be useful. It would have its use on well visited tank stations, like those found on busy motorways. Certain station in citys for example.
I think it is very well possible technologically speaking to have a rental service in city's like Brussels, New York, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Tokyo, Being, Montreal (possibly), Rome, Barcelona, San Fransico, Los Angelos, Tampa, New Orleans, Athens, Budapest, Lyon, Lisabon, Madrid, Antwerp, Ghent, to name a few, where people can rent a motorcycle that uses fuel cell technology. And refill it with water that came out of there exhaust. Read about them, saw them on a english auto show on the BBC I thought. The prototypes of those motorcycles have been tested, and shown and they work fine. So if they would start producing them the period that it would take to get them to use, would be less then say four years.
I suspect that often the reason for not yet using it, is based on the fact the legal side may be behind the technology, or that others take commerce as a first intrest, but this opens possiblitys that were not there before. Yet the company whom developped that bike, can't wait 4 years, until people make up there mind, and say well, we would want them. They are more expensive then others, but cleaner, and there exhaust can be reused to create fuel with. But I do suspect that as all motorcyle/bikes and cars they will need servicing from time to time. Lets face it, if you had the money, and they wanted to build one for you, you may have it very soon, a year, maybe less, maybe a bit more. Such a rental service could not only have such bikes for rent, but for example the Honda FCX car that uses hydrogen.
It has been certifed for commericial use in the US, and being tested in New York, which also works when it freezes outside. The bikes are ideal for in city's, but would have there use elsewere as well, suburbs and the like. Honda is working on a Home Energy Station, a unit that allows you to fill it at home. It reminds me of a European engine, very efficient, more efficient then most car engines, which can burn hydrogen as well, and emit heat in the process.
As much as we would like thinking that everything that now runs on oil or a derived product of it, will run on hydorgen later on, that maybe not posisble. Therefore having seperate things running on seperate alternative fuels, could sound like to difficult and impposible, prone to problems. But it depends on what you want to do. If for example closed loop systems would be used for the transport and agricultural sector, then they would have to refuel far less.
Why the agricultural sector ? Because if the price for fuel goes up they are hit hard by it. Yet these engines may be more expensive at first sight then conventional ones. They do have the advantage that they could refuel at home, and with closed loop system, may not have to refuel at all. Or potientally at first hybrids could be used. The second reason for the agricultural sector is, because they produce our food, and if the prices of oil goes up to much, or the supply goes down, or both, they would be hardest hit, and a such would we, because the price of food would soar. And not only food.
I have been wondering if fuel cell technology, closed loop or not, is not possible to be used in trains ? They could deliver the water form there exhaust in trainstations which could then convert it back to fuel. So it can be reused by trains, or even by the station itself.
The one thing I may have in common with creationst, sometimes, even I don't agree at all with what they and ID'ers say about the origin of life, and evolution, I often don't take no for an answer. There are things in which I do, but one things I know pretty well, I do far less often. Which is what I suppose teachers may not have liked when they asked question, like give one answer, and you give a different one then the one they expected, because there were multiple possible answers to the questions. If I would be a student now, but I am not, then depending on the subject that may for some teachers then more of a problem then it was in the past.
So if someone would say me that, like we coud do this in 10 years or so, then my answer would, why don't I believe you ? The company that made those bikes could make more, not prototypes but for commercial use, but they can only do so, if they are sure that demand will be enough. Therefore is such a service study would be innitated in a city, and it would have reached the stage where a non retarted study would say, well its feasible, and all the infrastructure would be in place by then, and we 'd use this bike, then that would be the right time to order them. That way the company that makes them can work on them, and they would still be there when the renting scheme would come into place. Otherwise such a study has not much use, it would only be used as a zoethoudertje, something to let people believe that something is done about it, and then it would start, the technology would not be there anymore. They would have tried, and well it didn't work out.
Yet what would have to be studied ? That they are safe, those bikes/motorscycles ? Many of the information needed for such a study may already be available from studys of existing motorcycles, scooters in the city that has been chose, but also form other citys. Certain situation are the same everywhere. Rather then reinventing the wheel, why not look around us, to what others have already done, and are doing. This is not to say that we can not do that, but that doing this completly ourselves without looking at others, learning from them, may slow down things, and may make het zoethoudertje more likley. But by comparing with other studys, by cooperating with them, we can learn form them. Make sure that its not a zoethoudertje, but becomes reality.
One market the company that build those bikes/scooters may already be able to build things for, is for conversion kits. Where in a existing scooter or motorcycle/bike design a fuel cell kit, can be added, or even replace the current fuel tank, and engine. What could people have against that ? As long as they need servicing from time to time, so that the people who do this now can do that in the future as well, there will be less objection against it. Especially if the Home Energy Stations and the like become available or are made available. If someone would say its unsafe as hydrogen can explode, perhaps that someone should look at what he puts in the tank of his car. And then ask him or herself why we make no problem of that. Because if hydrogen power cars would have to be banned because some would deem them unsafe, almost every other means of tranpsortaiont hat uses fuel, derived from oil or even biofuel would have to as well.
Shell has studys that create scenario's for the future so that they can use those to coordinate and judge there investments against. I found that intresting, and was already doing that, but more personal, so I decided to add some more scenarios, general and specific, and to add more times when they could be revised, if neccesary on the go. In there latest report which was on television, they said that the peak of production was not reached yet, but that new sources became less and those that did were of the kind that made it harder and as such more expensive to get the oil out. Some of these are already in use. Thinking of possible scenarios's for the future is nothing new. Humans do this naturally, how else can you plan when you want to go to the movies, travel and things like that ?
We should ask ourselves what we want. Do we want cleaner air in the citys or not ? If the answer is yes, then we know we will have to do something about it. The next step is how fast would we want to do this, and what may it cost us, and how far do we want to go ? We know its possible, but it will only happen if we want to. Really want it to.
Last but not least, why is it that, we look at other country's and not or won for innovation of this kind ? Because we can't do it, or because we think we can't do it ? That we don't have what is needed, that we don't have enough money for it ? What we should not do is shut the rest of the world out, and take current progress back to square one, because we want to prove we can. The concurence doesn't wait. So if something is going good, then its better not to interfer. Others have thought they had to in the past and often that resulted in delays, or derailments. We may comment on India sending its people out, but we can also learn from them. Why do they send there people out ? To give them a chance to learn tings and do things, and allowing them to come back afterwards to there own country and implement there what they have learned. We can learn that from them. I had considerd such an option, in a future scenario for myself, but when I made public and it became public there were people who sugested that I should go and study in Belgium, because there were good schools there as well, or in Europe, and other that it was ridiculous even to consider that option. I would make a fool of myself. Why would somebody intrested in philosophy, linguistics and language philosophy among other things go and study at one of the best Technical univeristies in the world. Simpley because technology as you can figure out form this blog, is a main intrest of me. And that although I do not have 8 hands, which would come in real useful, other people could work on concepts, ideas, without me taking all the credits on it, just a few. Thats enough for me. It would be very difficult, very challenging, very rewarding as well, and probably the best learning environement I can think off. There may be other great universities, in Europe, but that would be the best one for me. One where I know that the way I learn is an advantage for me, rather then not. And it has the advantage of having mutiple minds attending it, plus one language philosopher teaching there. It would be nice to have someone to talk to once in a while. I can talk with peoples on several things, but not on some things, where it matters most.
What has all this to do with fuelcell technology ? We may look at other countries for what they come up, and may not be aware of what we can do ourselves, yet by shutting the world out, and by limitting the possiblities of our own people, we also limit ourselves. And when they then decide to work with other people in other countries and we would say, no such thing, you have ot work with us, that is creating an environement that is more based on pride then reality. In things like this pride is a bad counselor. It is form going from a good working collaboration to a new colaboration, but rather forced, and therefore not as good , and could lead to the derailement of the research. we will do this, well I'd say that is bad managment. I'm not a manager, but I've come into contact with it enough, to know that that is not something to do. Its common business sense as regconised by many around the world. I'm only trying to say this, we may need to rethink the way we deal with things, and find way that we can deal with globalisation. One way is like India is to allow people to go and study, work in other countrys and to give them the chance to come back later on. Learning from other examples. Often the result is more rather less, although many people seem to think its the other way around. You may lose more by keeping people in your own country when they want to go somewhere else, then by letting them go, and give them the chance to come back later. But it requires long term thinking, and looking to the forward.
If you have seen masterchef, today on een, then I would say that the lady is an example of how to do it right, but only when needed so. Otherwise the best thing is to leave it like it is. Technology and fuels cells is as much about the technology itself, then the managment of how that thechnology is applied, how the study's are done, and how cooperation si doen. If for exmaple multiple city's would consider use those english scooters, why not then cooperate, learn from each other, rather then wanting doing like they don't exist.
Smog is a problem, and we can solve if we want to, the technology is maturing, and some is already mature enough to use, like the bikes/motorcycles, and possibly the conversion kits derived from it. We just have to accept and know that its possible.
These bikes/motorcycles to be used for a renting system, maybe be good for a European projects so that multiple city's could work together in putting such a renting service in place, learn from each other, do studys together, exchange information. Spread costs. It would alos mena that no single city would have to bear the full cost of getting those bikes into production and that several of them could be ordered, providing people with work, making sure that it is not just a theorethical study but also a practical study. That means that people try them out, do there daily course with such a scooter rather then with there normal scooter. It also augments visisblity of the project, can spark intrest. (I leanred this from what General Motors could have done with the ev1, but didn't do at the end. If they would have allowed people to buy the cars, rather then destroy them they would have created a community,and people would have seen the cars and take notice ) People could argue that hydrogen is dangerous and as such does not belong in a city. If you take that as an argument, you have to ban as well any car, scooter, bus, truck that does not run on electricity. There wouldn't be much left, if that would be done. Trafic problems like we know them would be mostly gone, but I doubt people would like that.
For such a study to have effect, and such a rental service to become reality, not only should one look at the technologies that this particular company offers, but also the technologies that other European companies and universities have in preparation. I could include myself in that list, but I won't. There are enough people in Europe, in Belgium and other countries who may have solutions. The best would be if they combined them, got to know about them. There are car designs, dutch, german that could be included in such a project. So that not just one solution is presented, but a mix of solutions, of bikes, cars that can be rented. Because not every solution works for everything. There are 3 wheeler cars that could be rented, or be used of rtaxi services, where a driver would take one person to the location where he or she wanted to go, without having to drive there themselves. Much is possible, already but you can't think of that, if one is n't aware of what is technoloically possible.
Am I aware of everything that is technologically possible ? By far not. I know for which ones I would go, even if I know that not all of those work on hydrogen. I saw a German 3 wheeler under development on CER 2005, and I read about the zwieper A dutch 3 wheeler that came on the market in 2003. They could compelement each other. And for those who say, why no Belgian models, or French, well they may be there, or people thinking about them, or working on such things. Like the z-engine in Poland, I thought. There may be more then we know of, or care to know off. Small smarts might be useful as well.
The question will it ever be possible is not correct, rahter ask yourself when you want it to happen. The EU may have a coordination role here, to allow to put the framework into place that allows such a project to start in multiple city's at once. They seem to be good at it, so why not use that. Not every three wheler car would have to be used in each city, but could be adapted for the climate, and local design could be used. Financial sponsering could come from the city's, countries involved. A spinoff project may include the possiblity for people to rent such cars. So they can try them out if they want to, without having to buy them. This could all be coupeled to existing public transport projects so they complement each other, without taking taxis away, but by giving them the chance to change there transport, or to try out different transports.
Such a setup, could allow students, universities, companies, people intrested in this, with there on designs to work together, and make it reality. Providing: transport, cleaner air, technology, work, a future, and make sure that research in those areas gets a chance to flourish rather then to become a zoethoudertje. That is dutch, it means, a sweet you give to the people so they would think something happens, and then in the end, when the study is finished and the technology is no longer there, no one could be blamed. We would have tried, and failed. And the next time, someone would suggest such a study rather there would be more resistance to it, less chance of it coming there, it would be delayed. But this is about our future, and that of our children and there childeren, and the generations after it. I can only try to inspire people, and if they want me to help them, I will if I can, but a cleaner air, starts with ourselves. We have the potential to do that, but the question that is most important, is if we want to ?
This is a picture of the bike and some more information:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4353853.stm
http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-news/fuel-cell-motorcycle/
http://www.mahler-ags.com/
http://www.intelligent-energy.com/
http://www.envbike.com/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.
posted by Florisv at 5:32 PM
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