GM Press Release:

The goal of achieving sustainable mobility with zero emissions came a step closer today when GM announced the European part of its biggest ever test program for fuel cell vehicles.

Nine companies will be the first to operate GM’s HydroGen4 zero-emission vehicles in the Berlin area as they go about their day-to-day business: ADAC, Allianz, Coca Cola, Hilton, Linde,
Schindler, Axel Springer, Total and Veolia. This real-world road test will run under the umbrella of the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP), a German Federal Department for Transport, Building and Urban Development funded project focused on proving the day-to-day suitability of hydrogen as a fuel for road transport.

“We are delighted that these high profile business partners have joined us as we take zero emission fuel cell technology forward with the HydroGen4 program,” said GM Europe President Carl-Peter Forster.

This is a video showing DIY Solar Panel that I found in the youtube, have a look and make your own Solar Panel..

The Volt Concept is the first application of GM’s E-Flex System, in which electricity can be produced from different types of fuel. It is equipped with an electrical motor coupled with a compact 1-liter gasoline engine that can re-charge the battery, increasing range and fuel economy.

The E-flex System

The E-flex name defines a family of drivetrain systems that can produce electricity from gasoline, ethanol, bio-diesel or hydrogen, depending on the specific market and local infrastructure.

The Volt uses a large battery and a small, 1L turbo gasoline engine to produce enough electricity to go up to 640 miles and provide triple-digit fuel economy. GM will show other variations of the propulsion systems at future auto shows.

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For USD 5,560.00 will you buy this electric car?

Zhejiang 001 has produced a 100% solar powered mini car. This baby can run up to 150KM with 30 hours of full charge using the Solar Panel on top the car. People might look at you if you drive this car into the city but who cares, this car uses nothing but The Sun.

For people who read my blog, they should have some basic knowledge on how to self-produce hydrogen for their car and if you have not read my blog before, please read some of my article at “How to DIY Hydrogen Fuel Cell? - Part 1″. 

In this topic, I will introduce another method to produce hydrogen in big scale and cheaper compared to electrolysis process called Steam Reforming. Steam Reforming is a method of producing hydrogen from hydrocarbons. Steam reforming converts methane (and other hydrocarbons in natural gas) into hydrogen and carbon monoxide by reaction with steam over a nickel catalyst.

The steam methane reforming (SMR) process consists of the following two steps:

1.   Reformation of Natural Gas
The first step of the SMR process involves methane reacting with steam at 750-800°C (1380-1470ºF) to produce a synthesis gas (syngas), a mixture primarily made up of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO).

2.   Shift Reaction
In the second step, known as a water gas shift (WGS) reaction, the carbon monoxide produced in the first reaction is reacted with steam over a catalyst to form hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2). This process occurs in two stages, consisting of a high temperature shift (HTS) at 350ºC (662ºF) and a low temperature shift (LTS) at 190-210ºC (374-410ºF). 

Steam Reforming Process

Hydrogen produced from the SMR process includes small quantities of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide as impurities and, depending on use, may require further purification. The primary steps for purification include:

• Feedstock purification – This process removes poisons, including sulfur (S) and chloride (Cl), to increase the life of the downstream steam reforming and other catalysts.
• Product purification – In a liquid absorption system, CO2 is removed. The product gas undergoes a methanation step to remove residual traces of carbon oxides. Newer SMR plants utilize a pressure swing absorption (PSA) unit instead, producing 99.99% pure product hydrogen.

High to ultra-high purity hydrogen may be needed for the durable and efficient operation of fuel cells. Impurities are believed to cause various problems in the current state-of-the-art fuel cell designs, including catalyst poisoning and membrane failure. As such, additional process steps may be required to purify the hydrogen to meet industry quality standards. Additional steps could also be needed if carbon capture and sequestration technologies are developed and utilized as part of this method of hydrogen production.

Source : www.getenergysmart.org

Most people knew that adding some salt to the water will boost hydrogen production in electrolysis process but the water will become brownies once the electrolysis process has started. To solve this problem, some peoples used Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate.

Recently, QuantumSphere Inc has reported that their nanoparticle-coated electrodes can boost the production of hydrogen by 1000 times compared to sodium bicarbonate or normal salt. The company claimed that by using nanoparticle-coated electrodes, electrolysis process will be more efficient and more economical.

More detail please visit QuantumSphere Inc or EE Times.

Introducing the HydroPak, a revolutionary portable power system by Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies. Smaller than a generator and with more energy than batteries, the HydroPak offers long lasting, clean and reliable power. 

Features:

• Add Water, get power
• Compact & lightweight (3.5 Ibs/1.6kg)
• Ready-to use power
• Long cartridge shelf life
• No maintenance

More freedom:

• Indoor/outdoor use
• Silent operation
• Easy to use
• No carbon monoxide, no co2

 Application:

• Emergency preparedness
• Disaster relief
• Camping and outdoors
• Remote construction
• Remote TV reporting

Good news to Mini’s lover. BMW has release an electric version of Mini Cooper. This Mini Cooper has 204 house powers and with this stunning power, it reached 65mph (100km/h) in just 8.5 seconds. The top speed of this Mini Cooper can run up to 95mph (150km/h). This Mini-E powered by 150KW lithium-ion battery and with 8 hours of full charge, it can goes up to 150 miles (240KM). Like others electric car, shorter charging duration can be achieved by using special charging adaptor in just 2 ½ hours.
Unlike normal Mini Cooper this Mini-E has no backseat. This is due to the large lithium-ion battery pack which takes most of the space of the backseat. Mini-E also weight 300KG more than normal Mini Cooper.
BMW revealed that this Mini-E will be available in 2009 with a limited rollout of 500 units in New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles.

For more picture of Mini-E, please visit newsday.com.

A Japanese vehicle manufacturer unveiled the prototype of a new electric motorbike carrying a hybrid magnetic motor, which can run almost noiselessly up to 180 kilometers (112 miles) on one charge. Tokyo-based Axle Corporation says that the battery of the next-generation electric vehicle motorbike can be charged at home, in the same way as a cellular phone. It takes a little over 6 hours to fully charge the battery, and the vehicle’s maximum speed is capable of reaching 150 kilometers per hour (93 miles per hour).

The energy efficiency is very high thanks to the magnetic motor, a hybrid between a electromagnet and a permanent magnet, and is a masterpiece. The motor, SUMO(from super moto), is built inside bike’s rear wheel, and the manufacturers said that is seven times more cost efficient than gas-powered scooters.

The company plans to start selling a mini-scooter version of the magnetic-powered bike in 2007.

More picture of Magnatic Hybrid Motobike

October 6, 2008, Nissan proudly showed their Nissan Nuvu to public as a 2 + 1 seating concept car at Paris 2008 Auto Show.  This car feature of compact car where it sits on a wheelbase of 1980 mm but the car is 1700 mm wide and 1550 mm tall. It is to create a large and airy cabin to the driver and passengers. Nissan Nuvu used tree concept where the roof of the car is full of solar panel to act like leaf of tree to recharge its Li-Ion battery and boost power to its electric motor during day time. To have better aerodynamic airflow, Nissan Nuvu does not have a door mirror. Instate of normal door mirror it has a pair of camera at the back of the car and two screens on the car dashboard to display the back view during car parking or reversing. With a fully charge battery, it’s said that Nissan Nuvu will have a 125KM drive range and a top speed of 120KMph and a full charge of empty battery to full will take up to 4 hours with domestic 220V socket and 10 to 20 minutes with a quick charge module. Although this car is a concept car in 2008 but Nissan said this concept will be used in production of Nissan’s Electric Car launched in 2010.

More picture of Nissan Nuvu (source of picture click here)