Friday, 27 June 2008

Peugeot Ozone: Rolling Fuel-Cell Car Concept

A new design for Peugeot has been unveiled which could be the most ‘out there’ vehicle design to date. Introducing the Ozone concept vehicle. Shaped like a drain pipe, yet strangely beautiful. It runs on hydrogen fuel-cells, naturally.


The cabin is positioned between two giant wheels (don’t know how well they would steer) which are each controlled by their own electric motor.


The body is equipped with doors that slide 360 degrees into its own frame which is impressive enough on its own.

Steering is handled via a joystick which if I remember correctly, Mercedes was experimenting with about a decade ago.

More pics below.



Sources:
New Launches
Ozkan Koral Industrial Design

Friday, 13 June 2008

Genepax Makes Cars Run On Water Alone

Genepax Japan has developed a power system that creates zero CO2 emissions and can power a car using nothing but water for fuel.


Like fuel cells, the system uses hydrogen for power but it creates its own on the fly. It contains a special material that acts like a small reactor, turning water and air into hydrogen through a chemical reaction.


This process has been seen on a smaller scale recently to power unmanned fuel cell helicopters. This larger scale version has great advantages over existing green technologies in that it can be used for any kind of power generation application.

It does not depend on braking force to recharge the batteries like systems in many hybrid cars. Nor does it require clear sunny days or high wind velocities like solar panels or wind turbines do. It can be kept running for as long as it is supplied with water which means it could also be used in residential applications.

Genepax has demonstrated a 300W active system mounted in the luggage area of a compact electric car. The car, known as “Reva”, was driven by the system but it is still early days.

The company plans to produce a 1KW model to offer more power and if it succeeds in mass production, could shrink the cost from ¥2,000,000 (US$18,522) to just ¥500,000 ($5000) or lower.

If brought down to this price, Genepax feels it could compete with residential solar cell systems.

Source:
FarEastGizmos

Related articles:
Helicopters Powered By Fuel Cells

Friday, 6 June 2008

Helicopters Powered By Fuel Cells


Researchers have developed a fuel cell that is so light it can power a small unmanned helicopter to perform missions such as reconnaissance, traffic monitoring or even help with search and rescue operations.


The Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in Berlin has developed the cell in partnership with colleagues at the Technical University of Berlin.


Each fuel cell unit has an output of 12 watts and weighs only 30 grams. This delivers 400 watts per kilogram which has previously been achieved only in systems that weigh several hundreds of grams. It measures 2 x 5 x 4 centimetres – a little bigger than a matchbox.

Initially they will power helicopters measuring only 20cm to keep the weight to a minimum and increase their range.

The cells are cooled by wind generated from the helicopter’s rotor blades and weight is reduced by using plastic spacers instead of metal plates between the planer fuels cells.

The researchers had to develop a method of securing a supply of hydrogen for the cells. A pressure tank designed to hold hydrogen is very heavy so obviously would not work with this application.

Using solid sodium borohydride, the team was able to build a tiny reactor that produces hydrogen when injected with water.

The applications beyond this project are endless. The fuel cell could be used to recharge or power electrical gadgets without the need for electricity. My question is, how long before we see them in laptops to create a truly wireless computer?

The photo above shows the stack of fuel cells separated by plastic spacers.

Source:
EurekAlert

Photo Credit: Fraunhofer IZM © 6/2008 Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft