Monday, March 22, 2010

Questions unanswered

Continuation of the article:
The station uses a 6kW solar array, composed of 48 panels and thin film solar cells developed by a Honda subsidiary. It breaks down the water into hydrogen in what Honda calls a "virtually carbon-free energy cycle".

The FCX Clarity's hydrogen "stack" - or the electricity generator - is around the size of an attache case, tucked between the two front seats, and is a fifth of the stack size developed a decade ago.

The car is likely to be sold commercially around 2018 in the luxury large sedan category, while the solar hydrogen refuelling system could move beyond the research stage and into the market-ready phase around 2015. "A lot of this work is not necessarily for today's economic situation," said Ellis. "This is for tomorrow, when most people feel energy prices will be higher."

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Analysis:
There is only one paragraph about how the hydrogen and solar cell actually work, and it’s too simply stated. There needs to be much more information about that here. Understandably, Honda would probably like to protect the product it’s making, so not many details can probably be released as of yet. The mention of the “virtually carbon-free energy cycle” does raise questions as to what carbon could still be part of the cycle, and that would have been beneficial to address.
The journalist has a lot of feedback about the solar cell refueling system, but there is no comment about the hydrogen aspect. The science behind hydrogen cars is quite unstable right now due to the nature of the element. After all, hydrogen is also the main component in atomic bombs. My question would be, what happens in the event of a car accident? Is there a mini H-bomb on the road? How is the company undertaking that risk? This article is too short to discuss all that needs to be discussed with this new technology and product.

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