VW Space Up concept takes hydrogen
(Credit:
Volkswagen)
Volkswagen introduced the Space Up to the U.S. press at the 2007 LA Auto Show on Wednesday.
With its U.S. debut, Volkswagen has offered a little more information on the Space Up concept car, which was unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo auto show in October.
The hybrid concept vehicle, which would run on a combination of compressed hydrogen fuel and lithium-ion batteries, would have a top speed of about 75 mph.
(Credit:
Volkswagen)
Its batteries could be recharged from common electrical outlets. On electrical battery power alone, the Space Up could travel about 155 miles, and on a full tank of hydrogen would have a range of about 220 miles.
In keeping with the Space Up' s environmentally friendly theme, much of the interior is made from recycled materials that include wood, plastics, and organic plastics (aka biopolymers).
In a software-driven world, it's easy to forget about the nuts and bolts. Whether it's cars, robots, personal gadgetry or industrial machines, Candace Lombardi examines the moving parts that keep our world rotating. A journalist who divides her time between the United States and the United Kingdom, Lombardi has written about technology for the sites of The New York Times, CNET, USA Today, MSN, ZDNet, Silicon.com, and GameSpot. E-mail her at candacelombardi@gmail.com. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not a current employee of CNET.
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by Joe Real
November 14, 2007 11:53 AM PST
- A nicer idea is to have a way to recharge hydrogen tank at home. The hydrogen generator could be in the vehicle. All you needed then is to supply water for the source of hydrogen. Water is then split-up using electrolysis under high pressure so that you don't need to compress the gas. Only the incoming water needed to be be put into high pressure. The overall efficiency of this setup is about 86% of electrical power converted into hydrogen power. Still a good deal mile for mile.
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by ecoboy
November 23, 2007 3:50 AM PST
- OK, let's get serious here. Everyone is excited about hybrid vehicles like they were from Vulcan - the first hybrid was built in 1904. EVs were in full production in 1899... so, what took them so long? Also, why is VW wasting their time with hydrogen? The well-to-wheel efficiency is only 6%, and that figure is not going to change anytime soon. So what are we doing here? This is nothing more than the biggest propaganda scam in the history of the world. Where is the hydrogen going to come from? You don't just flip a switch. Hydrogen is an energy storage medium, not a source. And it doesn't store very well either - try keeping H2 in a tank and see what happens to the material. GWB has a wonderful plan - since his daddy is an oil man and oil men have incestuous relations with coal men - to extract H2 from coal - yeah, that's right, coal (which is about 2% H2). The spin doctors will drum up some kind of eco-friendly message so everyone in Berkeley will mortgage their lives to buy one - good trick, from a marketing standpoint, but enviro-social suicide if you're a scientist (or have half a brain). What about the energy used to manufacture the battery or the fuel cell? You may as well drive a Humvee. We need small diesel vehicles that get 200+ mpg (yes, VW has one, but they don't want to severe their relationship with the dirty fuel industry) and run on biodiesel. Don't buy the BS... hydrogen is a farce and the industries that dangle that carrot in your face are creating a smoke screen so they can sell their garbage low efficiency vehicles out their back door.
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by TogetherinParis
November 26, 2007 1:55 PM PST
- First, hydrolysis would take too long for convenient refueling away from home. Second, vehicles become inefficient carrying too much weight.
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