By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Last week seven automakers embarked on a drive from Chula Vista, CA, to Vancouver, B.C. in 12 high-tech fuel cell cars and SUVs. On Monday the convoy rolled through Seattle, and I met up with them at the Propel biodiesel station. You can’t actually fill up with hydrogen at Propel, but you know, it’s green…

Anyway, I got a chance to check out all the cars, and then I was able to take the Honda FCX Clarity for a drive. I wanted to drive the Honda because it was the only vehicle in the convoy that was designed from the ground up as a hydrogen vehicle. The rest of the cars and SUVs on this drive had been retrofitted with the technology.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "Hydrogen Road Tour" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

How’s this for a cool class project? Starting with on old Buell Cyclone, two Swarthmore students added a polymer exchange membrane fuel cell that provides power to an AC induction motor. It only makes 1.6 hp and the bike tops out at 20 mph (the contraption weighs 400 pounds). But hey, you gotta start somewhere. More details and some video of the bike in action over at Wired

Continue reading "What's Next: Hydrogen Motorcycle Built By Two Swarthmore College Students" »

By Ryan Douthit

Drivingsports.com

Most of the talk of hydrogen, these days, seems to revolve around fancy fuel cell vehicles like the Chevy Volt or the Honda FCX Clarity. Mazda, however, has taken a different approach. Since the early 90s it has focused research and development on using it as a combustible in modified rotary engines. DrivingSports.com takes a look at the past and future of this technology and how it compares to other hydrogen applications in this feature.

Back in the ’70s, Jack Nicholson was probably on a bunch of stuff, but he was already thinking about getting off oil. In this clip, he’s hyping a venture that proposed using solar power to make hydrogen, then using that "green" hydrogen to power cars converted to run on it. And while the 16 acres of hydrogen-producing solar panels along the California/Nevada border never materialized, this footage does feature Nicholson driving a hydrogen-powered Caprice, and he also fires off some sweet quips for the cameras. There’s a pretty choice one about Preston Tucker’s failed battle with the auto industry, but my favorite was; "If nothing else, of course, [hydrogen cars] will revolutionize suicide. Instead of carbon monoxide poisoning, you’ll just get a steam bath." Is Jack the best or what? Enjoy.

Honda’s first zero-emissions, hydrogen fuel cell car rolled off a Japanese assembly line today, to be leased in California at $600 a month for three years. The FCX Clarity runs on hydrogen and a lithium-ion battery and emits only water as exhaust. It’s purported to be twice as efficient as a gas-electric hybrid and three times more efficient than a gas-powered car, plus its fuel is an inexhaustable, naturally-occuring substance. Honda is planning on leasing out a "few dozen" of the cars this year and about 200 of them over the following three years. More from Reuters.

While I love the concept of a hyper-efficient, totally green motorcycle, I have to admit that Intelligent Energy’s ENV Bike does sketch me out. Why exactly? Well, since the power comes from a fuel cell, it’s whisper quiet, which just seems dangerous on a bike. And seriously, most drivers have a hard enough time looking out for two-wheelers as it is, so riding a silent one seems like asking for trouble. If my paranoia hasn’t rubbed off on you, head over to Wired and check out the gallery of eco-friendly bikes. 

Remember slot cars? I’ve been obsessed since I was a little kid, and I think it’s time to pick up a new track. Hey, I can’t spend all my money at the bar. Here’s the news:

• The idea of hydrogen-powered vehicles seems pretty promising. But a pilot program to run busses in Santa Clara off the future-fuel has been pretty disappointing. And by disappointing, I mean, really, really expensive. Auto Observer
• Memorial services have been arranged for famed hot rod builder Boyd Coddinigton. If you’re in SoCal, you can swing by his shop and pay your respects. Hopefully, the garage will continue to produce beautiful cars. Godspeed Boyd! AutoWeek
• Honda is recalling more than a quarter million TLs. Turns out excessive heat in the engine compartment can cause a power steering hose to fail, leak fluid on to the catalytic converter and start a fire. I thought Lambos and Ferrari’s were the only cars supposed go up in flames. Detroit News
• The automotive press has a big, fat crush on Chevy’s new Malibu, and rightly so. But is the hybrid option worth it? Some reviewers don’t think so. Washington Post