An alternative to batteries

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WUWT Hydrogen for transportation.

Fuel cells powered by Hydrogen may be a safer and more efficient alternative to batteries for EVs. No CO2 is emitted.

Hydrogen, at the quantities needed for transportation, can be obtained from natural gas by pyrolysis, splitting methane into hydrogen and carbon black, which is useful for lightweight construction, like fishing rods and airplanes.

The process requires energy but no more so than that to charge batteries, and it is not necessary to strip mine the world to get battery materials.

Published by Don Tabor

I am a former Chairman of the Tidewater Libertarian Party and was the 2007 LP candidate for the 14th district VA Senate. Previously, I was the Volunteer State Director for the FairTax. I am married 50 years with two grown children and 5 grandchildren.

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12 thoughts on “An alternative to batteries”

    1. There is nothing childish about seeking alternatives to batteries.

      Obtaining the components of current batteries is horribly damaging to the environment and the batteries themselves are fire hazards and more dangerous to first responders than gasoline in the event of an accident. A damaged 600 volt battery can be deadly.

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      1. “There is nothing childish about seeking alternatives to batteries.”

        That is not what I said. It seems that you are so used to reading these pieces dripping with disdain, hatred, and smarmy self-righteousness that you did not understand what I was referring to. That’s fine. As I said pretty clearly, I am excited about any technology that can power the world without destroying it.

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        1. Dripping with disdain, hatred and smarmy self-rightousness are exclusively Democrat characteristics in dialogue. Read it again without the liberal left wing extremist goggles.

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  3. The main impediment to the EV narrative, as I have always said, is the materials for the batteries. China by far owns the majority of graphite and is almost the exclusive manufacturer of anodes for EV batteries. Cobalt mining is concentrated in the Republic of Congo and presents a major risk in battery production. All told the US has very little to none of the materials needed and the countries that do aren’t our friends and who have already secured long term contracts between each other for those materials. So the US goes from energy independence to a groveling beggar hoping China will play nice with us while invading Taiwan and the entire South Pacific.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8390110/

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    1. Up until now, Hydrogen has faced an infrastructure problem. Refilling a H2 tank is more complicated than self-serve gas or diesel. For the limited demand, H2 has been limited to fleet vehicles and public transportation.

      H2 just can’t compete with liquid petroleum, still can’t, but it can compete with batteries.

      It’s kind of like Beta vs VHS video tape. Beat was better, but VHS got to market first with prerecorded content. The superior technology lost to better marketing.

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        1. Big oil has nothing to do with it. They would just sell you Hydrogen.

          The physical realities work against Hydrogen.

          For transportation, Hydrogen must be liquified or highly compressed, both of which make it difficult to handle outside fleet usage. And even then it lacks energy density compared to liquid petroleum which is stable at normal temperature and pressure. Even Democrats can safely fill a gas tank without getting hurt.

          In competition with liquid petroleum, it loses absent a huge subsidy.

          Hydrogen loses in the marketplace as long as liquid petroleum is available and Big Oil doesn’t have to do a thing, Big Physics has it covered.

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