The adventures of James Bond and Joe Dirt

Making of the 2009 HHO Games Fuel Cell By James Bond and Joe Dirt :)

One Week before the Hydrogen Games 2009 Summer

Scandinavian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Set to Slash Emissions from Heavy Goods Vehicles

The fuels cell that four Scandinavian industrial companies are developing in collaboration with SINTEF could supply power to trailers and fork-lift trucks. The electricity generated by this "mini power-station" could be capable of stopping heavy goods vehicle engines from having to run in neutral when their drivers are resting, and replace the use of diesel fuel in fork-lift trucks.

In the USA alone, HGVs that run in neutral during rest pauses generate 1.1 million tonnes of CO2 a year, more than the total emissions produced by all Norwegian road transport.

A single fork-lift truck powered by fuel cells can reduce CO2 emissions by the equivalent of eight private cars.

Volvo Technology AB, StatoilHydro ASA, the Danish company H2 Logic AS, Powercell Sweden AB and SINTEF have joined forces to develop a new hydrogen-driven fuel-cell system that will be an important aspect of efforts to greatly reduce CO2 emissions of this sort.

Specially developed for winter conditions

Hydrogen can be generated by using electricity to break down water into hydrogen and water, or fossil fuels into hydrogen and CO2.

Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are not a new invention, but the fuel cell in the fork-lift truck is a special version, of which few already exist in the world. The fuel cell can be powered by hydrogen generated from the diesel fuel carried by the truck.

Fuel cells are small power stations, and when they are powered by hydrogen, their only waste product is water. The new Scandinavian system has been specially developed for operation at sub-zero temperatures. Fork-lift trucks using the new system can therefore be operated outdoors on cold winter days, and in cold-stores.

Mini power-stations in HGVs and fork-lift trucks

This fuel cell is ideal for use as a mini power-station in HGVs and fork-lift trucks, and could potentially offer significant environmental benefits. In HGVs, the fuel-call system could eliminate running in neutral at night and during obligatory rest periods. In fork-lift trucks it would completely replace the use of diesel fuel.

Of the 2.3 million HGVs on the road in the USA, 600,000 are fitted with sleeping alcoves. In these vehicles, the diesel engine is kept going in neutral in order to supply power for heating, air-conditioning, lighting, fridge and TV. HGVs of this type are estimated to be run in neutral for 1800 hours (almost 11 weeks) a year, generating a total of 11 million tonnes of CO2 a year in the USA alone.

Large diesel-powered fork-lift trucks are often used so intensively in industry that the CO2 from a single truck is as much as that emitted by eight private cars.

Scandinavian project

The Powercell company has started to develop a "mini power-station" for HGVs, an important component of which is the Scandinavian fuel cell. A very large proportion of the CO2 emissions from HGVs as they run in neutral could be eliminated by means of this system.

This was the background for AB Volvo and its Scandinavian partners starting to develop the new fuel-cell system. The Scandinavian energy research sector found that this was a very interesting concept, and have invested NOK 4.4 million in the project.

In warehouses and harbour facilities, the fuel cell will make it possible to power large fork-lift trucks by electricity, replacing diesel fuel and in this way improving the work environment, as well as offering benefits in the form of lower CO2 emissions.

Other areas of application

Fuel cells of this type will also find other applications. At first, the Scandinavian fuel cell will be adapted for use in pleasure boats.

Toyota fuel-cell car due by 2015 Changes ahead, president says

Toyota Motor Corp. will launch an electric vehicle in the United States in 2012 and aims to follow up with commercial production of a fuel-cell vehicle by 2015, President Akio Toyoda said Wednesday.

“Later this year, we will launch a plug-in hybrid for fleet customers, followed by a pure electric vehicle in 2012,” Toyoda said at a Center for Automotive Research conference in Traverse City, Mich.

“We're also making great progress on hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles and hope to make this technology available and affordable for customers within the next half-dozen years,” he added.

Fuel-cell vehicles run on electric motors, using power generated by a chemical reaction between oxygen in the air and hydrogen. The process doesn't produce any harmful tailpipe emissions, but generating hydrogen can be energy intensive.

“I see an auto industry set to make its biggest transformation in 100 years,” Toyoda said in his first North American speech since becoming president in June of the company founded by his grandfather.

To get through its tough patch, he said the industry will need “fresh thinking, new approaches, taking another look at customers' needs, and delivering just what the customer wants and society needs.”

Toyota and General Motors have been discussing the future of their New United Motor Manufacturing venture in California.

“As to the status of NUMMI today, GM's decision to withdraw from the joint venture” has created extreme difficulties for the Japanese automaker, Toyoda said.

Toyoda also announced plans for an affordable sports car — a joint venture with Subaru — that would be launched within a few years. Toyoda did not provide details of plans for the car.

Dow Jones Newswires and the Associated Press contributed to this story.

Honda reveals hydrogen-powered sports car concept Los Angeles Auto Show

Currently producing only one single sporting product, the engineers at Honda are obviously eager to infuse just about everything in their model lineup with a degree of sporting character. From the tenacious Honda Civic Si to the new, more powerful Acura TL, they've taken a page from Ford's old "Total Performance" book by placing a high priority on vehicle dynamics across the line.

And that includes taking the same approach in even the most unexpected direction. Surprising the masses at the LA Auto Show, the FC Sport concept showcases what Honda's performance engineers can do to the hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity sedan's powertrain.

"The Honda FC Sport explores how to satisfy automotive performance enthusiasts in a world beyond petroleum," said Dan Bonawitz, vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "People who love sports cars will still have a reason to love in a hydrogen-powered future."

A unique three-seater layout, last utilized in the iconic McLaren F1, reportedly facilitates the use of a modular hydrogen fuel cell powertrain, allowing a lower centre of gravity and superior aerodynamics. Packaging the majority of the hydrogen and electrical systems between the axles helps maintain a balanced weight distribution, however, the placement of the FC Sport-specific high output hydrogen fuel stack between the rear seats has certain crash standard technicians scratching their heads as to the concept's viability as a production model.

From the rear view a pair of fuel storage tanks is visible from above, while the uniquely styled front end hides the electric drive motors. And no, you won't be turning any wrenches on this little pocket rocket in your own garage.

Aerodynamically, the FC Sport borrows heavily from the lessons learned by Honda's resident F1 team (and painful lessons they've been). Barge boards split the air ahead of the front wheels, while a series of hex forms at the vehicle's rear house the radiators, keeping the powertrain within operating temperatures. And whilst Honda claims the Glacier White paint "conveys the FC Sport's clean environmental aspirations while the dark wheels and deeply tinted glass provide a symbolic contrast befitting of the vehicle's unique combination of clean power and high performance," we can't help but wonder if it wasn't chosen simply because it looks cool.

In either case, Honda's press materials include a few citations of the word "supercar," which leads to some very interesting questions. Completely devoid of specifications, there's no speculation on the vehicle's performance figures, and whilst the canopied cockpit, strange seating layout, and completely NHTSA-unfriendly bodywork may have many critics screaming "crazy concept," there may be a grain of truth in Honda's desire to produce a viable hydrogen-powered sports coupe.

Release from Honda

The FC Sport emphasizes the design flexibility and potential of Honda’s V Flow fuel cell technology – already deployed in the Honda FCX Clarity sedan – and reconfigures it into a lightweight sports car design with an ultra-low center of gravity, powerful electric motor performance and zero-emissions.

The design study concept is inspired by supercar levels of performance through low weight and a high-performance, electrically driven fuel cell powertrain.

“The Honda FC Sport explores how to satisfy automotive performance enthusiasts in a world beyond petroleum,” said Dan Bonawitz, vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “People who love sports cars will still have a reason to love in a hydrogen-powered future.”

The high-output Honda fuel cell powertrain and a sleek, aerodynamic body contribute to the vehicle’s performance potential. A modular approach to fuel cell component packaging and the electric drivetrain contribute to the FC Sport’s low center of gravity with the majority of vehicle mass distributed between the axles, creating the balanced weight distribution sought after in sports cars.

© Copyright (c) Driving

HHO Games 2009! the past one and the ones to come!

"Joe Shae"

Hydrogen, Tarantola Sons Take Top Honors At Summer Games

July 24, 2009 - Hybridgen's sleek, compact, highly polishes HHO kits and a solar-powered kit desiggned by the sons of Jim Tarantola were the showstoppers at the 2009 Summer HHO Games that ended Sunday, June 19, 2009, in St. Petersburg at the University of South Florida. Also walking away with honors were Richard Keough of MoreCo Energy of Venice, Fla., kit distributors HHO Monster of Lake County, Fla., and EFIE manufacturer Mike Kehrli of Seaside, Ore. The Hybridgen kit was selected not only for its sleek and compact design, HHO Games organizers said, but in recognition of the fact that it is reaching out to the broader market by getting its kits tested on refrigerated trailers and trucks of the giant Sysco food processing company. The Tarantola brothers' solar-powered design, in a bright orange 1979 Chevy pickup, displayed an extremely low power draw from two 15-watt solar panels mounted on the backside of the cab. The power draw was about 150 milliamps at highway speeds - you read that right - and the kit's energy use is determined by a connection to the throttle body, and decreases as speeds rise. Also getting a second look were Mike Connolly's impressively small HHO kit, which measured about 4 inches wide by three inches deep by four inches long - the smallest kit seen since the toy demo at the Fall Games in 2008. The Power Emissions Control unit won honors for Best New Kit Design for Connolly, who came to the Games from Mansfield, Ohio, with it mounted on to a large reservor on a 2009 SUV displayed in the Demonstrator lot.


Yes its true we got high honors at the local games, having a steady spot within the
pioneers in the hydrogen games!

We cant wait for the next HHO Games to further discuss and see examples of
progress in this field of science and technology. It is important to see these
games as a reflection on others, that anyone can have a part in these games
its not so much about competition as much as it is about integrity and community within the area to share and take what others are doing to make a better tomorrow.

Lets remember that as a army of one we stand stronger then individuals by
state, lets stand together at the next hydrogen games and provide the best
for a more fuel efficient future!