Fuel Cell Diagram

I am a big fan of alternative fueled vehicles overall but I was always most optimistic about fuel cell vehicles. 5 Years ago I thought this was the automotive power plant of the future. Unfortunately it seems that the research and development of these vehicles has slowed to a crawl.

First let’s clear up what type of vehicle I am speaking of. A fuel cell powered vehicle contains a device that converts fuel directly into electricity to power the vehicle. It wasn’t long ago that fuel cells where seen as the solution to the problems of electric cars. We hoped that the technology would have been able to replace the lithium ion batteries currently installed.

In essence being able to remove the most troublesome part of an electric vehicle and replacing it with a renewable source of continuous electric power that would work in harmony with the electric drive systems that are currently installed in vehicles such as the Nissan leaf and Chevrolet volt.

How fuel cells work

Fuel cells do not store electricity they actually convert it as needed from chemical reaction. This power will spin electric motors that move the vehicle. Fuel cells release energy derived from the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. They have high efficiency and depending on the fuel used produce little tailpipe emissions besides water.

Trunk mounted fuel cell

One problem is you need to supply hydrogen to the cell. There are several options for storing hydrogen and feeding it into the fuel cell to produce the chemical reaction that creates the electricity. One of the most common used in the experimental vehicles of today would be compressed or liquid hydrogen. The nice thing about a fuel cell is that it has no moving parts and ultimately requires no maintenance.

The construction of the fuel cell is similar to a battery as a fuel cell has two electrodes (positive and Negative). These are fed fuel and air through channels cut into plates. Between the electrodes is a coat of platinum catalyst which acts as the electrolyte needed to spur the chemical reaction. Hydrogen is pumped into one side of the fuel cell and air is pumped into the other side.

When the hydrogen flows across the catalyst material it turns into free electrons and protons allowing electrical current to flow between the negatively charged electrode and the positively charged electrode. These free electrons become current and are channeled to the electric motor that drives the vehicle. If power is not needed or created in excess it can be stored in a battery.

Slipping popularity of fuel cells

BMW Hydrogen Car

There are a lot of difficulties associated with this fuel cell technology. One of these would be safety concerns with storing compressed hydrogen. Another issue is that it takes some time for the cell to produce enough electricity to power the electric motor.

At this point the vehicles being built often include batteries to store energy and keep the vehicle going until the fuel cell is ready to take over. When I saw the first BMW 7 series luxury vehicle powered by hydrogen about six years ago I thought to myself that this would be the emerging technology of the future.

But the difficulty of mass producing the components has made it cost prohibited. Since gasoline electric hybrids are more widely accepted by consumers car companies have put most of their research and development dollars into this more popular form of alternative fueled vehicle.

Homemade hydrogen generator

Car-makers will research and develop technologies that have the best chance of being accepted by the general public. This makes a lot of sense and I can’t find any fault with that. For me I was always fascinated by hydrogen. I built my own science project type system. I was just blown away that my water and electrolyte mixture could produce combustible hydrogen.

It was like magic. I was totally into it and put a test system on my 2004 Chevy Blazer and entered it into the Fuel Cell HHO games that my local county sponsored. It was a lot of fun and there were a lot of creative people on the scene. As fuel prices pulled back people lost interest in pushing this type of hydrogen system forward.

It also didn’t help that people that got involved in this system where often attacked verbally for trying to think out of the box. But with all of this said I still think that hydrogen is the way to go in the future. You can’t beat powering your vehicle and the only byproduct coming out of the tailpipe being drinking water. I have many more articles on alternative fuels that may interest you. Read more articles about general auto repair from this next link that takes you back to the auto repair information blog. Interested in reading a few articles I wrote about increasing fuel economy on your current automobile? These type of articles always get popular when gas goes over the four dollars a gallon mark.

People Love Golf Carts

Why do people love golf carts and hate electric cars? I believe by now all of the major automobile manufacturers have developed an electric vehicle of some kind. The question seems to be why they are so unpopular with the general car buying public and will car-makers be able to turn this around and make them popular.

Some people argue that the EV’s still use fossil fuels, as in the power that recharges the batteries comes from power plants that consumes some type of fossil fuel or maybe if you’re lucky electricity that is produced from nuclear.

Just my personal opinion on the prior statement, I think that there is some truth to it but it would seem like a lot less fossil fuel is used to charge a battery then let’s say putting 20 gallons of unleaded regular or even diesel in your car or truck. You also get to send this electricity to your vehicle straight from the power plant.

In liquid fuel terms this is like an individual pipeline directly to your house from the oil refinery. And to be fair once the battery is charged electricity is able to directly produce mechanical energy. Other alternative fuels release stored chemical energy through combustion that creates a whole new set of problems.

On the downside the driving range for most electric vehicles is somewhere between 60 and 80 miles per charge range. If those numbers weren’t bad enough temperature such as a cold winter day, vehicle load such as a car loaded up for a camping trip and the high desired speed (above 55mph) will drastically reduce this range.

So even though there may be a list of drawbacks some of the primary advantages to an electric car would be the drastic reduction in emission levels and noise. Although the EV are far from the perfect solution it would be nice to see them become popular enough to push the technology further along. I think the current technology could be used in many families as an around the town form of transportation and more would take advantage of it if affordable.

Old technology electric vehicles

I’m stuck in the past using old technology on an electric vehicle project I may never finish. Meanwhile TV and newspaper articles are in my face about cool new stuff like lithium ion batteries or series hybrid technology. I started converting a pickup truck to an electric vehicle using old NiCad batteries from forklifts and construction equipment.

Heavy Comercial Batteries

The weight of the individual battery is impressive. Start putting these together to provide enough power to move the vehicle forward for about 25 miles between charging and you are talking about carrying an earth shattering amount of weight. Thankfully I picked a small pickup truck to haul the load.

So for me I’m jealous of people who start talking about how lame the Chevrolet volt is or all the problems they are having with a Toyota prius. These two vehicles use computer controls to push the envelope of efficiency. When I look at the dashboard of a Chevy volt my thoughts wonder back to the pickup truck I work on.

My electrical vehicle conversion closely resembles golf cart technology with speed controllers similar to radio controlled model cars. The Volt looks like it could launch space shuttle missions. I think electric vehicles are interesting and the more popular they become the more efficient technology will develop and of course the prices will come down.

If you do not like these kinds of automobiles I am fine with that. But as my girlfriend says if you don’t have anything positive to say don’t say anything at all. Maybe if we could reduce the negative rhetoric about electric vehicles they would have a chance to achieve success.

The above is just my opinion and whether you hate or love them I think we could all agree that there is no going back to horse and buggies. I have a bunch more articles about the alternative fuels subject. For the latest articles to the site this next link will take you to the auto repair information blog homepage.

alternative fuels device

To get the maximum fuel economy from your vehicle you have to have an efficient running engine. There must be the correct amount of fuel mixed with the correct amount of air. When the engine is running at maximum efficiency not only do you get the best fuel economy and power but also the least amount of pollutants in the exhaust.

With all of these things to gain and nothing to lose why not make sure that your vehicle is getting the absolute maximum miles per gallon that it should be. Run an actual mpg test on your car to see what your getting. Yes, the reason I am writing this article is because gas prices are on their way up to some scary levels I have not seen since 2008.

Back then I went off the deep end and was trying some crazy things to increase my miles per gallon with alternative fuels. This time around I just want you to think about getting what the car manufacturer states is achievable mpg. I know in the case of the automobiles in my family most of them are not achieving the number that was posted on the window sticker.

This is mainly because of poor driving habits and the word lead foot comes to mind. But in a few cases it may also be caused by lack of maintenance of things such as the automotive air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs and other items responsible for complete combustion.

Problems that reduce fuel economy

Modern vehicles use a variety of ignition, fuel, and emission system designs but they all have a similar goal. This is to improve engine efficiency that can increase the produced horsepower at the same time as getting the maximum fuel economy and lowest possible emissions. These engine performance systems can contain some impressive automotive technology.

Check engine light

They mostly depend on a network of output devices that are tied to an electronic engine control computer that make decisions based on real-time data from input sensors. To boil it down the cars computer studies how the vehicle is running and what the driver is demanding from it. It will then make lightning fast decisions to provide first what the driver needs and second the most efficient fuel economy and emissions for those conditions.

This means that the driver always has the power to override getting the best fuel economy by smashing down on the gas pedal. But maybe it is not the drivers fault?  As they say with anything that has to do with computers it is garbage in and garbage out. If the input sensors that the computer relies on for its real-time data are not providing the correct information than the end result will not be maximum fuel economy.

The computer has parameters for sensing problems with its input and output devices. It should turn on the check engine light to let the driver know that something needs to be looked into. If you’re driving around with your service engine soon light on and complaining about fuel economy at the same time think about getting the problem diagnosed.

Often when money is tight repairs to the check engine light when the vehicle appears to be running fantastic can be put on the back burner. In some cases the problems that are keeping the light on may also be stopping you from getting the maximum fuel economy that your vehicle was designed to achieve. With the gas prices as high as they are now it may not take long to eclipse the total price of the repairs that might be needed by spending more on gas.

If I didn’t talk you into replacing your automotive air filter and fixing your check engine light yet, I have put together several pages on my other website that talks about driving habits and other things that you can do to get the maximum fuel economy from your car. If you would like to see additional articles posted on this website this next link will take you back the auto repair information blog homepage.

Alternative fuels

A concern of fossil fuel inventories reaching record lows and increased emissions standards for automobiles has led to an explosion in alternative fuel research. There are many factors to be considered when determining a viable source of alternative fuel.

These will include engine emissions, cost, fuel availability, safety, engine life and being able to build an infrastructure to deliver this combustible fuel.

Alternative fueled vehicles

Many vehicles on the road are designed to use something other than gasoline as fuel. These are commonly referred to as dedicated vehicles or multiple fuel vehicles. Dedicated vehicles are those designed to use one particular type of alternative fuel such as diesel.

Multiple fuel vehicles are designed to use more than one fuel. Some of these bi fuel vehicles will have separate fuel tanks and can operate on one or the other.

Flexible fuel vehicles can operate solely on alcohol-based fuel, unleaded gasoline, or a mixture of the two. This property gives the driver flexibility and convenience when refueling the tank.

Types of alternative fuel

Diesel fuel vehicles are gaining in popularity, slowly. The ability for the modern diesel engine to meet increasingly tough emissions standards has made this a more viable solution for car manufacturers.

Some of these most recent diesel powered cars are not only able to and meet emission standards. But receive 50 miles to the gallon or more in fuel economy without sacrificing power.

Being able to fuel these vehicles with biodiesel makes the subject even more interesting. Biodiesel fuels are derived from renewable biological sources for use in diesel engines.

Things such as animal fats, recycled restaurant grease, and vegetable oils derived from crops such as soybeans, corn and sunflowers are used in the production of these biodiesel fuels.

Biodiesel fuel can be used directly or be blended with standard diesel fuel. Another advantage of bio diesel is it’s a biodegradable alternative fuel that is non-toxic and free of sulfur. To use biodiesel no engine modifications are needed. And the emissions from the combustion are considerably lower compared to the standard diesel fuels.

Ethanol as an alternative fuel

Last year ethanol-based alcohol fuel was big in the news. Ethanol fuels are derived almost exclusively from corn, although Barley and wheat can also be used. The fuel is formed through fermenting and distilling starch crops that have been converted to simple sugars. Ethanol provides high quality, low cost octane fuel and is capable of reducing air pollution because it burns cleaner than unleaded gas.

Currently, ethanol is primarily used as an oxygen additive in gasoline, better known as winter blended fuels. Ethanol blended fuels account for approximately 20% of all automotive fuel sold in the United States.

Ethanol blended fuels are approved under the warranties of all major car manufacturers. Another advantage of an ethanol-blended fuel is that it keeps the fuel system clean because it does not leave varnish or gummy deposits like standard gasoline.

Being a type of alcohol, ethanol can absorb moisture in the fuel system and remove it during combustion very similar to a dry gas additive. If water contamination becomes too high it will separate out and fall too the bottom of the vehicle’s fuel tank where it can be removed.

The downside of using an ethanol blended fuel is a slight decrease in fuel economy. This will vary depending on the amount of ethanol blended into the fuel. But as a rule of thumb it is stated that an ethanol blended fuel will receive approximately 2% less fuel economy then straight up gasoline.

Alternative fuels discussion

In this blog post, we discussed two types of alternative fuels. We talked about biodiesel and ethanol blended fuels. My next blog post will address two more types of alternative fueling.

Leave your thoughts and comments about this post as well as ideas for the two types of alternative fuels to be discussed in the next blog post.

You can return to the homepage from this next link and see what else is covered on this auto repair information blog.

Electric hybrid vehicles

The big difference is, instead of a gas engine, this bus has a 5.9 L Cummings ISB common rail diesel engine. This diesel engine is coupled with a hi torque electric motor and power is blended to the wheels through an Alison CVT transmission.

The constant variable transmission is much like driving a snowmobile where you never feel the transmission up shift to the next gear. The transmission changes gear ratios on the fly to provide more speed at the optimum RPMs.

Electric hybrid diesels

Another thing that is different then on many hybrid vehicles is that the diesel engine never shuts off. In the best case scenario when the electric motor is driving the vehicle the diesel engine is still idling. The old transit buses received somewhere around eight to 10 miles per gallon.

The new hybrid electric transit vehicle will double the miles per gallon and should receive 16 to 20 miles per gallon. These specifications are for the ultimate of city driving. A transit bus is a stop and go vehicle and if it is lucky may reach 40 mph a few times during the day. Note that the batteries are on the roof of the electric hybrid vehicle and are recharged by engine braking.

Another interesting part about the diesel side of the vehicle is that this diesel engine manufactured by Cummings meets all of the latest alternative fuels emissions standards. You will not see belching black smoke from the fancy exhaust pipe shown in the picture below. The reason is that the 2009 standards include a particulate filter. This filter will pull most of the carbon from the exhaust being emitted from the tailpipe.

hybrid electric

These particulate filters are new to the market and do require service. I am scheduled for training on this alternative fuels hybrid electric vehicle. But I did poke around and see that the diesel engine and emissions system comes with a regeneration cycle to be performed by the mechanic. When you enter the regeneration cycle, you are basically cleaning the diesel particulate filter.

Hybrid electric maintenance

When I read the maintenance manual about this procedure, it stated that the exhaust gases during this regeneration cycle could reach 1000°F. They stress that you perform the regeneration cycle in a safe area because of this exhaust heat. After I go through some training classes about these electric hybrid vehicles I will add more details.

Another interesting feature to the alternative fuels bus, as you can see in the picture below is that the windshield is massive and in one piece. The front windshield has a slight domed shape that provides better aerodynamics than a standard flat windshield. Also the headlights are halogen high intensity but low power units.

electric vehicle image

This hybrid electric vehicle is packed with new technology including Multiplex systems throughout. This is were about ten different modules communicate with each other via cabling (soon to be fiber optics). Multiplex systems replace wiring harnesses and relays. This is said to have reduced the wieght of the transit bus by more then 200 pounds.

Bringing the total vehicle weight in at 29,000 pounds. This is very impressive for a bus that is 40 foot long and seats just under 50 people and 2 wheel chairs. Also this electric transit vehicle is pre-wired for cameras and traffic light changing satellite systems. Looking at the electronics is similar to looking at electrical systems on the space shuttle.

For more information about interesting vehicles that provide power from something other than straight up gasoline, Please visit my alternative fuels section.

Alternative fuels learn from history

With a history of more than a decade of alternative fuel vehicle use, what has been learned in these two states, and what works for government fleets. New York City’s Mark Simon of the department of transportation, assistant Commissioner Rocco D. Reiko of the Department of sanitation, and the New Jersey Department of treasury’s, recently shared insights from the relatively long experiences with alternative fuel vehicles. They cover the most popular and growing fuel choices, all of which provide a reduction in petroleum fuel use, better or as good emission levels, and minimal upset to existing fleet procedures and operations.

Both New York City and New Jersey were early adopters of hybrid light duty vehicles in 2001. Both have a mix of Toyota previous and Ford escape vehicles. Both report that everything is going on about as advertised with these hybrid units. For the prius fuel economy in New York City was reported about 40 miles per gallon, whereas the New Jersey fleet reported about 48 miles per gallon. The New Jersey miles per gallon is surprising because hybrids have better fuel economy rating in city traffic. But the mpg figure reflects both the actual driving cycle and the amount of air conditioning used in the vehicle. The New York’s city fleet is enormous and has more than 1700 generation one and generation 2 Toyota previous hybrids and Ford escape hybrids.

New Jersey’s hybrid fleet is more modest comprising of only 91 prius and 44 Ford escape hybrid vehicles. Buying the Toyota prius was an expensive endeavor, but the fuel savings have been significant. In addition, service problems have been minimal, and no premature battery failures were reported in New Jersey or New York City. Reported savings of about 600 gallons per vehicle per year compared to a conventional vehicle. These results were significant enough for both states to receive approvals from local governments and city councils to continue this program.

Mark is a master mechanic and a member of the society of automobile engineers (SAE). You can learn more about hybrid vehicles at his latest report on the status of the alternative fuels vehicle.

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