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posted by on Sunday April 16 2017, @01:57PM   Printer-friendly
from the solved-the-embrittlement-problem,-eh? dept.

Hydrogen fuel cell cars could one day challenge electric cars in the race for pollution-free roads—but only if more stations are built to fuel them.

Honda, Toyota and Hyundai have leased a few hundred fuel cell vehicles over the past three years, and expect to lease well over 1,000 this year. But for now, those leases are limited to California, which is home to most of the 34 public hydrogen fueling stations in the U.S.

Undaunted, automakers are investing heavily in the technology. General Motors recently supplied the U.S. Army with a fuel cell pickup, and GM and Honda are collaborating on a fuel cell system due out by 2020. Hyundai will introduce a longer-range fuel cell SUV next year.

"We've clearly left the science project stage and the technology is viable," said Charles Freese, who heads GM's fuel cell business.

Like pure electric cars, fuel cell cars run quietly and emission-free. But they have some big advantages. Fuel cell cars can be refueled as quickly as gasoline-powered cars. By contrast, it takes nine hours to fully recharge an all-electric Chevrolet Bolt using a 240-volt home charger. Fuel cells cars can also travel further between fill-ups.

Would you rather trade in your gas-guzzler for a hydrogen fuel cell car, or an electric car?


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 16 2017, @02:28PM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 16 2017, @02:28PM (#494811)

    Electrics you can charge at home.
    99% of the people driving do not need to refill every day, so charging overnight at home is more convenient than going to a filling station.
    For those times you need to drive long distance, rent a gasoline car. I do that anyway to keep the miles off my own car which is over 10 years old and still going strong.

  • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday April 16 2017, @02:41PM (2 children)

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday April 16 2017, @02:41PM (#494815) Homepage

    I just caught a nigger letting his dog shit on my property.

    Can I go through life just once without encountering something which makes me racist? O' Lord, I try and I try to be a good man, but they just keep testing me!

    • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 16 2017, @04:15PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 16 2017, @04:15PM (#494847)

      It seems unfair that a user can get a +1 karma bonus but can't ever get a -1 karma deduction no matter how many times they are down-modded.
      How about adding that in the next version of rehash?

      • (Score: 2, Informative) by butthurt on Sunday April 16 2017, @04:39PM

        by butthurt (6141) on Sunday April 16 2017, @04:39PM (#494856) Journal

        The FAQ is apparently in error about that:

        Logged in users start at 1 (although this can vary from -1 to 2 based on their overall contribution to discussions)

        /faq.pl?op=moderation [soylentnews.org]

  • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday April 16 2017, @11:34PM (2 children)

    by kaszz (4211) on Sunday April 16 2017, @11:34PM (#495010) Journal

    What is the cost in USA for having a car but not using it?
    (ie standby)

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 17 2017, @12:38AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 17 2017, @12:38AM (#495033)

      > What is the cost in USA for having a car but not using it?

      + insurance (varies with driving record, usage and location), mine is fairly cheap, $450/year
      + license/tag fees (varies by state, here it's about $50/year
      + depreciation (totally depends on the car--electric cars seem to depreciate very quickly, even Tesla)
      + storage (taxes on personal garage or rental cost if stored elsewhere)

      When you use the car there are fuel costs and maintenance costs.

      I'm very sensitive to the fixed costs because I work from home, ride a bicycle for short trips (when the weather cooperates) and don't put a lot of miles on my car--so my cost/mile is quite high.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 17 2017, @03:35PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 17 2017, @03:35PM (#495292)

        (totally depends on the car--electric cars seem to depreciate very quickly, even Tesla)

        I think that's all high-end cars, not electrics or Tesla in particular. A quick look at cars.com says the bottom end for a base 2013 Tesla model S with 100k miles is about 37k, and most are asking 40-45k. But you can get a Mercedes S550 (just to pick something that's also full of computer driver assists) of the same age and mileage that was more expensive than the Tesla new for under 30k now.

        (...and then on the semi-electric and more affordable front, there's Prius owners who all seem to think their 100k mile cars are still worth 90% of the original MSRP.)