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Old 01-08-2007, 10:02 AM   #6
Looger
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Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: insider trading in WTC 7
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ah, yes, the fuel cell.

highly touted as an alternative fuel but it's really just an expensive way for power companies to sell you 6 or 7 joules of energy for every one that you can store in it, very inefficient. the entire process is complex and not economically viable in my opinion. the cell is simply the vehicle, the medium, not the source - the energy input comes from the method of storing the hydrogen.

technically speaking burning carbohydrates is burning hydrogen, gasoline is the transmission medium. the burning of carbon is the byproduct, the oops. but that may be nitpicking a bit too much.

not that petro-fuels are much better, something like 14% of the power makes it to the road (old numbers i know), most lost to heat.

i don't know what the answer is but the 'filling' method of fuel cells is not efficient.
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