On Wednesday 04 August 2004 12:20, Jones Beene wrote: > Here is a blip on the Ford ICE which has been > converted to run on hydrogen (pressurized) > > It is looking like *more than a stopgap solution* > (should H2 arrive before fuel cells are affordable - > which will surely happen on "the 12th") but only IF > Ford somehow gets its act together and puts all the > missing pieces together. > > http://www.ford.com/en/innovation/engineFuelTechnology/hydrogenInternalComb >ustion.htm > > "Because hydrogen has a very wide combustion range > (from 4 to 75 percent), hydrogen-fueled engines are > able to use a wider range of air/fuel mixtures than > gasoline engines, and can be run in the fuel-efficient > "lean" regime without the complications of > pre-ignition or "knock." It can reach an overall > efficiency of 38 percent, which is approximately 25 > percent better than a gasoline engine." > > What they don't say is: > 1) Mazda, which is partly owned by Ford, developed a > much better H2 engine in their rotary Wankel H2 > conversion, which they want to license to Ford - not > "share"- and it can run on gas, H2, both, or either, > automatically, and doesn't have pre-ignition issues. > > 2) Fuel cells operating at the same level of output > can only achieve 40% eff. vs 38% and cost 400-600% > more to manufactrue, due to the cost of platinum and > other noble metals. > > 3) Ford has invested almost 10 times more R&D money > into fuel cells, so they can't (wont) just drop the > technology and shift the $ to more promising > technology. > > 4) Any observer can see that this would be the ideal > candidate for a "hybrid" design (actually using the > Mazda design instead) because of the constant RPM > advantage, yet Ford didn't do the obvious. > > 5) Ford stuck with pressurized storage vs. more > promising carbon unpressurized (i.e. the "not invented > here" syndrome) > > Is it any wonder why Ford continues to loose market > share vs. the Japanese, when they can stumble on great > 'partial' ideas, but don't have the foresight to > really push the envelope? > > Jones
It don' go 'bouncy....bouncy.......bouncy....' .....it go 'hmmmmmmmmm' put in more oil, then 'hmmmmmmmmmmm, put in more oil, then 'hmmmmmmmmmmmm, lather, rinse, repeat. Dunno if the NSU design ever licked the oil seal problem between wankel chambers. Unless you oiled it well, the seals gave out.. end of power until seals replaced. Standing Bear
