Sci/Tech Toyota Wants You To Quit Being Paranoid About Hydrogen, Shoots a Fuel Cell

[tom_mai78101]

Whenever hydrogen cars are brought up with the general populace, at least one person says "but what about crashes? Won't an explosion level a city block?" This is all because of an airship in 1937 and a whole lot of "humanity." What's funny about this, (the reaction to hydrogen cars, not the Hindenburg disaster) is that we're all already driving around vehicles that are powered by explosions.

One of the biggest barriers to adopting hydrogen as a fuel source, in fact, is that it's less explosive than gasoline. If the Hindenburg has been filled with gasoline, it would have never exploded, because it would have never been able to fly up to that tower. If it had been filled with gasoline and miraculously able to fly, the disaster would have been much, much worse.

Regardless, Toyota knows that talking simple science to people usually doesn't work, so a demonstration that people will pay attention to was devised: a Toyota engineer shot the company's hydrogen storage tank with a variety of bullets. Only a ".50 cal armor-piercing" round could pierce the shell. Yeah, Toyota just appealed to the action movie-lover in all of us.

Toyota is going to release a production hydrogen fuel cell car in 2015.

Toyota Wants You To Quit Being Paranoid About Hydrogen, Shoots a Fuel Cell

Hydrogen: not half as scare as gasoline.

www.complex.com

 

[crystal.maiden_19]

Because people are too comfortable with conventional fuel (gasoline/diesel fuel)... Though gasoline easier to ignited even just with a little spark, especially when the gasoline has been compressed... But gasoline/diesel fuel cars are easier to be repaired...
I'm glad Mazda in Indonesia has not start to make a hybrid cars yet, that's the reason why I left Toyota...

 

[KaerfNomekop]

But gasoline/diesel fuel cars are easier to be repaired...

I think this is the main issue. Efficiency of repair > environmental friendliness, especially with modern short-term thinking.

 

[Accname]

When a car breaks down nowadays its not the engine that is the problem but all that electronic crap inside.

 

[crystal.maiden_19]

When a car breaks down nowadays its not the engine that is the problem but all that electronic crap inside.

Hmm, not really... Most of cars here broke down because of flood, engine pistons, cams, cranksets, some was very damaged by floods, it also damage the transmission, and few cars got interior damage...

 

[Varine]

He's just learning how cars work, just let him have his day. We haven't gotten to the transmission yet.

 

[tom_mai78101]

He's just learning how cars work, just let him have his day. We haven't gotten to the transmission yet.

Yeah, just don't let him know the chemical reactions inside an exhaust pipe.

 

[Accname]

Theres no floods or anything in the good corner of the world. Cars break down over here because their electronics go haywire. My neighbours car just suddenly started going backwards while it was parked; it crashed into 2 other cars before he was able to stop it. The computer inside was at fault he said.
My other neighbour was not able to leave his car because the door lock was not working anymore. Its craziness.

 

[tom_mai78101]

I can see it now:

Headline News: "Bizarre! 200 computer-controlled cars going in reverse on Highway 401!"

 

[Accname]

I dont think it would be OK for them to drive there. They are not authorized.

 

[FireCat]

I know some mechanics and they do freak out "of today's cars with their complex electronics"
Well, these electronic malfunction occur quite often.

 

[Varine]

Theres no floods or anything in the good corner of the world. Cars break down over here because their electronics go haywire. My neighbours car just suddenly started going backwards while it was parked; it crashed into 2 other cars before he was able to stop it. The computer inside was at fault he said.
My other neighbour was not able to leave his car because the door lock was not working anymore. Its craziness.

It sounds like your neighbor didn't listen to the mechanic. Or did he take it to an electrician?

 

[crystal.maiden_19]

Theres no floods or anything in the good corner of the world. Cars break down over here because their electronics go haywire. My neighbours car just suddenly started going backwards while it was parked; it crashed into 2 other cars before he was able to stop it.

Broken cars should be taken to mechanics or car technicians, not electricians, though many electric/electronic component that control it, but still its matter of hardware mechanisms...


Edit:

My other neighbour was not able to leave his car because the door lock was not working anymore. Its craziness.

I used to pick a BMW's lock, its not that hard to trick the computers, especially with over-sensitive security censors...

 

[Accname]

They did take it to the mechanics? Who would take a car to an elecrician???
But the mechanics cant do much other then changing the faulty part. The electric components of the car are too complex to repair, or maybe too costly to repair efficiently.

 

[Varine]

They did take it to the mechanics? Who would take a car to an elecrician???
But the mechanics cant do much other then changing the faulty part. The electric components of the car are too complex to repair, or maybe too costly to repair efficiently.

Do you even know how brakes work?