General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe sports car that runs on SALTWATER: Vehicle goes from 0 to 60mph in 2.8 seconds
- and has just been approved for EU roads
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2739768/The-sports-car-runs-SALTWATER-Vehicle-goes-0-60mph-2-8-seconds-just-approved-EU-roads.html
Quant e-Sportlimousine's top speed is 217mph - equal to a McLaren P1
The car uses a saltwater flow cell system to power four electric motors
Water passes through membrane in tanks creating an electric charge
Two 200-litre water tanks can provide a range of 373 miles (600km)
The four-seater is 5.25 metres (0.4ft) long and 2.2 metres wide (7.2ft)
Price and sale date yet to be confirmed, but may cost more than £1m
Inside is a full-length interactive dash, with wood-theme features and an Android-based entertainment system.
No price or sale date has yet been revealed, but some experts suggest it could cost more than £1 million ($1.7 million)
NanoFlowcell AG, a Lichtenstein-based company behind the drive, is now planning to test the car on public roads in Germany and elsewhere in Europe as the company prepares for series production.
It claims the technology offers five times the energy capacity of lithium-ion batteries of the same weight.
This might set you back 1.7 million but I imagine over time the price will drop, and using saltwater for energy is a promising technology.
Glassunion
(10,201 posts)Give it time.
libdem4life
(13,877 posts)like a possibility. The Price will stay high until the Oil Gluttons get into the technology side of it.
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)It's a stretch for them to say "it runs on saltwater". sheesh.
There isn't much in the way of technical information in the article but there sure is a lot of FLUFF about the features, like 22" wheels and gull-wing doors.
It seems that the saltwater is an energy storage medium, 880 pounds of it onboard.
I'm VERY suspect of the claim that it has 5X the energy capacity, by weight of LI batteries.
But I'll hope that it's true, I was wrong once before!
arcane1
(38,613 posts)We've certainly seen similar claims before that were nothing. The added hype isn't working in its favor.
Hopeful yet skeptical here
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,417 posts)hunter
(38,326 posts)From what little I can find it's not rechargeable by "plugging it in" at home or work. You refill the tank with new fluid, and drain out the spent fluid at a service station. It's rather like the fuel distribution model of existing cars, only with a different kind of "juice." As such, it's not quite the "disruptive technology" that regular battery powered cars are. You pay for the refill like you pay for gasoline or diesel fuel, maybe at the same big oil service stations.
rock
(13,218 posts)as "saltswater", not "saltwater".
eppur_se_muova
(36,289 posts)The source of energy is wherever the electricity comes from, the salt solutions are just a storage medium, as with any rechargeable cell:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112773319
This particular company has attracted some pretty credulous reportage -- I suspect that is deliberate.
Uncle Joe
(58,417 posts)Well, this is a surprise, to say the least -- even proponents of flow-cell technology were saying that it was promising for stationary power storage, but didn't have the energy density for transportation applications. This is a very short blurb, so no details, but it seems they are in fact using the flow-cell as an all-liquid storage battery (never take journos' headlines too literally), rather than replacing the electrolyte to refuel as some have proposed. With retrospective wisdom* this does seem to make sense -- one of the problems with rechargeable solid and gel cells is a tendency for the regenerated electrode materials to form new crystals ("whiskers" after several recharging cycles; eventually the whiskers bridge the electrodes, and recharging becomes impossible. With the redox couples being entirely in solution, the problem of physical restructuring of the electrodes vanishes, allowing more compact cell design, and the lifetime of the membrane most likely sets the limit on recharge cycles. One has to wonder, though, whether this is just a system which has reached its optimum design early; the active element is vanadium, which undergoes only one-electron redox at either electrode, and of course it's in solution, so the minimum bulk is high. Lithium-based cells seem capable of surpassing this in the long run, just based on the lower atomic weight of lithium.
eppur_se_muova
(36,289 posts)it would be hard to estimate how much research effort has been devoted to this problem. The nano-flowcell approach may very well turn out to be the best solution found so far, since it uses redox couples only in solution, and never needs to regenerate a solid electrode.
If I can ever answer your question more completely, I'll be seeking investors myself.
Uncle Joe
(58,417 posts)I believe you can do it, eppur_se_muova!
littlemissmartypants
(22,804 posts)Thanks for your post, Uncle Joe!
You start the engine, I'll go get my scarf and handbag.
~ littlemissmartypants
The fastest girl on Earth
Champion Lady Motorist of the World
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Levitt
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)But they are titanium, which is so cool!
littlemissmartypants
(22,804 posts)Then you may need this for the drive.
Hop in let's go!
https://www.google.com/search?q=helmet&client=ms-android-verizon&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=8IEKVNbNG4GdO6vFgeAF&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=360&bih=567
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)littlemissmartypants
(22,804 posts)NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)I love that esthetic, that movement!
steelsmith
(59 posts)Time to fire up the forge and soak my hammers in the bucket. I'm always looking for designs to hammer out, and I'll bet the smith that made it didn't copywrite it... LOL
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)And one needed tightening this week. Yes, I admit it, I had a screw loose.
Uncle Joe
(58,417 posts)littlemissmartypants
(22,804 posts)indie9197
(509 posts)littlemissmartypants
(22,804 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,417 posts)only be $26,321.00
I would suggest maybe taking in a roommate or twenty to help subsidize your car payments.
littlemissmartypants
(22,804 posts)HOW many roommates?
Uncle Joe
(58,417 posts)littlemissmartypants
(22,804 posts)nationalize the fed
(2,169 posts)A flow battery is a type of rechargeable battery where rechargeability is provided by two chemical components dissolved in liquids contained within the system and separated by a membrane. Ion exchange (providing flow of electrical current) occurs through the membrane while both liquids circulate in their own respective space. Cell voltage is chemically determined by the Nernst equation and ranges, in practical applications, from 1.0 to 2.2 Volts.
A flow battery is technically akin both to a fuel cell and an electrochemical accumulator cell (electrochemical reversibility). While it has technical advantages such as potentially separable liquid tanks and near unlimited longevity over most conventional rechargeables, current implementations are comparatively less powerful and require more sophisticated electronics.
REDOX
The redox (reduction-oxidation) cell is a reversible fuel cell in which all electrochemical components are dissolved in the electrolyte. The energy capacity of the redox flow battery is fully independent of its power, because the energy available is related to the electrolyte volume (amount of liquid electrolyte) and the power to the surface area of the electrodes. Redox flow batteries are rechargeable (secondary cells). Because they employ heterogeneous electron transfer rather than solid-state diffusion or intercalation they are more appropriately called fuel cells than batteries.
In industrial practice, fuel cells are usually, and unnecessarily, considered to be primary cells, such as the H2O 2 system. The unitized regenerative fuel cell on NASA's Helios Prototype is another reversible fuel cell. The European Patent Organisation classifies redox flow cells as a sub-class of regenerative fuel cells. Examples of redox flow batteries are the vanadium redox flow battery, polysulfide bromide battery (Regenesys), and uranium redox flow battery. Redox fuel cells are less common commercially although many systems have been proposed
Wiki
"Car tech will change more in the next 10 years than since the car was invented" -VP of Toyota, which is introducing a fuel cell vehicle next year
And Honda, with a traditional fuel cell:
"Fool Cellers" will have the last laugh. People shouldn't slime tech they know nothing about.
littlemissmartypants
(22,804 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,417 posts)"Car tech will change more in the next 10 years than since the car was invented" -VP of Toyota, which is introducing a fuel cell vehicle next year
nationalize the fed
(2,169 posts)Hydrogen cars: Ready for the roads?
Chris Hostetter, group vice president of strategic planning for Toyota Motor Sales, believes the automotive industry will change more in the next 10 years than the last 100 years. A century ago there was great competition among the different fuels and manufacturing. Today we are looking at non-carbon fuels, and non-combustion engines.
We are beginning to see the early stages of what Hostetter call the hydrogen economy. The technology is established: hydrogen combined with oxygen in fuel cells creates the electricity that drives the car itself, with the output being water vapour.
There is a diversity of fuels out there, but in terms of clean, sustainable fuels Hostetter says there are only two key technologies: electric cars and hydrogen cars. The former is good for shorter, urban drives, while he thinks the latter is better for larger vehicles and over longer distances.
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140327-hydrogen-cars-ready-for-roads
An H bomb is about to drop on the auto industry and it will make "gigafactories" obsolete.
littlemissmartypants
(22,804 posts)aggiesal
(8,923 posts)then scrap the technology.
Can't have anything interrupt their profits.
nationalize the fed
(2,169 posts)anyone with water and electricity can make it. Bonus: Make it with electricity from solar panels or wind and, after the equipment is paid for the hydrogen fuel is FREE.
It's a power shift.
Watch a demonstration of someone making hydrogen in their garage
Hydrogen is de-centralized.
Here's a solar hydrogen fueling station that exists right now in Emeryville CA
aggiesal
(8,923 posts)Thanks for the info though.
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)The hydrogen is trucked in as liquid, a small amount is made using the small amount of solar.
The scheme works, wind/solar to H2, it's a great idea, but it would take a few acres of PV or some big turbines to make it cost effective.
Just sayin.
jeff47
(26,549 posts)is it's really, really small. So it leaks through everything. That makes it rather impractical for vehicles. For example, one of the very last things to disconnect during a space shuttle launch was the pipe topping off the hydrogen tank.
That fueling station you show actually gets most of the hydrogen trucked in, and then uses the "local production" to try and reduce the losses due to leakage.
We either have to come up with some new material that can actually contain hydrogen, or we're going to be using something else. This problem isn't exactly new - the first hydrogen airship was built in 1783. So it seems unlikely that we'll find that new material any time soon.
nationalize the fed
(2,169 posts)The Honda Clarity has been driving around on H2 since 1999, the GM H2 fleet has been around for 7 years and Hyundai is leasing H2 cars right now.
Toyota disproves your claims here:
Toyota fires bullets into hydrogen fuel tanks, shoots down EV supporters
With some industry members and analysts questioning both the viability and durability of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles, Toyota executive Bob Carter, speaking at the Automotive News World Congress this week, says the Japanese automaker went all Clint Eastwood on the fuel tanks of a fuel-cell prototype.
Carter says that bullets from a small-caliber gun bounced off the carbon-fiber tanks, and that .50-caliber bullets barely made dents. The shoot-out motif kept going when Carter name-checked executives from Tesla, Nissan and Volkswagen in saying that he didn't care if other automakers question the future of fuel-cell vehicles. As you can see in the prepared text of Carter's speech below, he said, "Personally, I don't care what Elon (Musk), Carlos (Ghosn) or Jonathan (Browning) say about fuel cells. If they want to 'plug in and tune out' other technologies, that's fine."
Full Toyota Press Release here:
http://green.autoblog.com/2014/01/16/toyota-fires-bullets-hydrogen-fuel-tanks-shoots-ev-supporter/
RE: Solar Hydrogen station-
The new station is a renewable hydrogen facility, with the hydrogen being produced by means of a solar-powered electrolyzer. A 510-kilowatt DC solar photovoltaic system will generate energy to help fuel AC Transits hydrogen-powered buses running throughout the Bay Area.
http://www.mtc.ca.gov/news/current_topics/4-12/hydrogen.htm
Honda is also working on them
http://world.honda.com/FuelCell/SolarHydrogenStation/
jeff47
(26,549 posts)Last edited Sun Sep 7, 2014, 01:21 PM - Edit history (1)
Depending on the size of the tank and other factors, your hydrogen car will empty in a week to a month even if you aren't running it.
No, that's actually a moronic marketing ploy.
A bullet is enormous (on an atomic scale). Hydrogen is small. The problem is not "are the tanks tough enough", which is what that marketing gimmick is addressing. The problem is hydrogen leaks through the carbon fiber. Because it's small enough to fit between the carbon fiber.
Yes, to top off the losses from leakage. They're still trucking in the hydrogen, as another reply mentioned.
4b5f940728b232b034e4
(120 posts)are going to allow this to be sold. I haven't seen any Teslas on the roads either. They've been pretty effective at outlawing them.
Calista241
(5,586 posts)And I live in the Bible Belt. They're pretty sexy cars.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)DROOL
muriel_volestrangler
(101,361 posts)Even if you park it sideways, because it's 7.2 feet wide ...
kentauros
(29,414 posts)One point that everyone seems to be missing is the part about two 200-liter tanks of vanadium-salt solution. I don't know what the density of that solution will be, but to put it in perspective, that much seawater weighs 410 kg (904 lbs.) From the linked-story, total car weight is 2300 kg
So, 1/6th of its weight is "water."
Now, while they lost the weight of an equivalent (and likely) V-12 or V-10 combustion engine, they seem to have gained it back with the charge-medium
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)Even if these batteries truly do have five times the energy density of LiIons - which I doubt - they won't be used for commercial applications like this anytime soon. LiIons very occasionally ignite into nasty little fireballs that have caused houses to burn down and the occasional death, and LiIon technology is fairly mature and well-understood. Five times the energy in the same space can cause five times more mayhem, probably even more because of the physics involved. It will likely take years of testing before regulatory bodies feel these are safe.
(Sorry to be a party pooper.)
Orrex
(63,224 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)hifiguy
(33,688 posts)by the bloody dwarves.
steelsmith
(59 posts)It looks like another free energy scam, call me when they sell one that performs as advertised....
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)are gonna be on this like white on rice if they already aren't. They should test it at VW's test track, where Top Gear maxed the Bugatti Veyron at 260+.
951-Riverside
(7,234 posts)Just like they have been doing over the past 100 years with steam powered car technologies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_car