First Hydrogen RX-8s delivered
 

From

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/26/m...powered-rx-8s/

Isn't the RX-8 a relatively esoteric platform to be used for a hydrogen/gasoline hybrid demonstrator?

Dunno. I just find it cool.

I read somewhere that the rotary is idally suited to burn hydrogen rather than it be used in a fuel cell/electric vehicle. Boingers don't do well with hydrogen for some reason.

Is this the car that gets 60 miles per tank of hydrogen?

^no

Cruising distance on hydrogen: 100 km

http://www.mazda.com/publicity/release/200602/0215.html

maybe mazda is trying to solve the fuel economy issue

So that is around 62 miles..

Hydrogen is not the answer. There is no practical way to package it. The productions side does more damage to the environment to make it then we do just burning gas. Not to mention the cost.

All true, for now. Currently there are other alternative-fuel options that offer more potential. But here we have Mazda choosing the RX-8, and the rotary engine, to deliver the first gas hybrid/hydrogen automobile.

Like I said earlier, I just think it's cool. I'm the last guy to complain about gas prices and gas mileage, but the research and development currently being done on alternative fuels is fascinating to me. It's nice to see Mazda in the mix, particularly using the rotary.

GM is developing a tri-fuel boinger that will run on gasoline, E85 and hydrogen, BMW has announced that it intends to develop an engine that can run on gas and hydrogen too.

GM will pay for that. E85 is the biggest load of shit to hit the market in 50 years.

Durr. You need phospates of nitrogen to fertilize the soil, which takes natural gas to do. You need a diesel harvester to work the fields. The government subsidizes the farmers. It is infinitely more expensive to produce, along with being more polluting, than conventional gasoline.

A similar thing can be seen with hydrogen fuel cells, where no advances have been made and millions of firms fundraise for such "research." I talked to a multi-billionaire venture capitalist about his attempts to invest in this 'research,' and he couldn't find a company or organization that has made any progress in the last 5 years.

Having a deep background in the Petroleum world-
E85 will trick enough people to take over 3%-5% of the refueling market by 2015, thus, this negligible, polluting, expensive process is not something I'd like to see developed any further. It wont happen anytime soon, because the petroleum industry wont heed (thank god) to "alternative" fuels as a major venture for quite some time. That's why they're an OIL company in the first place.

Well, regardless, it's still nice that GM is finding something to do with its time, now that it's out of the business of making automobiles for a profit.

Good. GM aint doing crap.

Sure that story isn't from The Onion?

Another thread about alternative fuels. Come on guys, we can figure it all out if we just make more posts!

I for one am glad to see Mazda doing something tangible on a more than just anecdotal level. They're going to be leasing these things to the US government too.

And also, just keep in mind that "big oil" isn't in the business of making money off oil. They're in the business of making money. Many of those companies have put billions of dollars into research in recent years so that when and if hydrogen really takes off they'll have a stranglehold on that business as well. Then we'll all be complaining about "big hydrogen" and clamoring for the next alternative fuel.

And if that multi-billionaire dude thinks no advancements have been made in hydrogen in that last 5 years he's out of his mind. Methanol fuel cells have already been developed and will be sold for public use in probably a year. Hydrogen fuel cells are more attractive in that they don't produce CO2 and aren't toxic. The only problem is that it's not as energy-dense as methanol. Two years ago, researchers developed ways to make current hydrogen fuel cells 50% more efficient which helps make hydrogen fuel cells even more attractive.

Point is, fuel cells are coming. There's a strong chance hydrogen fuel cells will be a part of that new technology. When they do, infrastructure changes will start to happen to support them. Give it time -- and ride around in your 8 mpg RX-8 while you wait.

Nope http://rotarynews.com/node/view/781

I also dont understand why they dont look at bio diesel as an alternate fuel source.

Because you touch yourself at night, that's why.

ahh yet another usefull contribution? I think Saturn needs to float further into outter space :jerkit:

Nothing personal. Just trying to bring some humor into a topic that's been discussed 4,000 times on this forum.

Gimme the search phrases that return a topic that is about this and I might forgive you . Better yet give me a link to an actual thread. :) I tried searching once and found a million threads that meantioned the price of petrol and diesel. nothing on the use of diesel or bio diesel in rotaries.

Andrew

The topic is actually about hydrogen RX-8's being delivered, not biodiesel. Every time someone brings up the new hydrogen hybrids people inevitably start talking about alternative fuels. There are dozens of these threads. There is so little substance and so much "check out this article I got off Google" crap. If people want to discuss something this complicated and off topic to RX-8's specifically, they should do it in the lounge and in one thread.

Keep in mind I wasn't trashing what you said. I just saw what you wrote and thought it was funny to respond that way. You could have said "why is the sun hot" and I would have responded in the same way.

I was actually just about to point that out. However, thanks to everyone who participated in the hijacking of this thread. :)

:offtopic: :offtopic: :offtopic:

Brasil has been running cars on 100% ethanol produced from biologically fermenting molasses, and they've been doing it ever since the 70's oil crisis. The cars are pretty clean emissions wise, but the exhaust stinks and they're horribly slow... not that that matters though because the domestically made cars there aren't known for being sporty. The point though, is that you can make ethanol from waste products which is basically all clean.

Hydrogen made from electrolisis of water is about the only way to go, and you have to do that with either solar or wind power, and that's a terribly inefficient altho green way to go about it (unless you use fusion, but we're 50 years away from that). The upshot of this is that you could potentially make your own hydrogen, the problem is at what cost to your wallet.

So... you CAN make green fuels in a green way, but there's no way it's going to satisfy world needs. same as all those stupid hippies going on about how all food should be organic... sure you damn tree hugger, it's good for you, but you'll probably starve to death if you try it.

Saturn/RevTo9K, go back and have a look at my original post! I was backing up the evidence that Mazda had started delivery of these vehicles outside of Mazda.

Saturn, FFS, me taking it off topic !! Your response to my post was the only one not to address the topic. And then if you look deeper, before my post daisuke (not having a go at you, just using you as reference) starting on about E85 and GM, which michael followed up.

RevTo9K, its OK for 8_is_enuf to talk about an alternate fuel source but mine is Hijaking. Geez, if you want a thread to stay on topic, close the thread after you open it.

Cmon people, lighten up...Holey cow!