RE: Powertrekk, taking hydrogen fuel cells on tour a potential gamechanger?

The 'information' in the original article, as well as the video were
nonsensical. Pour the water in and that fluorescent green color will
just scare the water molecules into loosening their chemical bonds.

The news media and the marketeers can't seem to comprehend that if
hydrogen becomes a viable fuel it is NOT an energy source--it is a
storage medium. You still need an energy source to produce the
hydrogen.

Ray Bridge

-----Original Message-----
From: touring-bounces+rbridge=earthnet.net-Wizm5X4GRk5g9hUCZPvPmw@public.gmane.org
[mailto:touring-bounces+rbridge=earthnet.net-Wizm5X4GRk5g9hUCZPvPmw@public.gmane.org] On Behalf
Of Jim Foreman
Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 11:16 AM
To: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: Re: Powertrekk,taking hydrogen fuel cells on tour a
potential gamechanger?

    All this sounds great except they don't mention that it takes at
least 
twice the power to produce the hydrogen than what it returns. It's
like the 
Ethanol they are putting in gasoline, it takes about two gallons of 
petroleum power to produce one gallon of Ethanol which has only
about 1/2 
the power of a gallon of gas.
    It's like saying a bicycle gives you transportation without any
power 
when we all know that it takes us furnishing the initial power. No
matter 
how efficient, there is always a loss between input and output.

Jim Foreman


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Ayers" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Powertrekk, taking hydrogen fuel cells on tour a
potential 
gamechanger?


> On 2/14/2011 8:27 PM, mmeiser wrote:
>
>>
>> Bottom line, put in water, get power.
>>
>>> From what I've read on it elsewhere it's not there, I see
absolutely
>> no specifications anywhere on how much power you can get out of
the
>> "disposable fuel cell packs".  Apparently it only puts out about
2.5
>> watts from hydrogen power, but this is supplemented by the
lithium ion
>> battery which once charged can put out 5 watts of power which
should
>> be well capable of charging a USB device. Inversely the internal
>> battery can also be charged off USB as well.
>>
>> The idea is a potential game changer if not now in the near
future.
>> To be able to take devices with proprietary batteries like the
>> majority of cell phones, mp3 players, GPS, and digital cameras
into
>> the backcountry would change the game considerably.  For example
I
>> could get a nice DSLR like a cannon Mark IV and take it on remote
>> trips, say a trip around the world, without having to worry about
how
>> I'm going to charge it.
>>
>> All that said... it's so futuristic the realities of such a
technology
>> might never materialize, at least not in the form one might take
on a
>> biking trip.
>
> I have thought for a while that fuel cells for small devices could
be a 
> good idea, but I don't really like this implementation.
>
> If you dig around on the manufacturer's site you can find that the

> "powerpukk" fuel pack delivers 4 Wh, using a sodium silicide
reactant to 
> generate H2 gas.
>
> I think I still would prefer a liquid-fueled cell, such as a
methanol 
> cell.
>
> Mike
>
> -- 
> The Tour of Gondwana
> May 5, 02005-August 22, 02008
> http://www.terminalia.org/tour
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