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Technology Stocks : Ballard Power -world leader zero-emission PEM fuel cells -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: PeterR1700 who wrote (5358)	1/12/2001 8:58:42 AM
From: glenn snyder	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5827

I did not see it but Sunday night on tv some show had a thing on fuel cells. They showed two PV panels powering a hydrogen reformer. The hydrogen went to a 5" x 5" 200 watt fuel cell. This would power your electrical needs. When you use less electricity your excess power would go on to the grid so others can use it. When you need more the grid has it for you. Your elect meter would let you know if you are going to have to pay for any electricity or if you are going to get paid for producing more electricity than you used. Glenn

To: PeterR1700 who wrote (5358)	1/14/2001 11:30:51 PM
From: CH4	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5827

Do you have a hybrid in your future? With growing global concern about climate change, and with OPEC successfully driving up oil prices, the auto industry is under the gun to produce cars with far lower emissions and much higher fuel economy. A decade ago, many thought electric cars would be the answer. But consumers never seemed to accept the limited range that battery powered cars provided. They were a flop everywhere in the world. So now several automakers believe that hybrid-electric vehicles are going to be the answer. Hybrids use a combination of batteries and a small gasoline engine. The engine can recharge the batteries, so they have very good driving range. When you start up a hybrid and begin driving, it feeds electric power from a battery pack to an electric motor that delivers power to the front wheels. After the car is moving, the gasoline engine kicks in. When you slow down and start to brake, a regenerator recharges the battery pack. And when you come to a stop, the engine will actually shut off, and the let you accelerate again on the batteries. All that saves fuel and reduces emissions. But there's a question as to how much it really saves. The Toyota Prius is rated by the Environmental Protection Agency at 48 miles per gallon. And the Honda Insight is rated at 64 mpg. But most people who have drive these cars come up 15% short of the fuel economy label. A quick call to the EPA confirmed that their test procedure might overstate the fuel economy that hybrids deliver. Even so, these hybrids do challenge you to try and get the best fuel economy possible. Both the Insight and Prius have high-tech gauges on the dashboard that allow you to monitor how well you're doing with your fuel economy. You can watch the batteries recharge as you back off the gas and brake, then watch how it switches over to the batteries under light acceleration, or watch as the engine kicks in when you need more power. Watching the energy monitor is the key to squeezing out every last drop of fuel, but it isn't easy. The only way to get maximum fuel economy in the Prius is to try and drive on the battery. We found this difficult because the throttle is so sensitive the engine keeps kicking in. The EPA numbers on the Insight and Prius are impressive, but will the average consumer think these cars are practical? Let's compare the Toyota Prius against the gasoline-powered Toyota Echo, because they're both the same size. The Echo, with the destination charge and popular options, costs about $12,700. The Prius costs $20,450, a difference of $7,750. The Echo, with an automatic transmission, gets a combined 34 mpg. That will cost most drivers about $700 in annual fuel costs. The Prius gets a combined 48 mpg, which translates into an annual fuel cost of $500, which represents a $200 a year savings. But remember the Prius costs $7,750 more than the Echo, so it would take you 37 years to make up the price difference from fuel economy savings. That may limit consumer acceptance of hybrids, just like the short range of electric cars limited their appeal. Even so, other automakers are rushing to bring out their own hybrids. Ford says it will have a hybrid version of the Escape by 2003, GM will have a hybrid version of Chevrolet Silverado pickup by 2004. And DaimlerChrysler formed a new business unit to make hybrids, but no word yet when any may appear. visteon.com ... Visteon Autoline original report November 09 2000 FUEL CELL STACKS FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS ... The stacks developed for automotive applications have been sized to meet future automotive voltage requirements (42 volts) and power out- puts (3-5 kW). The stack configuration consists of four modules. The stacks are integrated with a Delphi's APU system which includes the fuel reformer and other components. In tests completed by both Global and Delphi, the Global stack and cell designs performed well. The cells operated on gasoline fuel reformate and the proprietary seal and compression systems successfully achieved gas separation and thermal cyclability. Electrical load testing determined that the Global cells and stacks withstand demanding and rapid load changes. SOFC technology used to support an APU is a workable solution to address demands for more electrical capacity in automobiles characterized by the development of new 42 volt systems (existing systems are only 12 volts). An APU will rid internal combustion engines ICE) of power draining parasitic loads' and improve the ratio of lCE power, which contributes directly to propulsion. globalte.com ... Shifting the Balance of Power ... GLE