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Technology Stocks : Energy Conversion Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Allen Bucholski who wrote (6124)	4/24/2001 5:50:00 PM
From: charlief	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8393

Saw a piece on CNN about BMW's H-car. Believe it uses a pressurized fuel tank. Anyone have a take on it. BMW has a fleet of them touring Europe.

To: Allen Bucholski who wrote (6124)	4/24/2001 8:33:11 PM
From: alfranco	Respond to of 8393

Allen, we're well acquainted with the chicken and the egg after all the EV1 machinations <g> I see this transition to hydrogen more on the world stage looking at Europe first, Japan second, and us third (with California as the bellweather but far ahead of Detroit or Washington DC). Daimler announced it would build FCVs back in the early 90s for sale around 2002 with much scoffing from industry at the time... but today they are. EU is driving towards independence from fossil because they largely import (North Sea exception) and are serious about Kyoto. Their automanufacturers (Daimler, BMW, VW, etc.) and their oil companies (BP, Shell) are operating in an EU political/governmental mindset to change to cleaner vehicles/fuels sooner including renewable sources for grid and hydrogen. I hope Daimler doesn't go to far down the methanol pathway but I think the toxicity of MeOH plus oil's opposition will temper that direction. Likely however, to use gasoline reformers (carbon partial oxidation from Shell) as another interim measure. Japan is clearly not going to be left behind in FCVs, partly out of competitive pride and pride in KyotoProtocol itself, but they too have no oil and want to ramp alternatives fast... fastest solar growth in the world right now is Japan. Daimler is trying to influence JP towards methanol via their ownership in Mitsubishi, but less likely there than in EU in my opinion. ECD needs to get past this battery suit ASAP in order to have a fresh slate for business trials of both our batteries and from there, our hydrides. Toyota is and will cooperate with GM and Exxon but I don't rule out Toyota trying its' own versions of FC fuel supply beyond gas, such as our hydrides. 2nd fuel cell partnership is now being organized in Japan following the Calif. model (probably a third to come in EU soon) so JP is committed. I see change coming first from elsewhere, with trials initially in our California, driven by concerns for air quality in the first place (CARB mandate, even at only 2% zero emission vehicles, and despite GM signing the MOU with CARB in 1998 for 10 %, is being contested in court by GM now... plus mucho lobbying in Sacramento and Washington.) Ford, linked with Daimler, is invested in Ballard and is more committed to hybrids and FCs but GM will eventually follow or just lose market share again, as they did in the '70s. I don't rule out GM reviewing our hydride solution and adopting it for some of their vehicles, but I'm not holding my breath. Beyond this automaker dance, existing infrastructure can easily be used to put hydrogen in fleet fueling depots/truck depots with containerized hydrogen, far preferential in hydride form, or hydrogen electrolysis units. I expect government fleets and bus fleets, at least in California, to start switching and yes likely to have some incentive for reduced carbon emissions equallized by taxes on the high emitters. Anyway, Allen, it's still a horse race with lots of fake starts and occasional whipping of the other riders, but I sense there is a growing convergence of world political will and good engineering to provide better vehicles and cleaner energy for our future. Ballard and its' backers deserve a lot of credit for reducing the weight and cost of FCs to bring this all closer to the present. As for Texaco, I think they made ECD stand up tall as a business... can you imagine ECD without them now, I can't... and will Chevron regarding hydrogen be the same supportive long-term partner? I wish I knew the answer to that one. Al