hydrogen powered car

[cousinles]

At work we have a Honda Civic CNG car and every time I drive that car or fill it up with gas all I think about is running the thing on hydrogen. My question is, would it be cheaper than gasoline to build an electrolizer that separates the oxygen and hydrogen then compress the hydrogen and store it in tanks and when you need fuel just fill it up? I pretty sure it would be cheaper than gasoline if you were on municipal power, I really don't know off hand  how to crunch the numbers to figure it out.

[utilitarian]

At work we have a Honda Civic CNG car and every time I drive that car or fill it up with gas all I think about is running the thing on hydrogen. My question is, would it be cheaper than gasoline to build an electrolizer that separates the oxygen and hydrogen then compress the hydrogen and store it in tanks and when you need fuel just fill it up? I pretty sure it would be cheaper than gasoline if you were on municipal power, I really don't know off hand  how to crunch the numbers to figure it out.

OK, this is an excellent question.

First of all, you have to realize that the car is designed for compressed natural gas (CNG) and not hydrogen.  If you already knew this, I apologize for stating the obvious, but I just wanted to make sure you were aware.

Next I want to say I am not a huge fan of gasoline.  I do not like the pollution it creates, especially the carbon dioxide.  So I am not saying - stick with gasoline.

Now, here is the cost problem with hydrogen.  You have your up-front costs of the equipment to disassociate water plus the compression pumps, plus storage tanks plus the fuel tanks.  Then you also have your electric bill to disassociate water and to compress the hydrogen gas.  Hydrogen is very light, so you have to compress it alot.  Statistics I have seen estimate that it would cost about $7 per equivalent of a gallon of gasoline to make and compress your own hydrogen.  So right now, the economics don't work out.  But maybe wait till November!

Still, what you could do is simply buy the hydrogen rather than making it yourself.  Not sure what the going rate for that is, but you are going to run into having to rent tanks, and that could make it unaffordable, but maybe you could look into prices.

Also, be really careful with hydrogen.  The problem is the compression, and you know all about those warnings about compressed Oxygen tanks and how people get killed when a tank falls over and the neck breaks off?  You really have to be super careful around compressed gas.

Or just put CNG into the car, like it was designed for.  NG exists naturally, so you do not have to make it!

Good luck.

[cousinles]

I was not going to run hydrogen in my work car. I would probably get fired since I work for a government agency.  I was thinking about buying one then modifying it to run on hydrogen but for what you are telling me it would not be economical. As for the safety goes the tank that is on there holds 3500psi of CNG I dont think the compressed hydrogen would anymore unsafe than what is already in there.

[cousinles]

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