Submitted by Don Doman.
I read the article in the Seattle Times with anticipation. The headline read First U.S. hydrogen fuel-cell ferry will serve Calif. Red and White Fleet, is a family-owned business in the bay area and has operated since 1892. President Tom Escher said, “It’s very exciting.” He wants to run his entire fleet with zero-emission fuel. I hadn’t heard much about hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in some time, so I eagerly checked on the internet. Over the last half-dozen years a number of automobile manufactures have produced electric vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel. Our vehicle for 2018 is by Hyundai.
The Red and White Fleet in San Francisco will be the first U.S. hydrogen fuel-cell ferry.“The Hyundai Nexo is a hydrogen fuel cell powered crossover SUV that was revealed at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show on January 8, 2018. Set to replace the Hyundai Tucson FCEV, the Nexo will be the flagship for Hyundai’s eco car portfolio. Hyundai plans to introduce up to 18 eco cars in the global markets by 2025, and sources are told that India also happens to be a key area of focus.” – Wikipedia
Our hydrogen vehicle for 2018 is by Hyundai.I checked on prices and hydrogen cells are cheaper than gasoline and the only by-product is water. What could be better? They could drive these in the desert and possibly use the water for irrigation. California has almost 5,000 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. The ferry would be the first passenger ferry in the United States powered strictly by hydrogen fuel cells. On June 25th a three million dollar grant was announced by the California Air Resources Board. It will be administered by the California Air Resources Board.
I found that the Bay Area has a fleet of H2 Zero Emission buses. They even have a clip and fold model of an AC Transit bus.I did some more research and found that the Bay Area has a fleet of H2 Zero Emission buses. They even have a clip and fold model of an AC Transit bus. I quickly printed it out, did the cuts and folds, plus used a little tape to secure the model and placed it below my monitor screen alongside Ralphie guarding my valuables with his Red Ryder Carbine. Defending the other end of the bus is Beethoven petting an Oregon State Beaver object d’art. What a glorious day.
Is the ferry project sunk? I hope not, but I think I wasted my time working on the model bus.Unlike complex diesel engines, hydrogen fuel cells are less complicated. They stack up like computer servers. If one malfunctions, it’s an easy swap for complete replacement. The most plentiful gas in the entire universe is hydrogen. Not only that but it is the simplest element and contains only one proton. Hydrogen is a miracle waiting to be harnessed . . . and it appears to be well on its way.
Appearances are deceiving, however. The bus project began in 2007. The last one stopped running in 2015 and on June 24th it was announced the project is through. There were multiple problems with fueling. I would think someone might want to tell both Tom Escher and the California Air Resources Board about the fuel problem. Is the ferry project sunk? I hope not, but I think I wasted my time working on the model bus. In the mean time, I’ll visit the Electric Car Show in Steilacoom on September 8th.
I’m not sure what bus project he’s referring to, but AC Transit, based in Oakland, operates 13 fuel cell electric buses. California has 21 buses and about 32 on order. In total, we have about 17 years of experience with the buses, including more 2.7 million miles of service and more than 2.5 million passengers carried. Three transit agencies, including AC Transit, Sunline Transit in the Coachella Valley and OCTA in Orange County operate buses, in addition to the University of California at Irvine. And more operate outside the state, including buses in Stark County, Ohio.
In addition, we have about 13-14 years of federally collected data that show the buses perform as well as, if not better, than regular buses.
Keith,
Thank you for reading and writing about my article. Perhaps, it was a Mark Twain thing . . . “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Possibly there is more going on with hydrogen and buses that I expected, and assumed . . . never a good thing. The article stirred up a story about making hydrogen from garbage, so I’ll be writing a second article about hydrogen and would be happy to include your information and any other quotations you might like to add. I am extremely happy that AC Transit is a success. I’m glad now I kept my little origami AC Transit bus.
Thanks for the information and thanks for writing.
Don
Don,
We are a Berkeley/Wyoming based company (www.ravensr.com) that is developing a project to convert municipal solid waste into hydrogen in a clean process. We already have an engineering unit up and running for months now, and are finalizing design for a larger unit. We are planning on producing lower cost hydrogen from non-recyclable plastics and bio-hazardous waste (including ocean plastics!) in early 2019. We can produce relatively small amounts, and grow near cities and population centers, eliminating the need to transport waste, and basically creating energy and water from garbage. There will be some excess carbon that falls out that, which can be used for things like carbon fiber bicycles, etc.
So look for us in early 2019.
Matt
Matt,
What great information. Thanks for reading my article AND for writing. With the latest news of China not wanting our garbage any longer, this conversion could make a great article. Send me a couple of quotes, and I’ll follow up with a new article!
Thanks, again for reading and commenting.
Don