Future Platform

The Autonomy skateboard fuel cell platform (various car bodies could snap on). Low center of gravity, instant torque, 4WD and steering, 1/10 the moving parts of a combustion engine vehicle.

Larry Burns, GM’s VP of R&D and Planning spoke at TED, and he is quite gung ho. Some quotes:

“It’s time to change the DNA of the auto industry. We can’t grow without hydrogen. The auto industry will be capped by sustainability.”

“Our cars are idle 90% of the time. They could generate electricity when parked. 4% of U.S. automobiles would be equivalent to the entire U.S. electric grid.”

“Serving 70% of the U.S. with 12,000 Hydrogen refueling stations would cost ½ as much as the Alaskan pipeline today.”

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Comments

najrac says:

I think GM is going in the wrong direction. The hydrogen fuel economy is the harder path to the future of transportation. Gas/electric Hybrids will come to market sooner and will satisfy consumer and environmental needs very well.
Posted 57 months ago. ( permalink )

jurvetson says:

Toyota would agree with you. Take the gorgeous Volta...
all that and 0-60mph in under 4 seconds.

Posted 57 months ago. ( permalink )

BenODen says:

Wow, I missed that announcement. That's a supercar that gets 31 mpg! Very impressive.

Hydrogen economy certainly does beg the question of how we're going to get enough renewable energy to replace the fossil fues we currently burn without disrupting nature. It's a heck of a lot of solar/wind/tide power... Nuclear is just trouble.. The waste issue is not solved even yet, after investing a lot of money into the search for the solution.
Posted 57 months ago. ( permalink )

TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ says:

Happy birthday to youu
Happy birthday to youuuuuu
Happy birthday, my dear Steve
Happy birthday to youuuuuu!!!

Be happy, Steve. Wish all the bestest of best! =D

03-01-05
Posted 57 months ago. ( permalink )

BenODen says:

Happy birthday Steve! This is as good a place as any to wish it!

For your birthday challenge, you must go and find 10 new companies working on nanotech that can turn CO2 and uh, sunlight, into long strands of carbon nanotubes that can act as photovoltaic cells. (Challenges only get bigger as you get older! *grin*)

Have a good one!
Posted 57 months ago. ( permalink )

BenODen says:

And no, I hadn't seen this article when I'd written that. More self assembly! There's no hope of using CO2 as a carbon source in that sort of process is there?
Posted 57 months ago. ( permalink )

Jan Tik says:

Very impressive. I also like the idea that fuel cell cars could act as generators, eliminating the need to build more power plants. When that day comes it will revolutionize the world in more ways than one.

Unfortunately, due to the current high cost of fuel cells, the infrastructure, and storage problems it looks like it will be a while before this will happen. In the meantime the hybrid market is the obvious way to go.

On the other side, (1) Virent Energy Systems has found a cost effective way to extract hydrogen from sugar water. They have just received a $2m grant from the DOE to further the process. Breakthroughs such as these, promise to solve the infrastructure and transport problems. (2) Polyfuel Inc. is making rapid progress with cheap fuel cell membranes that can operate at lower temperatures. This will dramatically reduce the cost of fuel cells.

It is too early to tell if such developments will speed up the move to fuel cell vehicles, but it does show that the potential for this technology is very real. Maybe that is why some of the large automakers are so keen to get this show on the road.
Posted 57 months ago. ( permalink )

jurvetson says:

Thanks for the kind words and for the links.

So here's a future company idea…. These electric cars are totally silent when they launch from a stoplight. No satisfying engine roar. It’s like watching an action movie without the soundtrack.

Future market need: downloadable Engine Ring Tones. =)
Want the realistic sound of a 57 Chevy… or an alcohol-burning dragster… or a Saturn V booster? Just $5 per download. The drive-by-wire controls can easily couple to the sound system (with dual subwoofers). If the auto companies get the idea, they will mount external facing speakers for engine revving at the stoplight. As with cell phone ring tones, the designers will get creative….

Thoughts?
Posted 57 months ago. ( permalink )

BenODen says:

I just have to say, virent is going to make a mess of the world's sugar habits by changing the demand for sugar, if it pans out.

On the other hand, how cool would it be to run out of fuel and be able scrifice the big gulp you were working on to get to the gas station!?
Posted 57 months ago. ( permalink )

Jan Tik says:

I love that idea, jurvetson. To make it more realistic one would need some sort of gadget to tune the sound to your actions - i.e. the faster you accelerate, the bigger the roar.

Imagine the market for Harkey Davidson sound generators once fuel cell motorcycles start to roll off the production lines.

Only problem, then everyone can sound like a Harley even if their bike is European or Japanese. Hehe... Maybe Harley will copyright their sound! :)
Posted 57 months ago. ( permalink )

jurvetson says:

gocarrt: yup. they also have one (which we drove at TED - Laguna Seca) that does look a bit freaky... Mostly glass on top, including a clear view from the front from the floor on up.... which seems like a bit of a privacy issue for anyone wearing a skirt...

On Monday, I met the CTO of Tesla at a dinner party (where the main discussion topic was avian flu of all things). Tesla is building an electric supercar (to complete with Volta). They like the engine ring tone idea.

On the race track, the total silence of the electric car can be dangerous because other drivers can't hear anything when it's flying by. So they added a constant pitch whine, and the other drivers depend on the doppler-shift auditory signal.
Posted 49 months ago. ( permalink )

Sky Kite says:

Hey Steve - I'm a crash investigator and I was going to mention the safety side of things viz the noise, or lack thereof - so its interesting to see that they've been thinking of it in terms of the race track.

Cyclists and pedestrians in particular use noise cues as well as visual to work out where other vehicles are and how fast they're travelling...

Ring Tones are a great idea - but I'd be worried about those that want to appear to be going slower than they actually are and/or those that would prefer "stealth" mode - so I'd make it hardwired in and compulsory !

Each manufacturer and or vehicle type could have their own sound if they wanted and, of course, it could be ANY sound - after a period of adjustment, we'd all get used to it.

The 1812 overture at 140 clicks...

Or a herd of cows flying down the freeway...

Or....

:o)

[I got here from the Scientist Photographer pool]
Posted 42 months ago. ( permalink )

Xenophore says:

I'm sure the oil companies prefer GM's hydrogen approach to the EV or even the hybrid approach. Hybrids mean less gas will be sold and EV owners can charge up just about anywhere. By simply phasing in hydrogen at their existing gas stations, they'll control the supply and keep us hostage to whatever price they decide to charge. GM doesn't want to "change the DNA of the auto industry;" they want to keep everything the way it is and just subsitute hydrogen for gasoline.
Posted 39 months ago. ( permalink )

jared says:

Don't forget one ingenious American approach from Ronn motors. The Scorpion boasts on board hydrogen production through electrolysis of water, 40mpg, and not to forget, 0-60 in 3.5 seconds. Should be an interesting 2010.
Posted 17 months ago. ( permalink )

Chris28mm says:

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Art of Technology, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
Posted 16 months ago. ( permalink )

egoboss says:

so eminently logical and ironically harking back to the early days of the car industry when a car's chassis was frequently re-bodied by independent 3rd parties.
Posted 9 months ago. ( permalink )

egoboss says:

riversimple launched it's open-source hydrogen vehicle in london this week:

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8103106.stm

twitter: @riversimple

web site: www.riversimple.com/
Posted 5 months ago. ( permalink )

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Future Platform

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najrac says:

jurvetson says:

BenODen says:

TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ says:

BenODen says:

BenODen says:

Jan Tik says:

jurvetson says:

BenODen says:

Jan Tik says:

jurvetson says:

Sky Kite says:

Xenophore says:

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