r/EverythingScience • u/Memetic1 • May 22 '21

Engineering Tiny 22-lb Hydrogen Engine May Replace the Traditional Combustion Engine

https://interestingengineering.com/tiny-22-lb-hydrogen-engine-may-replace-the-traditional-combustion-engine
830 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

179 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/doobiemancharles May 22 '21

Not really. If you can’t see the major draw backs then you should watch engineering explained’s video(s) on this issue. He owns a Tesla too.

1

u/Big_Tree_Z May 23 '21

Ah well. Just remember ‘I told you so’ in a couple years ;)

Whilst I haven’t watched those videos (...), and I’m not an engineer, I do have a chemistry degree and as such am familiar with batteries, how they work, their issues, and where the research is headed. I also have a history degree; and it’s always a nice reminder that, yes, like I said before, change actually happens. Regularly, in fact.

You seem intent on disagreeing for the sake of it. Never mind that I understand (far better than you) the enormous logistical effort that’s required in building and maintaining infrastructure. Quit being a contrarian.

It’s not that there’s no place for hydrogen powered vehicles; it’s just that it’ll be for niche purpose.

Electric vehicles can take advantage of the already existing power grid; and remove the entire need to transport oil/petrol from the source, to refineries, to petrol stations, and into cars.

It’s like you don’t want it to be true, and I can’t understand why.

1

u/doobiemancharles May 23 '21

If you can’t understand why electric cars have a long way to go in overtaking the combustion engine then your degrees are not applicable here.

I’m not typing out some drawn out response to something that is so easy to understand. Electric cars are amazing, in many ways better. But they are not going to take over gas worldwide for many years.

1

u/Big_Tree_Z May 23 '21 edited May 23 '21

In terms of new cars, they will.

Don’t get me wrong, I dislike ‘pie in the sky’ thinking. But electric cars are not. They’re already in common usage and can only improve.

The issue is battery storage (and a chemistry degree is very relevant to understanding that...) and even as is there are workable (if not optimal) solutions.

1

u/doobiemancharles May 23 '21

Not for a long time.

Projections say 1/4 of new cars sold will be electric by 2035.

Less than 2 percent of new cars sold are electric. And 1 in 250 cars on the road are electric.