Hydrogen... Jeep, are you paying attention?

[Rusty Shovel]

Hydrogen fuel cells are nothing new. There's just ZERO infrastructure outside of small parts of California to support it so it will take much longer to adopt than EVs ever will.

But then along comes California, MANDATING that diesels cease operating in their state by 2035.

Cummins has taken notice and is leading the charge on hydrogen diesel tech. Batteries just can’t solve the long haul trucking issue-and Cummins knows it.

With adequate federal incentives, and demand from heavy shipping, truck stops WILL install the facilities.

When I bought my 2005 TJ Rubicon, I swore I would never sell it until Jeep produced a diesel Rubicon. I love my 2023 diesel Rubi, but I’ll make this vow here and now:

I’ll sell it to buy a hydrogen diesel Rubicon!

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[Sean L]

But then along comes California, MANDATING that diesels cease operating in their state by 2035.

Sheer lunacy on the part of the state gov...
Incentivizing and encouraging alternate fuels is great, but flat out banning diesel without a solid and reliable alternative isn't going to work out well for them.

I'll have to ask my cousin at Cummins if she's heard of "Hydrogen Diesel" before... and how viable it is.

 

[Rusty Shovel]

I'll have to ask my cousin at Cummins if she's heard of "Hydrogen Diesel" before... and how viable it is.

https://www.cummins.com/news/releas...-inc-debuts-15-liter-hydrogen-engine-act-expo

Like I said, Cummins is really out in front on this one...

 

[Rusty Shovel]

I'd also REALLY like a Cummins Wrangler instead of an EcoDiesel (no offense, Italy).

 

[Barney392]

CA makes up 44% of the US market share. Where they go is where the auto industry has no choice but to go. By 2035 0% of their new vehicle sales will be ICE, and unless hydrogen tech makes massive improvements I'd bet 90+% of those sales will be EV. Didn't dodge announce their end of ICE production by then already? At this point it's not writing on the wall, it's simple facts.

Or folks will decide to keep their older ICE cars in which case the manufactures of EVs will go belly up.

 

[Sean L]

https://www.cummins.com/news/releas...-inc-debuts-15-liter-hydrogen-engine-act-expo

Like I said, Cummins is really out in front on this one...

I did a little googling on it earlier. Seems like a pretty straightforward concept. You'd just need the infrastructure to support it.

 

[Sean L]

I'd also REALLY like a Cummins Wrangler instead of an EcoDiesel (no offense, Italy).

I like that Idea. A 6.7 with two cylinders chopped... a 4.7 liter inline 4.

 

[Barney392]

I have a question. How do you charge an EV at home over night with rooftop solar when it's dark outside,? Am I missing something?

 

[Sean L]

I have a question. How do you charge an EV at home over night with rooftop solar when it's dark outside,? Am I missing something?

If you have enough panels to produce a surplus of electricity, it gets stored in batteries for overnight use.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Or folks will decide to keep their older ICE cars in which case the manufactures of EVs will go belly up.

Oddly none of them can build fast enough to keep up with demand at this point, but I'm sure that's going to miraculously flip flop any day now...

 

[Rusty Shovel]

If you have enough panels to produce a surplus of electricity, it gets stored in batteries for overnight use.

So the answer is even more batteries? How many batteries can be made before they become the NEXT ecological disaster?

I looked into a Ford Lighting. I asked how long the batteries last. I was told they were warranted for 8 years. I drilled down on what that meant; I was told that the battery only has to retain 70% of its battery life to be safe from a warranty claim.

So, as long as your truck gets 161 range (when not towing or driving uphill), Ford thinks your truck is doing just fine.

The cost of new batteries (not including installation)? $36,000.00

Batteries are not a viable long term solution.

 

[Sean L]

So the answer is even more batteries?

How else would you store surplus electricity? That's just how things work, You produce extra energy? Store it for later... Like on your Cell Phone, or Laptop, or TV Remote... Or on your Diesel Jeep so you don't have to manually crank the engine. Its all the same, just on a larger scale for EVs and self-sufficient Solar

 

[Rusty Shovel]

Like on your Cell Phone, or Laptop, or TV Remote... Or on your Diesel Jeep….just on a larger scale

But the the larger scale IS the problem! Can the planet support these gigantic batteries in every American home and every American automobile? Bear in mind that these gigantic batteries are consumable items that need to be replaced every 10-15 years. And even then, they don’t cease to exist, they simply cease to be useful—and then go to the landfills to poison our groundwater.

I think chemical storage (hydrogen) is an answer that more easily scales upward than batteries—without trading one ecological disaster for another.

 

[Sean L]

But the the larger scale IS the problem! Can the planet support these gigantic batteries in every American home and every American automobile? Bear in mind that these gigantic batteries are consumable items that need to be replaced every 10-15 years. And even then, they don’t cease to exist, they simply cease to be useful—and then go to the landfills to poison our groundwater.

I think chemical storage (hydrogen) is an answer that more easily scales upward than batteries—without trading one ecological disaster for another.

Can the planet sustain continued exclusive use of fossil fuels that also poisons our ecosystem? Old batteries can be recycled a lot easier than coal ash.

As it sits right now, generating Hydrogen from electrolysis uses a lot of electricity, and it a less efficient "storage" medium compared to the power used to generate it. Not only that, it tends to leak out of its containers because the molecules are so small.

Eventually hydrogen might get more efficient than batteries. That's a long ways away, and Battery tech might stay ahead as it advances.

 

[av8or]

https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/

The materials batteries are made of don’t go away, they eventually just get compromised and fail to hold sufficient charge. They are almost completely recyclable which means they will be a valuable resource for battery minerals that won’t have to be mined again.

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