Fuel-cell cars

At auto shows on two continents Wednesday, three automakers unveiled hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles to be delivered to the general public as early as next spring.

Hyundai, Honda and Toyota plan to sell fuel cell cars.

Hydrogen cars are appealing because unlike electric vehicles, they have the range of a typical gasoline car and can be refueled quickly. Experts say the industry has also overcome safety and reliability concerns that have hindered distribution in the past.

Hydrogen cars still have a downside — refueling stations are scarce and costly to build.

California has nine fueling stations. California lawmakers have allocated $100 million to build 100 more.

Japan Times

i'm guessing the car fuel cell is different.How to Build a Hydrogen Fuel Cell

The government uses public funds to stimulate green initiatives.

The government awarded a $529 million loan guarantee to Frisker Automotive to produce the Karma, a $103,000 luxury hybrid car, Fisker failed to meet DOE benchmarks, causing it to lose its loan guarantee two years later. The company drew down on $192 million before its federal funding was pulled, and the government seized $21 million from the company in April to help repay taxpayers.

Hybrid Technology LLC, the California car marker's new owner, said it plans to keep Fisker operating after it emerges from bankruptcy.

Fox News

Lithium-air batteries

Lithium-air batteries oxidise lithium at the anode and reduce oxygen at the cathode to induce a current flow. Because the oxygen comes from the air there is no need for some of the relatively heavy internal materials used in other types of battery. That promises a greatly increased amount of power that can be stored in a given weight of battery.

Modified viruses might be used to make a cathode for a lithium-air battery. A cathode is usually harder to produce than an anode because it needs to be highly conductive. The viruses were engineered to capture molecules of manganese oxide—a popular material for building lithium-air cathodes—in a solution of water. They then bind the material into an array of manganese-oxide nanowires with rough, spiky surfaces. Unlike the smooth nanowires made with conventional chemical processes, the spikes increase the surface area available for electrochemical reactions when the battery is charged and discharged.

The researchers think they can produce a lithium-air battery with an energy density more than twice that of the best lithium-ion cells. That would make a lot of difference to portable electronic products. A typical lithium-ion battery can store some 150 watt-hours of electricity in one kilogram of battery—itself a huge advance over the 45-80 watt-hours of a nickel-cadmium battery, let alone an old-time lead-acid battery’s 30 watt-hours.

Economist