Hydrogen Powered Pick-up truck

Ok; its Earth Day and here's the scoop - For those thinking back to the Pinoy watercar- well it's official.

Ford is set to launch a internal combustion engine Pick-up powered by hydrogen this sound familiar to anyone who has watched the watercar concept of Dingel?I looked online for background - can't find much Data on it. But as always there is one blogger who clipped the Sept. 2004 press release of Ford on the f-360 H2o truck during design testing.

Quotes below from Green Car Forum:

This is not a fuel cell vehicle; this truck uses an internal combustion engine which consumes hydrogen gas rather than gasoline or diesel fuel. Using Hydrogen ICE is also the approach BMW is taking with its current H₂ efforts.

Ford plans to have a fleet of H₂ICE F-350s on the road for testing within 12 months. Driving range for the trucks is still a too-short 100 miles. Doubling the capacity of the hydrogen storage tanks will help, but not enough.

Although the use of the fuel is more efficient than gasoline, engine performance is lower. Ford is using supercharging—forcing air into an engine—as a way to improve combustion and generate more power.

Ford views the hydrogen internal combustion engine as a transitional technology. The F-350 hydrogen engineÂ’s economically feasible because it's based on existing engine designs'— only the fuel has been changed.

"“You service it the same, change the oil every 5,000 miles,"” said Bob Natkin, technical leader of FordÂ’s V-10 hydrogen engine program. The truckÂ’s hydrogen fuel tanks are reinforced with carbon and can withstand a rifle round or a five-story fall, Natkin said.

"“If you want to build a hydrogen infrastructure, the way to do it is to get on with building hydrogen fuel systems for cars,” said Ray Smith, program leader for energy technologies and security at CaliforniaÂ’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. “When the fuel cell guys get their economic act together, the transition will be relatively smooth"

So calling on the people who own the water companies - Hey put on turbans! Your the new Arabs in a few years - if the country could force automakers here to make the shift to the
Hydrogen infrastructure then there is a very strong chance that the new power and fuel source could be also used to generate electricity.

More posts from Green Car Forum:
City of Barstow to Test Hydrogen-Methane Blend (Hythane) in Fleet
20 April 2006
Sasol Chevron Stunt Highlights Gas-to-Liquids Diesel Fuel
19 April 2006