Hydrogen trains could revolutionize how Americans get around ( www.technologyreview.com )

Ilovethebomb , 29 days ago

I can't wait until people get bored with wasting money on hydrogen, it's an absolute dead end technology.

Toyota are almost giving the Mirai away, because nobody wants to pay more than twice the running cost of an F150 to run a sedan.

Especially on a train, where weight is far less of an issue, a combination of overhead pantograph and batteries is a proven technology.

BillDaCatt , 29 days ago

According to this US Department of Energy website: "Currently, most hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels, specifically natural gas."

Trains can be very fuel efficient when compared to how much they can haul. So naturally I would like to see this happen, but I also want to see more effort in moving away from fossil fuels in every place it is possible. The article is paywalled so I could not read it. I'm assuming the hydrogen for this project is from traditional hydrogen sources? That is problematic for me.

It's also problematic if hydrogen is extracted from fresh water because we may need to use that for drinking water. Sea water is even more problematic when you try to figure out what to do with the extracted salt and other minerals. Dumping the salt back in the ocean seems right at first, but doing that even for a couple of days will kill aquatic life in the area near the outlet. Do it on a large scale for months or years and entire ecosystems will collapse for miles in every direction.

If this push for hydrogen trains is what I expect and really meant to allow the petroleum companies to continue polluting the atmosphere and get rich(er) doing it? I'll pass.

Hypx OP Mod , 29 days ago

Archived version: https://archive.ph/gsMJX

Caltrans hopes to obtain all the hydrogen for its trains from zero-emissions sources by 2030—a goal bolstered by a draft clean-­hydrogen rule issued by the Biden administration in 2023.

It should be all green by 2030.

Ilovethebomb , 29 days ago

https://rmi.org/hydrogen-reality-check-distilling-green-hydrogens-water-consumption/

You seriously overestimate the amount of water required to make hydrogen.

BillDaCatt , 29 days ago

Perhaps. And maybe using water as a fuel source is not as big of a deal as I think it will be.

I sincerely hope you are correct.

Ilovethebomb , 29 days ago

This is something that really annoys me.

You're not using water as a fuel source, water is a byproduct of the process.

skeezix , 29 days ago

50 years from now

someguy3 , 29 days ago

Electric trains, from an overhead wire.