Toyota, Honda, Nissan and other Japanese automakers are serious about rolling out battery electric vehicles to catch up with the world’s frontrunners like Tesla and BYD

“We love battery EVs.”

Takero Kato, the executive in charge of electric vehicles at Toyota, said that not once, but twice, to emphasize what he considers the message at this year’s Tokyo auto show.

It’s a message ringing clear at the Tokyo Mobility Show, which will run through Nov. 5 at Tokyo Big Sight hall and where battery-powered electric vehicles are the star at practically every booth.

  • MechanicalJester@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    The generation of Hydrogen was never the hardest problem.

    Compression, storage and transportation - those are the big problems.

    How is the car driver in Kansas refilling their hydrogen powered vehicle without major efficiency losses?

    The barriers haven’t changed much in decades, and cyclically someone pretends those are all minor.

    The new play is: Maybe Ammonia?

    • Hypx@kbin.social
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      8 months ago

      Hydrogen works basically the same as natural gas. The problems of handling it are readily solvable.

      • MechanicalJester@lemm.ee
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        8 months ago

        This is hilarious.

        It’s the smallest gas molecule and will pass straight through the walls of containers meant to contain LNG.

        The amount of compression required to yield liquid Hydrogen is vastly different.

        Nothing at all is the same.

        Propane? Sure. Woodgas? Yes. Hydrogen? Totally different set of physical challenges that are very expensive to work around.

        • Hypx@kbin.social
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          8 months ago

          A hydrogen molecule is larger than helium, mainly since helium is a noble gas and hydrogen is diatomic.

          A lot of the criticism of hydrogen is just pseudo-scientific BS, mostly coming from BEV fans. It’s basically a form of Gish Gallop. People need to realize that hydrogen is a totally ordinary gas with solvable problems.

          • MechanicalJester@lemm.ee
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            8 months ago

            No, the energy required to compress methane is far, far lower.

            LNG is shipped at 246psi at the high end. Hydrogen at around 10,000 psi.

            I’m eager for you to set me straight with facts.

            Roughly it’s 9% of energy content to compress Hydrogen. And 2.5% to compress methane.

            I really wish this was as solved as you seem to think.

            Energy lost in production of the hydrogen is currently extremely high. They cheat with methane just getting it out of the ground or, rarely, from biological decomposition capture.

            Then you have significantly different physical specifications for the tanks. And the compression. And the storage. And the transfer.

            If the production was free, the rest is pricey. Some day it may all be solved, but it simply hasn’t been.

            Come at me with facts. I will direct you to the energy department.

            Currently 95% of hydrogen production is from natural gas.

            • Hypx@kbin.social
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              8 months ago

              You’re comparing liquid methane with compressed hydrogen. Not the same thing.

              Like I just said, you’re using Gish Gallop. It’s just a pile of BS or half-truths. It’s not really an argument.

              In reality, the problem of dealing with hydrogen is basically solved. It is similar to where solar power was a decade ago. The goal right now is to scale it all up. There are no other real issues left.

              • forporn@lemmy.world
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                8 months ago

                It’s basically solved. Is argument taken right out of the Musk play book.

                This guy’s just trolling and y’all should stop feeding.

                • Hypx@kbin.social
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                  8 months ago

                  Hydrogen cars already exist. It’s pretty obvious that these problems are solved. Guys like you are basically denying reality.