
Low-Cost Nickel Based Catalyst for Hydrogen Fuel Cells - tnash
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2016/160114/ncomms10141/full/ncomms10141.html
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BuckRogers
While this is interesting, it doesn't change my opinion that the future is
electric, not hydrogen fuel cell. Not only for the way hydrogen is extracted
but the complexity of the technology. These set of blogs[0] are by a non-
expert, but explain well why it's actually more complex than the ICE and
inferior to electric. Highly recommended reading for laymen like myself who
want a view at the technology from a common sense standpoint.

My personal view outside of the needless complexity and lack of fueling
stations, is that it's conveniently a way to ensure automakers keep us reliant
on their expertise to repair and build these vehicles. Rather than the
mechanical simplicity thus commodities that electrics are becoming.

As well, having China onboard with electrics ensures its future. It's mainly
the Japanese and some US companies that want to push HFC. If electrics win out
(and they more than likely will), everyone (including Apple) will be selling
cars because it'll be mostly a software game.

I'm very much looking forward to the Tesla Model 3 reveal and putting down my
preorder. Strangely enough it feels like this is going to be one of those
breakthrough products for me. Alongside my Commodore did in 1986, 3dfx Voodoo
card did in 1996, and the upcoming SteamVR (HTC Vive).

Great time to be alive.

[0][http://ssj3gohan.tweakblogs.net/blog/11470/why-fuel-cell-
car...](http://ssj3gohan.tweakblogs.net/blog/11470/why-fuel-cell-cars-dont-
work-part-1)

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the8472
Fuel cells aren't just about cars.

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toomuchtodo
What are they about then? Stationary applications? Which can be served with
station battery packs charged with renewables?

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the8472
Battery storage capacity is limited by the battery device itself and is
subject to various kinds of decay over time.

Fuel cells on the other hand are the only high-tech component in the system
while the hydrogen can be stored in bulk.

Certainly, hydrogen storage does have its own difficulties, but they don't
require nanomaterials or precious metals to solve.

The only batteries that provide similar properties are redox flow batteries,
which happen to be quite similar to fuel cells.

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godzillabrennus
How is this not on the front page? If we have a low cost catalyst then
Hydrogen Fuel cells become affordable and are well placed to disrupt how the
world thinks about energy. This is an exciting time to be alive!

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barney54
How do hydrogen fuel cells disrupt the world? The fuel for today's fuel cells
is natural gas. How would these be any different?

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toomuchtodo
Because some people believe fuel cells are better tech than batteries. It's
not true of course, but that's where the belief comes from.

Batteries store energy. Fuel cells are solid state engines, not storage
systems.

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ChuckMcM
I wonder if these new nanocatalysts are having an impact in organic chemistry
in general. Anyone know?

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sandstrom
The biggest issue with fuel-cells is it will prolong the rein of hydrocarbon
[natural gas], from which ~95% of hydrogen is extracted. Which everyone now
knows is both dangerous and unsustainable.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_production](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_production)

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the8472
The same could be said about electric cars which are powered to a large degree
by electricity from fossil fuels.

The key aspect is that electricity decouples production from consumption.

The same can be done for hydrogen, i.e. one group of people can work on
optimizing the hydrogen-electricity conversion while another group of people
focuses on optimizing the renewable-hydrogen conversion.

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toomuchtodo
Disagree. There's no point in wasting time refining the process of burning
natural gas into the process of cracking it into hydrogen, when you can simply
cut out natural gas entirely and use solar, wind, hydro, and utility scale
battery storage.

Fuel cells are a dead end, except possibly in space travel.

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the8472
Re-read my comment, I did not mention optimizing the process of cracking
natural gas.

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toomuchtodo
I did. You didn't mention a fuel source. There is no fuel source on Earth that
can be converted to hydrogen other than natural gas (unless you're speaking of
water, which is terribly less efficient than using a battery directly).

What fuel source are you suggesting for fuel cells?

