Ford's 500-horsepower fuel cell race car

[cosmictraveler]

Fusion Hydrogen 999 - Ford's 500-horsepower fuel cell race car, recently broke the land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats at a speed of 207 miles per hour (333 km/h). According to Ford the Fusion is the world's first and only fuel cell technology production based race car.

Ford developed the Fusion after 10 years of R&D into hydrogen vehicle technology and over a year of specific design and development of the 999 model. The Fusion is actually the result of a partnership between Ford, the Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research, Ballard Power Systems and Roush Racing.

The Fusion project began in 2004, when students from the Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research set a land speed record for battery electric vehicles in the Buckeye Bullet at 314.958 mph. Within six months of this accomplishment, the students came to Ford with a proposal to build the Buckeye Bullet 2, powered by hydrogen fuel cells. This marked the beginning of a partnership in attempting to set the world's first hydrogen fuel cell land speed records in both a streamliner and a production based Ford Fusion.

Although the Fusion Hydrogen 999's exterior seems similar to a standard racing car, there are a few key differences. It's more aerodynamic, is closer to the ground, has no side mirrors and since there is no radiator, lacks a grille to let air in. Weighing 6,700 pounds (over 3 tons) with a driver and a fully loaded cooling system, the 999 is twice as heavy as a normal race car.

While the celebration surrounding the 999 continues, the Ohio State's Buckeye Bullet 2 is preparing to break the "streamliner" speed record of 315 mph set in 2004 by the all-electric Buckeye Bullet 1.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&start...lMXv8X3O1NwKyA

[Buffalo Roam]

October-15, 1997, Black Rock Desert, USA, Andy Green, ThrustSSC Turbofan, Speed over 1 km, 760.343 mph, 1223.657 Km/h, Speed over
1 mile, 766 mph, 1233.704 Km/h.

Also did first supersonic pass, 13 October 1997.

[cosmictraveler]

October-15, 1997, Black Rock Desert, USA, Andy Green, ThrustSSC Turbofan, Speed over 1 km, 760.343 mph, 1223.657 Km/h, Speed over
1 mile, 766 mph, 1233.704 Km/h.

Also did first supersonic pass, 13 October 1997.

You do understand that this Ford is running on electricity don't you, not jet fuel. That means it is a very green machine not having any harmful effects on the environment unlike the car you described which burns fuel and creates pollution.

[spidergoat]

That's cool. Ford seems to be doing better than most American car makers with the technology. My Focus gets 30mpg in mixed driving.

[Buffalo Roam]

You do understand that this Ford is running on electricity don't you, not jet fuel. That means it is a very green machine not having any harmful effects on the environment unlike the car you described which burns fuel and creates pollution.

Really? and what happens to all that battery material when it no longer holds a charge?

[Buffalo Roam]

That's cool. Ford seems to be doing better than most American car makers with the technology. My Focus gets 30mpg in mixed driving.

Then why is Ford going into bankruptcy? why are all the car companies going into bankruptcy?

[Buffalo Roam]

That's cool. Ford seems to be doing better than most American car makers with the technology. My Focus gets 30mpg in mixed driving.

And it's a gasser, and all you need to do to extend the range instantly is fill it up.

Even with high capacity charging once you out of juice, you are done traveling until the batteries are recharged.

[cosmictraveler]

Really? and what happens to all that battery material when it no longer holds a charge?

In this article, we'll take a quick look at each of the existing or emerging fuel-cell technologies. We'll detail how polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) work and examine how fuel cells compare against other forms of power generation. We'll also explore some of the obstacles researchers face to make fuel cells practical and affordable for our use, and we'll discuss the potential applications of fuel cells.

If you want to be technical about it, a fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device. A fuel cell converts the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen into water, and in the process it produces electricity.

The other electrochemical device that we are all familiar with is the battery. A battery has all of its chemicals stored inside, and it converts those chemicals into electricity too. This means that a battery eventually "goes dead" and you either throw it away or recharge it.

With a fuel cell, chemicals constantly flow into the cell so it never goes dead -- as long as there is a flow of chemicals into the cell, the electricity flows out of the cell. Most fuel cells in use today use hydrogen and oxygen as the chemicals.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/fuel-cell.htm

[Buffalo Roam]

In this article, we'll take a quick look at each of the existing or emerging fuel-cell technologies. We'll detail how polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) work and examine how fuel cells compare against other forms of power generation. We'll also explore some of the obstacles researchers face to make fuel cells practical and affordable for our use, and we'll discuss the potential applications of fuel cells.

If you want to be technical about it, a fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device. A fuel cell converts the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen into water, and in the process it produces electricity.

The other electrochemical device that we are all familiar with is the battery. A battery has all of its chemicals stored inside, and it converts those chemicals into electricity too. This means that a battery eventually "goes dead" and you either throw it away or recharge it.

With a fuel cell, chemicals constantly flow into the cell so it never goes dead -- as long as there is a flow of chemicals into the cell, the electricity flows out of the cell. Most fuel cells in use today use hydrogen and oxygen as the chemicals.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/fuel-cell.htm

Hydrogen, explosive, Oxygen corrosive and flammable, Hindenberg.

Oxidation