GM's Burns sees Ethanol as a Step Towards Producing Hydrogen Fuel Cells

[Ming]

GM R&D chief sees fuel cell boost from ethanol push
Wed Jun 7, 2006

MUNICH, June 7 (Reuters) - The United States' sudden love affair with ethanol fuel will boost prospects for embracing hydrogen-powered fuel cells later, General Motors' research and development chief Lawrence Burns said on Wednesday.

Encouraging farmers to grow corn or other grains that can be converted into clean-burning, renewable fuel creates a system that can he readily applied to generating hydrogen as well, he told Reuters on the sidelines of an auto industry conference.

"Even some of the initial steps in the processing of the biomass -- whether to make it hydrogen or ethanol -- will be one and the same, so it is an important step toward an alternative pathway for energy," he said.

"And it allows us to use our existing internal combustion engines as we transition to hydrogen in the future."

Fuel cells work by using the chemical interaction of hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity that powers a vehicle while emitting only water. But even proponents acknowledge that costs have to fall drastically before they become practical.

Ethanol, on the other hand, is produced in North America mainly from corn, but can be made from virtually any starch feed stock, including sugar cane, wheat or barley.

Some analysts and U.S. lawmakers increasingly see it as a viable alternative to American dependence on foreign oil.

"The dollars (spent on ethanol) stay in the United States rather than being spent to buy someone else's petroleum. Those jobs and that balance of trade are an important part going forward," President Bush said.

"We actually have farmers that are paid not to grow things, so this will be a chance to take some of that land and turn it into an important solution for our energy needs. We see it as a synergistic step with hydrogen and fuel cells. It is a matter of time."

Source: http://yahoo.reuters.com/news/articl...1-ArticlePage1

[kenman923]

Anything they can do to take our dependence off foreign oil would be a step in the right direction.

[nikivee]

We need to wake up. America needs to approach energy today in the same way it embraced the race to the moon. Energy needs to be made a national security issue, which in fact it is. The sooner we understand this, the quicker we will act on it.

[D C]

"We actually have farmers that are paid not to grow things

That statement alone needs to be considered part of the equation when comparing the relative cost-effectiveness of different fuel types.

[SteveWallace]

Ya, but if you read this months C&D they do everything possible to deflate the balloon. I am all for E85 but they went to great lengthes to kill it without any sort of alternative. The farther we can get away from the middle east the better!

[01cavalier]

Originally Posted by nikivee

We need to wake up. America needs to approach energy today in the same way it embraced the race to the moon. Energy needs to be made a national security issue, which in fact it is. The sooner we understand this, the quicker we will act on it.

I agree with this, the less we can rely on imported oil the better.

[PRO_USA1776]

I agree, decrease foreign dependence on oil and also dependence on foreign cars!

[mikesright]

I believe that Ethanol and Hydrogen will both lead us off foriegn oil. Ethanol can be the performance fuel, and hydrogen fuel cells can power our commuter cars. Switching to ethanol can provide us a way out of gasoline dependance, stimulate the farming community, and save us money in the long run on fuel, and on top of that, we can use the same gas pumps and internal combustion engines until the hydrogen solution is reached.

There are a few solutions needed to be worked out first, we need to balance the fuel need with the enviornment. Namely, we shouldn't be producing this from corn. It should be biomass. Second of all, we need to increase yields from it, and third of all be more efficient in its production. On top of all of this, we need far more factories to produce the fuel and more farmers not only farming, but farmers switching to produce the plants for ethanol. It's going to take a good effort and cooperation between farmers, ethanol plants, automakers, and the state, local, and federal governments to pull this off.

One thing I didn't mention is that this will take a lot of innovation to close the performance/efficiency gap between gas and ethanol as well, but GM is on the forefront on this technology, as showcased with the Biopower concept and Aero X.

[Cortazzo]

When people say there isn't enough land to grow enough corn to fuel our ethanol needs, I"ve seen so many fars sold and turned into residential communitites, and there are plenty of farms that are paid not to farm to keep prices high, well lets stop selling the farms and plow those fallow fields and get growin'! Between ethanol and biodiesel, we should be able to (not completely) but significantly sure up our energy independence. Most people don't realize that the USA is still one of the biggest oil PRODUCING nations on earth. Between the gulf and alaska, not to mention the other off shore areas we refuse to tap, we produce a ton of our own oil, around 40%. But our demand for oil is huge, only 50% of which goes to gasoline fuel, the other 50% goes to things like plastics and other chemicals and heating oil. If we can eventually get half of our car fuel in ethanol in 20 years, that will cut around 20% of our oil dependence, and that's huge.

[8>4]

Originally Posted by D C

That statement alone needs to be considered part of the equation when comparing the relative cost-effectiveness of different fuel types.

EXACTLY!! Kill two birds with one stone. Three if you count replacing toyota as the media darling (if thats possible).

[asim]

Originally Posted by 8&gt

EXACTLY!! Kill two birds with one stone. Three if you count replacing toyota as the media darling (if thats possible).

Well I don't see GM replacing Toyota as media darling anytime soon...we'll have to wait at least another 2 years. Thats if it happens.

[mbukukanyau]

Originally Posted by PRO_USA1776

I agree, decrease foreign dependence on oil and also dependence on foreign cars!

Amen.. to that...

Someone tell me why I should pay for a Toyota Camry or Hyundai Azera in place of a Impala or Fusion?