Thread: Autonomous Vehicles

Originally Posted by PhilipA

I don't know if things have changed in the last 20 years, but about 20 years ago Perth did a trial of hydrogen powered buses in conjunction with British Oxygen.

My acquaintance was the MD of British Oxygen Oceania, and he told me the story that is was the most disastrous project that he had ever been involved in.

The story as I remember it was that BO supplied industrial quality hydrogen to the council which then caused all the buses to malfunction.

It turned out that pure hydrogen with very low impurities was necessary to run the buses and that this cost a LOT of money to produce and had to be stored very carefully.

So do not just assume that any old hyrogen is sufficient to run hydrogen powered cars or fuel cells which may or may not be even more picky in their quality requirements.

Regards Philip A.

Actually it was only 2004-2008, and BOC only came on board 2 years into the project (BP supplied the hydrogen for the first 2 years).
Fuel cells do need pure hydrogen or they will foul. Hydrogen embrittlement and other storage/transfer issues will always be a problem.

This thread is a bit silly.

I was recently in europe and discussed these issues with industry experts.
The general consensus was that diesel (or diesel-like fuels) will be the dominant fuel for long distance transport/travel for at least another 30 years.

However electric or [insert liquid fuel]/electric hybrids will become the dominant propulsion for passenger vehicles in a much shorter period than that. Every car manufacturer is struggling to catch up with Tesla.
Edit: but I don't mean current hybrid designs - more the diesel-electric hybrids seen in trans and military vehicles, where the combustion engine drives a generator and the propulsion is by electric wheel motors.

The best option I can see is standardised batteries and "swap and go" battery stations. However fast charging stations seem to be the preferred route.

I think people just look at the vehicles themselves forgetting all the infrastructure that goes with them.People talk about electric cars like Tesla's as the future but how do people who live in the city with street parking going to charge them?,where's the money going to come from to maintain roads when we don't pay fuel excise as examples?. Pat

Originally Posted by PAT303

I think people just look at the vehicles themselves forgetting all the infrastructure that goes with them.People talk about electric cars like Tesla's as the future but how do people who live in the city with street parking going to charge them?,where's the money going to come from to maintain roads when we don't pay fuel excise as examples?. Pat

Of course that is an issue.
However there are already 10 charging stations in the WA southwest and over 30 in Perth.
Locations of the RAC Electric Highway Chargers | RAC WA

I saw a tesla parked in town near the farm the other day - around 300 km from perth.

Originally Posted by PAT303

I think people just look at the vehicles themselves forgetting all the infrastructure that goes with them.People talk about electric cars like Tesla's as the future but how do people who live in the city with street parking going to charge them?,where's the money going to come from to maintain roads when we don't pay fuel excise as examples?. Pat

I think you'll find a new taxation model for road use will be introduced - there is talk of this already and what you pay would be based on KM travelled, etc. the 'experts' claim the systems they are developing won't disadvange country drivers, but I'm yet to see a model that wouldn't punish them.

I think you'll find a new taxation model for road use will be introduced

Ha ha!!
It already has been introduced in Sydney.

It costs $120 a week to drive from the North West to the City and home.

New tolls are now being introduced on the M4 which is the oldest expressway but is now being widened by a private company.

It costs $10 or so each way on the M7-M2 which is in practical terms unavoidable if you want to travel from the North of the City to the South or to Canberra.
Regards Philip A

Prediction that jerks will rule the road:

Will Overly Polite Self-Driving Cars Brake for Jerks? - IEEE Spectrum

Your can get your beer in the USA by a self driven truck .

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