cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/52369691
According to the complaint, Toyota and its hydrogen partner, FirstElement Fuel (True Zero), intentionally concealed evidence of:
hydrogen leaks near hot engine components, creating explosion risks
sudden power loss, acceleration, and braking failures leading to collisions and injuries
a collapsing hydrogen infrastructure, leaving drivers stranded for weeks without access to fuel
aggressive financial collection tactics by Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, targeting owners of inoperable vehicles.
It’s long past time for Japanese automakers to accept that currently hydrogen has lost the green fuel race in automobiles to battery electric. There’s still room for hydrogen aviation, but I can’t imagine choosing to purchase a hydrogen car in the 2020s
Is there really? I read the tanks make it impractical and that synthetic hydrocarbon jet fuel would be the likely fossil fuel replacement.
A number of major aerospace companies are working on the concept, so I wouldn’t say it’s not feasible. But the jury is very much still out.
I thinks it’s more that there is no acceptable solution for aviation yet, so yes there’s room
Every option has significant limitations but we need something to work
Solid state batteries may well be dense enough. Admittedly, that is something of a “two years away for the last ten years” problem.
It’s also a safety issue. Now, the issues with safety in EVs is overblown, but commercial aviation has much tighter safety standards. Fortunately, solid state batteries fix that, too.
Airplane fuel is dangerous and full of lead. Every time people list disadvantages of alternative technologies, they pretend current fuels aren’t a toxic dangerous mess.
Jet fuel doesn’t contain lead and never did.
AvGas does still have a lead problem and it was commonly used before the jet age, but is now relegated to small general aviation aircraft - a miniscule percentage. If you look at aviation as a whole, leaded gas usage is effectively zero.
Really the problem comes down to contamination at and near small historical airfields.
Don’t forget the PFAS contamination from AFFF
You can always find more toxic stuff to worry about but fire fighting foam is independent of fuel toxicity and the concern is not lead
The other side of this is if there’s a solid state lithium battery breakthrough. That would have both the energy density and safety margins to be usable for even Pacific flights.