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Thursday, January 30, 2003
Is Kaus correct about hydrogen-fueled cars being more dangerous? Apparently not:When the topic of hydrogen is brought up in conversation, the issue of combustion arises. One prominent historical event often recalled is the Hindenburg disaster, which imprinted in many people's minds a direct correlation between hydrogen and explosions. The misconception is that hydrogen is more explosive than traditional fuels. However, nothing could be further from the truth. To assuage possible misunderstandings, BMW conducted numerous tests to insure that a situation of explosive levels would be near impossible. Severe crashes were done where the hydrogen tank was severely damaged or punctured, results showed that the liquid hydrogen simply dissipated in the air. As for the combustion levels, hydrogen holds the same rating as conventional fuels.
Steven I. Weiss 10:08:00 AM
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