Toyota Ammonia Engine

I know TW members like to discuss Toyota's alternative energy ideas. So here you go.

https://www.enginelabs.com/engine-t...-toyota-takes-aim-at-evs-with-ammonia-engine/

 

Stoichiometric combustion of NH3 produces N2 (79% of earth's atmosphere) and water. Aside from the challenges of avoiding side products (NOx etc.), I appreciate seeing work in this area. Caustic, but still easier to store than hydrogen.

 

Cool

 

Is this a real article? The video posted looks fake, not an actual Toyota unveiling.

 

hydrogen's main issue was mostly supply-chain related. this up's the ante that if people simply don't maintain their cars, we get a nuclear winter?!?

 

Here is the Car and Driver version of the story.

https://www.caranddriver.com/featur...f-gasoline-chinese-automaker-gac-suggests-it/

It is a Toyota and GAC (Chinese automaker) partnership.

 

^Yes Chineseium carmaker GAC announced it. There's no evidence of Toyota involvement and no announcements at all from Toyota.

 

I believe enough that GAC is trying it in a Toyota 2.0

 

Alright @3JOH22A I do see in the article says first it is Toyota as doing this or that. I missed that, I only saw GAC.

the article is trash / worse

 

Remember Chineseium carmakers are all about facade and shortcuts:

 

Do you just pee in the gas tank when you need to top it off?

 

Is their a V8 option??

 

I think batteries will still end-up being a better alternative for most light vehicle applications - and even heavy duty perhaps in the long run...

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/toyota-boasts-battery-technology-745-190000672.html

“If successful, Toyota expects its electric cars powered by solid-state batteries to have a range of 1,200km (750 miles) — more than twice the range of its current EVs — and a charging time of 10 minutes or less.”

This is just the Toyota effort (The same Toyota that hesitated for so long in jumping into BEV) - but there are many other research and investment efforts making progress into promising technologies for the next generation batteries.

Solid state batteries is only one of the research fronts; Cleaner, Safer, lighter, cheaper, more energy dense, faster charging, simpler materials, etc. much better in every way.

 

V8 and Diesel?!

 

i really think 'toyota hesitating for so long' was a smart move on their part. though everyone seems to be ignoring that THEY WERE RIGHT. many other automakers that jumped on the bandwagon and are now backpedaling and clearly stating that hybrid is a much more beneficial direction forward than pure electricfication.

 

I agree that the delay may end-up benefiting Toyota. (It seems to have added urgency and push them into investing heavily into battery technology development.) BUT it was not a conscious decision - (so it can't be called a 'smart' move...). It was a strategic error for which the CEO had to be booted. They were entrenched in their effort to defend their hybrid products.

The growth in EV has slowed - yes. Mostly reflecting interest rates, and broader economy issues. (Which are also seen equally by ICE Vehicles and other large purchases). But the growth in EV sales remains impressive for the automotive sector...

Note that the backpedaling is being done mostly by incumbent car makers who have utterly wasted their supreme advantage in an established supply chain, existing manufacturing facilities, design and auto manufacturing skills (Well, at least to some degree...), with established dealer networks, existing service centers, etc. There are still new entrants (in several countries) going gangbusters in their investment in EVs and adoption will keep growing. Especially as more 'modest' and more practical vehicles come to market. (with less techy crap and just basic buttons!).

I believe that the 'ship has sailed' for several brands and we'll see more of these brands disappear in the coming years...

Hybrids are a marketing distraction. Yes they were key to the transition and they definitely had their place in their time; but there are better options now for MOST (yes -not ALL) applications. Similarly, we saw a huge push for Hydrogen by some manufacturers... that has all but completely fizzled out. (More hydrogen fueling stations have been removed in the last year than have been added.). And Yes Hydrogen will remain suitable for some niche applications...

EVs take advantage of the simplicity and efficiency of battery electric vehicles. It is a great solution for most applications. Hybrids are NOT an elegant solution. They do increase efficiency, but they do not eliminate the ICE engine which still has to be carried around as dead weight and still has to be MAINTAINED. WHY do this... This does not make sense.

People are still weary of EV 'fueling', and most complaints on these by ICE proponents are on this topic. If they gave it a chance, this most likely go away. We manage our fuel needs on our EV with a battery charge between 45% and 60%. And we fuel with 100% Free sunshine.

We only seem to use the full battery capacity on long trips. And we mostly charge-up faster than the time needed for a snack or a bathroom stop.

But fear of EVs is still quite prevalent around these parts...





Below is a picture of the first dedicated drive-through gas station. Most early ICE adopters purchased fuel at pharmacies early on...
The fueling infrastructure for ICE was not already in place for the pleasure of drivers, they had to be built - slowly. Battery chargers can be anywhere, and are being deployed... - much faster than gas stations.



Enjoying a leisurely morning... Happy digestion!

 

I just read recently that EV sales are down approximately 50%, so much that some automakers are pulling back production. Didn’t Ford just pull the plug (sorry for the pun) on the F-150 EV?
I’ll search for that article and post a link.

Battery technology and grid capacity have to make more progress before EV is a viable alternative. Battery production and disposal is an environmental nightmare at this stage of the game.

 

Ford is losing their ass on electric vehicles. Everyone hyped on on electric and certainly can understand why after riding in a Tesla…but I have my concerns. You have lack of infrastructure. Not talking about chargers but the lack of electrical power for chargers. We had a severe cold snap at Christmas last year. One power company had to do rolling black outs and then the grid would not come back on. What happens if 25% of homes has electric vehicles?

 

Unfortunately there’s no way the whole neighborhood can charge an EV at night. Add to this the fact that the average EV must be driven over 60,000 mile to offset the carbon emissions produced from the battery “cradle to grave” production.

 

That’s why I wanted to point out lack of chargers isn’t the problem, it’s the whole power grid. Still haven’t discussed the fact China is the main source for battery materials.