By Marius Ciobanu 

Fuel Cell cars are the cars of the future. A lot of research has been done with electric cars, but until the battery costs go down, the driving range goes up and the weight of the batteries goes down, this will not be an option for the general public, unlike the popular hybrid cars. A hybrid car has a gas engine and an electric engine. The gas can continually recharge the electric batteries.

In a fuel cell car, the fuel used is compressed or liquid hydrogen. A fuel cell converts hydrogen and oxygen to water, and produces electricity. Due to ongoing problems with storing liquid or compressed hydrogen, currently, mostly buses are using fuel cell technology. They can hold large tanks of compressed hydrogen on their roofs. The type of hydrogen fuel cell currently used for buses and cars is the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC).

The fuel cell uses a catalyst, which is a platinum powder or compound, to facilitate the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen. The catalyst is spread as a thin coat on a large surface for maximum effect.

Why are there problems using hydrogen as a fuel? Except at high compression, and/or low temperatures, hydrogen is a gas. It is the lightest gas, and would tend to have high leakage through pipelines. Due to its high energy content, it is also very explosive. There was the explosion of the Hindenburg in 1937 in New Jersey. That was a hydrogen lifted dirigible which went on fire. Due to the use of heavy safety equipment to compress hydrogen, this is why fuel cell technology is first being used in buses.

Another option being developed is to use hydrocarbons that are hydrogen rich as the basis for hydrogen fuel cell technology. Hydrocarbons are compounds of hydrogen and carbon. The leading candidates are CH4, which is methane gas, a pure form of natural gas, and methanol, a liquid alcohol compound, CH4OH. Both methanol and methane can be converted to hydrogen gas using a chemical reformer. Reformers have a drawback in that they lower fuel efficiency by as much as half. There is increased miniaturization of chemical reformers for automobiles.

However, other compounds are being experimented with that are easier to catalytically convert to hydrogen for a fuel cell and can be more easily stored in a vehicle’s fuel tank. An example of the type of system that could work is being experimented on at Daimler-Chrysler. It involves simple borate, borax, a compound chemical that is produced and used for soap. A running prototype minivan was displayed at the North American Auto Show in 2002. The hydrogen fuel cell can run on hydrogen that is liberated in a simple chemical reaction from sodium borohydride. This chemical can be made in refineries from a combination of borax soap and Hydrogen gas. The vehicle could run on sodium borohydride, which would be processed in the car to yield hydrogen gas for the fuel cell. The only exhaust product would be water (H20). The other waste product would be borax (a form of soap), which would then have to be reprocessed to sodium borohydride, to refuel the car again. Infrastructure to produce hydrogen from methane or ammonia and then produce sodium borohydride would be necessary at your local refueling station.

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By David Riches 

When it comes time to purchase a car, many people are faced with the decision of whether to buy a car or to lease it. There are benefits of leasing cars that should be carefully examined before making a final decision. Whether the car is for business or personal use, there are several benefits of leasing cars. Aside from the benefits of leasing cars, though, the disadvantages should also be examined to see if another option for buying a vehicle would be in the best interest of the buyer. Choosing the finance option that best suits the buyer and will make the most sense financially will save a lot of money in the long run and the buyer will be sure to be pleased with the choice.

One of the benefits of leasing cars is the ability to make a lower down payment or none at all. Because the vehicle will be traded in at the end of the term and there is no outright ownership of the vehicle, many financial institutions require low or no down payment to get into the lease. The affordable monthly payments are another of the benefits of leasing cars. Similarly to a car loan, a lease will require monthly payments to be made for the continued use of the vehicle. These can be affordable and fit well into most people’s monthly budget. Because the benefits of leasing cars are so that there is an opportunity to trade the vehicle in after the term, many people are able to set their budget accordingly yet still be in a late model car that is in good condition.

For people who wish to trade in their vehicle every two to three years, the benefits of leasing cars are evident. You can get into a two to three year lease term and at the end of the lease, simply trade the car in for a newer model. The benefits of leasing cars are that you can keep your monthly payment fairly similar throughout the course of the new lease as well but you will have a new car at the end of two or three years. People who like to have a vehicle that is fairly new as a status symbol or who do not want to deal with the hassle of maintenance that comes with older cars may find leasing a better option than a loan. The benefits of leasing cars will be proven when you experience the low hassle of always having a new car.

The benefits of leasing cars are not for everyone, though. Although benefits of leasing cars are many, at the end of the term, even after you have paid thousands of dollars over the course of several years, there will never be a completely owned vehicle. The benefits of leasing cars are sometimes not worth not having the paid off asset for some people. For some, the benefits of leasing cars do not outweigh the idea that their payments will cease after a time and they will have a completely paid for vehicle with only routine maintenance costs to attend to.

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This article discusses the traits of the safest cars in the nation.

By Terje Ellingsen 

Which cars are the safest cars in the United States, you may wonder. Is it BMW, Ford, Chevy? As far as car security matters, only eight of the 2004 model cars on the market have earned perfect scores in crash tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Here are the criterias: To pass the auto security test, the vehicle had to get perfect marks in all of the following categories:

 

• five-star ratings–the highest available–in NHTSA’s frontal and side vehicle crash tests  
• five-star rollover resistance ratings

 

or

 

  

 

• ratings of “good,” (highest available), which includes an overall rating,plus individual ratings in the following categories:

 

 

  

 

• The frontal offset crash test structure/safety cage
• head/neck injury measures
• chest injury measures
• left and right leg/foot injury measures
• restraints/dummy kinematics  

  

 

• ratings of “good” for head restraint design and the performance of bumpers in low-speed auto crash tests.

 

Side impact auto crash tests were also conducted for all vehicle brands but no car received perfect marks in those tests.

According to automotive experts, vehicle crash testing is still  the best and most objective method for determining which cars are truly the safest. And this does not necessarely mean vehicles equipped with most advanced technology. The difference between a good auto crash test rating and a bad one is significant:

 

• A five-star rating means a chance of serious injury of 10% or less in a car crash at 35 mph>/li>  
• a one-star rating means a chance of 46% or more.

 

The list might amaze you. Here are the 8 safest motorcars in USA in 2004:

 

• Audi A4
• Ford Crown Victoria
• Lincoln Town Car
• Mercury Grand Marquis
• Mercury Marauder
• Toyota Corolla
• VW New Beetle
• Volvo S80 

 

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This article talks about how to save fuel and money on our cars. 

By Linda Meckler 

Do you feed your car? Do you find that feeding your car is getting too expensive? Do you find that you are taking the money out of your children’s mouth?

It does not matter what is happening to the gas prices or why it is happening. Cars still get hungry and we still need to feed them if we want to get anywhere.

We can cut down on unnecessary car trips and try to consolidate all our errands to the same area at the same time. Our cars use energy and need to be fed just like people.

What about the people that are cutting down on their food for themselves and their families to feed their cars? Or the people that are using their life savings to feed their cars or maxing out their credit cards?

Something terrible is making itself known in the state of California loud and clear. We the people are being beaten down into a corner trying to feed our families and our cars.

Our employers need to understand that the economy is changing. We might not be able to afford to feed our cars and make it into work everyday like we used to.

Maybe we can think of some other alternatives of how we can change with the changing economy.

(1) By changing jobs and trying to find one closer to your area.

(2) Maybe actually switching jobs with somebody working the same time of job you are doing in your area. That might or might not work depending on job qualifications and other perks related to employment.

(3) Set up a car pool with several people involved.

(4) Start taking public transportation if you haven’t already started.

This means leaving home 2 – 3 hours earlier to make it to work on time. Don’t forget the 2 - 3 hour trip home.

If more people are taking the bus maybe the transportation department needs to make the buses and the bus routes more people productive.

(5) Maybe we should work longer work days and work less work days per week.

(6) Maybe our employers could start a bus shuttle service to make sure their employees make it to work.

(7) Don’t laugh but maybe our employers should start putting beds and food at the work place. This way their employees will definitely make it to work the next morning.

(8) Every employee should receive a raise to help with the rising cost of feeding their car.

I don’t know what the answer is to this complicated problem of the oil companies gouging us poor United States citizens.

I just know that we the people vote in our wonderful government leaders are the ones that are taking the brunt for this miserable problem of feeding our cars.

I for one would like to be able to drive my car when and where I want. I do not like to be restricted to driving when it is necessary.

Maybe all the employers in California should ban together and put pressure on the government to help them solve this problem of feeding our cars.

I am afraid that many businesses and gas stations have already shut their doors for good. I do not want to see more added to this list.

We the people need our jobs to be able to feed our cars. It seems it is an unending circle. I ask you what do we do to break it.

That is my opinion. What is yours?

Thank you for reading my article. Please feel free to read my other articles.

Copyright Linda Meckler 2006

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This article talks about the exotic sports cars that many dream of owning. 

By Elizabeth Morgan 

They are flashy. They are fast. And they are very, very expensive. They are the exotic sports cars, the ultimate icons of speed, style and money. Exotic sports cars are built using cutting-edge technology and designed from a purely aesthetic point of view. Hence, they often ignore considerations of fuel economy and practicality in regards to storage, seating and their design and operations. As a result, they are either made-to-order, or manufactured in limited editions, sparing no costs. Only a select few can afford these exotic cars.

These T-Rexes of the motoring world can boast of engines that run on massive outputs of power, anywhere from 500 to 660 horsepower. Ferrari’s Enzo, its latest limited-edition offering, tempts the sports-car lover with its promise of Formula 1 experience. With acceleration from 0 to 60 in as little as 4-5 seconds, these exotic cars are in a league of their own in terms of pure power and performance. Plush interiors and exclusive accessories make these cars sought after by car collectors all over the world.

While exotic cars are at the very pinnacle of the auto aristocracy, they should only be bought after careful consideration. These supercars not only burn a hole in your pocket when you buy them, they are equally expensive to maintain, requiring specially trained mechanics for repairs, custom-ordered spare parts and gallons of fuel for optimum performance. They are delicate, and can be troublesome when the smallest part malfunctions. These beauties must be handled with extra care, as their tremendous power can go wrong in the hands of an inexperienced driver.

Nevertheless, they are the stuff that car legends are made of. The exotic car brands that have become legends over time have included Italian manufacturers like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Maserati; German companies like Porsche and Mercedes-Benz; the English carmaker Bentley, and American stars like Ford, Aston Martin and Dodge.

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This article contains interesting information about sports cars and their development since 1945.

by Elizabeth Morgan 

Stylish, sexy, sleek, streamlined, spirited and speed demon are all words used to describe sports cars, which are essentially two-door automobiles that are designed for high speeds, great power and smashing good looks. The manufacture of the modern-day sports car began only after 1945, when the economy started booming, technology developed dramatically and better roads were being built. They came in various shapes like convertibles, roadsters, coupes, grand tourers and sedans. Sports-car lovers are either devoted to timeless classics that have been souped up for current times, or are trendsetters looking for the latest kind of exotic car.

From powerful purring beauties like the Mercedes Benz SLK 350 to thundering thrillers like the Ford Mustang V-8, you can choose a sports car that matches your personality. In fact, sports cars are as much about personality as they are about performance – smooth aerodynamic bodies of carbon fiber, chrome pipes and fittings, rich leather upholstery, wide wheels, shiny wooden panels and snazzy paint jobs.

Different brands of sports cars adopt different principles of design. Some cars may be light in order to achieve greater acceleration, others may boast of extremely powerful engines for better car handling and performance, while still others may stress safety and comfort rather than style. The majority of contemporary sports cars have front-wheel drives as opposed to rear-wheel drives, which were more common in the earlier generation of sports cars. Many cars also have the engine in the center, driving the rear wheels, which is unique to sports cars. In these cars, the engine is placed behind the driver, at the middle of the chassis. Porsche is the only sports car that has the engine mounted at the rear, driving the rear wheels. This aspect is a crucial part of car design, as it affects the maneuverability or handling of the car, which is critical at high speeds.

The most well known brands today are Ferrari, Porsche, Lotus, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Triumph. Companies which manufacture other cars also make some sports models; prominent among these are Ford, Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet, Mitsubishi, Mazda, and Nissan. Today, the design and manufacture of sports cars is becoming more specialized and competitive, with newer, more attractive designs and a higher degree of technical sophistication being utilized.