Hyperion XP-1 Is a 221-MPH Hydrogen-Powered Hypercar

Tesla batteries last for 300,000 to 500,000 miles. That's more than your typical life span of a car.

 

Well first off thats not what I'm talking about. Even a brand new battery doesn't hold a charge forever. Dispoasable batteries designed for minimal loss might have a shelf life of 10 years. Rechargeable tend to be a lot lower as far as how long they will keep their charge. I dunno how long even a Tesla battery will hold its charge, but its definitely not forever.

The 300K to 500K figure is still with a certain % of loss. One of the more common ways manufacturers inflate their battery life is by just increasing how much less storage they consider to be 'good' vs 'bad'. For example, would you consider your battery 'good' or 'bad' if your range was reduced 10% relative to when its new? what about 50%? Thats the number that really matters when it comes to battery life loss.

 

Even if the percent loss is 30%(which it is not), that still gives your car 100,000 to 150,000 miles. Again. Most people get rid of their car well before then. In fact 100,000 miles is the cut off for used cars. Because of the cost of maintenance.

Going past this extreme example into the real world, Tesla batteries degrade 10% after 160,000 miles.





As

 

If that's accurate, then Tesla model S/X batts are good. I looked rq and model S's are around $100K...

The issue with EV batteries is the availability of quality ones for the average car buyer, who is looking at used cars for used car prices. The cheapest S I found (in a very quick look) was 76K miles for $35k. Thats well outside most peoples price range.

I've been looking to refit my '85 Bronco to run on propane and eventually H for a while now, and its about $800 for the TBI, and assume another couple hundred for high pressure lines to run to the back. I'll be doing the labor myself, but I reckon at a shop it might cost another grand or two. I'd say pretty much any old truck (and prolly smaller cars with smaller motors, tho EFI motors might be a more complicated swap) can be run on H for just a couple grand. Compared to the $35grand of buying a used EV with a lot of battery life still left, EV's still lose out for most of the market. Granted there is still the cost of the hydrogen electrolosis plant which afaict don't even exist in the market yet. But given how easy it is to build one yourself out of basically garbage, the only missing is demand for a manufacturer to put one out. Once it gets into production, I expect units to be pretty cheap.

 

Good points. But I don't see hydrogen cars. Especially those with a good range to be any cheaper

 

Wonder how many miles their chassis, electric motors are designed to last.

 

Goog question. I looked it up. And it's insane. Man I should really get one. Lol

"Electric motors are essentially immortal. Their bearings may require replacement after each 40,000 hours operation (4,000,000 km in an auto), the windings may need replacement after each 100,000 hours operation (10,000,000 km). The frame and rotor are essentially immortal. Many electric generating stations are still using original generators installed 100 years ago."

Also

"Tesla tested the motor used in the Model 3 and Y out to a million miles - which is considerably longer than things like the seats and such like are likely to last.

This seems amazing by car standards where an ICE engine is probably only good for 150,000 to 200,000 miles - but industrial electric motors of even more primitive designs are used in things like pumping stations where they run 24/7 for 30 to 50 years.

They are such simple devices - aside from the bearings at either end of the single moving part - there isn’t really anything that can wear out."

 

1000 mile range would be nice but seems excessive. Most fuel cells in use run on natural gas, not hydrogen. Hydrogen is 2.5 times more energy dense so a natural gas version of the same sports car should be able to do 400 miles range. And natural gas infrastructure would certainly be easier to build.
Abundance of cheap nuclear electricity would make Hydrogen fuel cells a viable alternative to current car batteries.

 

I suspect then that the chassis would probably be used up before the battery or the motors have problems. They seem to be designed very light but not so much durable.

 

Should be fine as long as you don't wreck the car lol. But I've read that the car has the highest safety ratings. Which should speak to the strength of their chassis.

 

What if you crash it? Will it blow up like the Hindenburg. Compressed flammable gasses from a rupture tank. Plus the spark from collision....

I imagine it to be worse than a ruptured gass tank in a gas powered car. Because the gas has to sit there for a minute for the vapors to build up. Before being ignited by a heat source. So there's some time to escape.

But hydrogen? That would be an instant explosion

 

I wonder if this technology would make sense, for trains: new ones, or possibly even retrofitting old engines?

 

Hydrogen powered vehicles are pretty interesting. I also wonder how safe they are being hydrogen is very unstable when mixed with air and is easier to ignite. It leaves no smell and the flame is not visible. Hydrogen is cool but it also presents challenges as far as safety is concerned. I definitely would not a super fast car with an explosive strapped under me. That said I am not that opposed to it but it is expensive (very expensive) and the infrastructure doesn’t exist off of coastlines. I also wonder if using the worlds water supply is such a great idea.

 

I suspect a hydrogen tank explosion of being 2.5 greater than a natural gas explosion. maybe another advantage of natural gas fuel cells over hydrogen

 

Interesting that with heavy loads of trucking and industry, Hydrogen combustion may be equal in efficiency to hydrogen fuel cells


The efficiency of a hydrogen combustion engine can be similar to that of a traditional combustion engine. If well optimized, slightly higher efficiencies can be achieved. The comparison with a hydrogen fuel cell is interesting. The fuel cell has a high efficiency peak at low load, while at high load the efficiency drops. The hydrogen combustion engine has a peak at low load and can achieve similar efficiency levels as a hydrogen fuel cell.[26] From this, one can deduct that hydrogen combustion engines are a match in terms of efficiency for fuel cells for heavy duty applications.

 

I doubt hydrogen can be easily made to work with compression ignition in existing diesel engines.

 

Good. They would make more building semi-trucks ran on hydrogen.