Natural gas car hybrid using "Bloom Box" fuel cell

There are cars powered by natural gas. There are cars with hybrid power. There have been discussions and designs for cars with fuel cell engines, but they have mostly used hydrogen as the fuel. Now there is a fuel cell that uses natural gas that has early models already being tested by major users such as Google and FedEx. It is called the "Bloom Box" and is discussed in a 60-Minutes interview here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6228923n&tag=related;pho...

The Bloom Box could be used in a car with natural gas. It would provide low cost, reduced carbon and other pollution, quiet, and efficient power. Using batteries to buffer the need for power, keeping the size of the fuel cell reasonable.

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Permalink Reply by W. Dan Chance on February 22, 2010 at 10:00pm

YES! Hoozah! Yahoo! I love it. I love it! This is fantastic! I don't know enough superlatives to describe how elated I am. What I didn't get a good feel for is the way the Bloom Box uses the "fuel" if it doesn't burn it.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Martin on February 23, 2010 at 11:35am

It is a fuel cell. Oxygen goes to the surface on one side and fuel on the other. Electrons travel through the output circuit. The waste includes CO2 and H2O, the same as if the fuel had been burned.

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Permalink Reply by Debra Goldenberg on February 23, 2010 at 12:12am

That is remarkable. Will it become another desktop computer type success? Maybe!

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Permalink Reply by Robert (Bobby) Wilson on February 23, 2010 at 9:46am

For an interesting discussion of the Bloom Box see The Oil Drum http://theoildrum.com

specifically

http://anz.theoildrum.com/node/6242

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Permalink Reply by Jim Martin on February 23, 2010 at 2:17pm

Yes, when operating with a hydrocarbon fuel, there is CO2 produced, but the amount is less than with most other systems because the efficiency is high. Also, using natural gas produces less CO2 than other fossil fuels. There is no need to produce oxygen; it takes the oxygen from air.

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Permalink Reply by Ronald Wagner on May 31, 2012 at 4:43pm

The link is dead, but it is a great idea!

Natural gas is the future of energy. It is replacing dirty and dangerous coal and nuclear plants. It is producing the electricity for electric cars. It will directly fuel pickup trucks, vans, buses, long haul trucks, dump trucks, locomotives, aircraft, ships etc. It will keep us out of more useless wars, where we shed our blood and money. Here are over 150 recent links for you: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NbaKYme3bqOw0b6KMxXSjOLHLNeflalPy9gIAiTYFMQ/edit