One of the obstacles to using hydrogen for fuel is the tank that holds it. Hydrogen tanks thus far have been too big and heavy to be practical for cars, but a research collaborative may have found the breakthrough needed.
An Israeli-Russian-German venture known as C.En says it’s developed a safe, lightweight hydrogen tank that’s about the same size as a standard gasoline tank.
Unlike other researchers working with hydrogen, C.En uses hydrogen gas rather than liquid.
Moshe Stern, who leads the investors in the project, told Reuters, "We can build a 60-litre tank that can travel up to 600 km and weighs no more than 50 kg. Our breakthrough is that we have succeeded in accumulating hydrogen in a glass material that is very small, only a few microns."
"You don’t need to transport hydrogen to fuel stations and you don’t need pipelines. The tanks will be like a battery that can be replaced and you can carry a reserve in the car."
The same technology can be applied to laptops, cell phones and military applications.
Ilan Riess, a physics professor at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, said that it would indeed be a breakthrough if C.En’s technology is successful.
The hydrogen fuel tank is being tested at the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM). When testing is completed in about six months, the prototype will be presented to US authorities, car manufacturers and large energy companies.
"We have moved to their lab to get a worldwide stamp of approval," Stern said. "If results turn out as well as predicted, they will prove that an alternative energy source exists and the reliance on Arab oil will lessen significantly."
Thus far, C.En has raised $10 million from Stern, who leads the investor group. Shlomo Nehama, former chair of Hapoalim, Israel’s largest bank and economist Yacov Sheinin have invested along with others from Japan, South Korea and Russia.
The technology development team is looking for "one of the giants to adopt our technology and support it," Stern said.
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