Transcript What is a Case Study?

Hydrogen Powered Cars: The
Wave of the Future?
by
Joshua D. Hartman and Jack F. Eichler
Department of Chemistry
University of California-Riverside
“Toyota Shows Off Fuel-Cell Automobile”
By Eric Pfanner
Published: November 20, 2013
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/business/international/toyota-unveilsfuel-cell-concept-automobile.html
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TOKYO — Hydrogen-powered cars are finally being
readied for their Prius moment. At least, that is what
promoters of the environmentally friendly technology
hope. Toyota, maker of the Prius, the first hybrid
vehicle to achieve mass-market acceptance, on
Wednesday unveiled a concept version of a hydrogen
fuel-cell car that it plans to begin selling “around 2015,”
as the company put it. The bright blue sedan is shaped
like a drop of water to emphasize that water is the only
substance that hydrogen-powered cars emit from their
tailpipes.
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Fuel-cell cars, which create the electricity that powers them by
combining hydrogen with the oxygen in the atmosphere, have been
held back by a variety of factors, including the high cost and a
dearth of hydrogen filling stations. Although a handful of fuel-cell
test cars and fleet vehicles are on the road, the new models from
Honda, Hyundai and Toyota are expected to be among the first
hydrogen-powered cars available to the public.
“Everybody has been putting their toe in the water, but Toyota
putting its toe in the water is a bit more significant,” Mr. Baum said.
Toyota, while embracing hybrid powertrains, has favored fuel-cell
technology over fully electric cars, saying the experience of driving
them is more like what consumers are used to with gasoline- or
diesel-powered vehicles. The company says its new car will be able
to cover about 500 kilometers, or 310 miles, on a single hydrogen
fill-up that takes just a few minutes. Fully electric vehicles require
lengthy recharging time.
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Analysis
1. What are the potential issues and major topics in this
scenario that we as chemists/scientists can address?
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Analysis
2. Compile a list for each category:
What do I know?
What do I need to know?
3. Rank the importance of the questions in the “What do I
need to know” column.
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