Increasingly, in the past, scientists from around the world conduct research in the field of vehicles using alternative sources of energy. And if electric vehicles is no surprise, here’s a more exotic fuel is still a genuine interest. For example, a team of researchers Team of the FAST Technological University Egenhoven presented a system that allows the bus to move, using formic acid. Most interesting is that the developers promise to create a working prototype of the bus this year.
The choice of experts is not in vain fell on formic acid. Its production is well established in chemical plants, and it is quite cheap. As for the new system, it was called REX (Range-Extender) and is a small trailer attached to a regular elektroautos. Inside the trailer are REX chemical reactor that transforms through a series of chemical reactions the energy of formic acid into electricity.
Chemical reactor “seasoned” 99% formic acid, and the output is the substance hydrazine, the energy density which is 4 times higher energy density of standard batteries. A portion of the energy generated in the splitting of the hydrazine, is used to neutralize carbon dioxide emitted during the reaction, and the rest of the energy goes to power the bus. The result is a system that produces no emissions of harmful gases into the environment.
The power of the REX system is 25 kW. Now the experts of team FAST conduct final tests of the new technology to be able to run for a bus, “powered by formic acid”, on the way to the end of 2017.
Bus that uses formic acid as fuel? Why not!
Vladimir Kuznetsov