posted on Dec, 10 2004 @ 07:28 PM
shots - no conspiracy here - there are lot's of Wankels out there, just zip on down to your Mazda dealer. Now hydrogen Wankels are a whole nother
ball of wax....
Hydrogen is not yet the panacea that people conceive it to be. It's leaky by nature, hence the sealing problem (smallest molecule and tends to leak
through just about everything). Then there are storage and production issues not to mention that hydrogen production and "burning" is a net loss
reaction since it does not really burn. Yup - takes more energy to make it than you get back out. More complex hydrogenated species are much more
energetic and they do actually "burn" and are net power producers e.g. gasoline, methane etc.
So, taken in that context it's more of a market driven issue than a conspiracy. If we had to do it we could but there are some hurdles to overcome
first. The cost and infrastructure have made the reciprocating piston engine an easily built and useful tool given how we fuel it. A turbine would
actually be the most efficient but carries with it a whole host if issues - production complexity, heat, noise and getting power out to drive gears
and wheels. Also, when they go boom there tends to be a quite a bit of shrapnel flying about....