Hardware Podcasts

The All-Electric Trend Needs To Stop. There Are Other Power Options | Hard Tech #9

Hard Tech Podcast · 2 Jul 2023 · 34m

What this episode covers

The host of the Hard Tech Podcast argues against the industry's narrow focus on battery-electric vehicles, advocating instead for a diversified portfolio of direct power options including solar, hydrogen, ammonia, and biofuels. He highlights NASA's decision to scrap its electric plane plans due to battery limitations and critiques the Toyota Mirai's poor packaging efficiency as evidence that hydrogen is currently better suited for heavy trucks, citing Hizon Motors' heavy rigid fuel cell vehicle as a viable alternative. The discussion also covers GAC's development of an ammonia engine for cars and the potential of biofuels derived from food waste to replace fossil fuels in the near term.

Most relevant to

large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
NASA, Hizon Motors, GAC, Bloomberg
Products
Toyota Mirai, Lightyear

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Next Byte Podcast · 20m

    167. How Hydrogen Will Replace Batteries

    Daniel and Forbode discuss research from EPFL on using ammonia as a stable carrier for hydrogen, addressing the storage and transport challenges of pure hydrogen. They highlight a new catalyst developed by an EPFL researcher that reduces cracking costs by 200 times, potentially making hydrogen fuel cells viable for large-scale applications like semi-trucks. The hosts compare energy density and return on energy invested for lithium-ion batteries, liquefied hydrogen, and ammonia, concluding that ammonia offers superior storage efficiency and lower loss rates.

    Energy & climate techMaterials & manufacturing processes
    5 chapters

  • Catalyst · 39m

    Heavy duty decarbonization

    Andy Lubershane, partner and head of research at Energy Impact Partners, explains why electrification hits physical limits in heavy transport due to battery energy density and grid infrastructure constraints. He argues that while battery swapping offers a partial solution for heavy-duty trucks, aviation and shipping will likely rely on biofuels and electrofuels to avoid disrupting existing hub infrastructure. The discussion highlights the specific challenges of upgrading ports and airports, using the Port of Long Beach as a case study for grid strain.

    Energy & climate techBatteries & low-power design
    8 chapters

  • The Robot Report Podcast · 1h 30m

    Drone Week: Innovation in agriculture and hydrogen-fueled drones

    Arthur Erickson, CEO and co-founder of Hylio Drones, explains how his Austin-based company is scaling U.S.-manufactured agricultural spraying drones to fill the market vacuum created by the potential ban on Chinese competitors like DJI. Bentzion Levinson, CEO and co-founder of Heven Drones, details their hydrogen fuel cell technology that enables long-endurance flights of up to eight hours for infrastructure inspection, security, and delivery. The episode covers the regulatory shifts, swarm operations, and the technical advantages of hydrogen over lithium-ion batteries in heavy-lift drone applications.

    Mechanical engineeringBatteries & low-power design
    5 chapters

  • How I Built This · 37m

    HIBT Lab! Universal Hydrogen: Paul Eremenko

    Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen, explains his company's strategy to decarbonize aviation by replacing jet fuel with green hydrogen. He details the technical and logistical challenges of hydrogen, including its low energy density compared to batteries and the high cost of infrastructure, proposing a modular capsule system for distribution. Eremenko outlines the roadmap for retrofitting ATR regional aircraft by 2025 and designing new clean-sheet single-aisle aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 for the mid-2030s, leveraging investors such as Airbus, GE, and Fortescue.

    Energy & climate techStarting a product company
    7 chapters

  • Catalyst · 40m

    Booking your first zero-emissions flight

    Jayant Mukhopadhaya, a researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), explains the viability of zero-emissions aviation, noting that battery electric aircraft are limited to short regional routes due to current energy density, requiring a doubling of battery capacity to reach viable ranges. He contrasts this with hydrogen technologies, where fuel cells serve smaller aircraft while liquid hydrogen combustion targets larger single-aisle planes, though both face significant infrastructure hurdles. The discussion highlights that electric aircraft offer superior energy efficiency but cannot replace long-haul flights, which will likely rely on sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

    Batteries & low-power designEnergy & climate tech
    6 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Hard Tech Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.