 |
| Karma wants to run electric cars with a methanol fuel cell |
Since Fisker passed away in 2014, luxury car company Karma has focused on developing hybrid and electric cars.
The company is still considering introducing an electric vehicle called the GSe-6, but it has announced that it will be in the early stages of designing a powertrain that will enable the manufacture of hydrogen-powered cars.
Karma joined Blue World Technologies from Denmark to make this a reality.
The system relies on a methanol fuel cell that can be filled as quickly as a standard gas tank.
The chemicals pass through a methanol reformer to convert it into hydrogen, which is then used to generate electricity that turns the wheels of a car.
Both sides said that methanol was a carrier of hydrogen, but neither side explained in detail how the technology worked or how much emissions it generated.
A fuel cell that turns methanol into hydrogen is called a renewable methanol fuel cell.
The idea is to install a battery in the Karma GSe-6 electric vehicle before the end of 2021. The car is from Karma and is being tested in the USA and Denmark.
If everything goes according to plan, KMA can produce cars powered by methanol fuel cells.
BMW, Hyundai and Toyota are investing millions of dollars in developing hydrogen cars, but they are making methanol impossible.
Karma explained that the fuel is marketed all over the world, and it can be stored and distributed in many countries through the existing infrastructure, and it can be used to produce methanol from renewable resources.
As with any fuel cell vehicle, the efficiency of producing methanol first and then using methanol in the fuel cell to power the vehicle is much less than directly charging the battery.
Drivers, automakers, and suppliers experimented with vehicles powered by wood, coal, or both during and immediately after World War II.
One of the most popular systems is to install a large wood stove on the car body. Burning wood produces a flammable synthesis gas. Once cooled and filtered, it can replace gasoline.