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Volkswagen will until 2000 present a prototype for a fuel cell car. It will have a methanol tank and a reformer. This means that VW as well has adopted the fuel cell concept. Methanol from non-fossil sources will be used.

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Because of the great interest we publish here all data we have about the new storage material made of graphite fibers about which the Northeastern University (Boston) has reported (Chemistry department, Rodriguez and Baker). The substrate is made by the catalyzed reaction of hydrocarbons with CO and consists of fibers of 5-100 nm diameter and 5-100 mm length. They form a regular pattern in layers with a distance of 0.34 nm. In these the hydrogen molecule appears to have a diameter of only 0.064 nm (instead of 0.26 nm!) so that more than one monomolecular layer can be stored. The mechanism is not clear. The structure is too small for oxygen or other gases so that they can not be stored, an aspect of importance for purity and safety. The loading of the substrate is done after heating in a vacuum in 4 to 24 h under a pressure of 135 bar. The offtake pressure is 40 bar and drops with retrieval. It is not yet known how much hydrogen can be retrieved for consumption.

1 g of the substrate is said to be able to hold 30 standard liters or 2.7 g of H₂. An estimate on the basis of the density of pure graphite leads to effective densities of stored hydrogen of the order of 6 g/cm³, a value typical for metals and almost two orders of magnitude higher than for liquid hydrogen (!!!). The energy density is then about 730 kJ/cm³, more than 20 times the value for mineral oils (!!!). This was the basis for the estimates that a fuel cell car with a tank with a volume of 25 l and a weight of 87 kg (empty weight, obviously) could have a range of 8000 km. The costs for the industrial production of the substrate are estimated to be "about 1 $ per kg".

The researchers have patented the process and are shareholders in the commercial exploitation of the effect, so that the flow of data is not to an extend many would like it to be. Unlike "Cold Fusion", however, the news which appears fantastic seems to have a solid foundation.

The Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research, and Technology (BMBF) has published a position paper on "Hydrogen Technologies and Fuel Cells" in which it says that the fields has been supported to a sufficient extent, that the know-how now exists and merely must be kept alive, and that a broad support of research can not be justified taking the uncertain future prospects into account. Available funds should rather be invested in fuel cell and electrolyser technology, but not in other hydrogen related pilot or demonstration projects.

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The Zeppelin fire of 1937 is still the subject of much speculation. A former NASA member has after years of research and investigations of remainders of the shroud of the "Hindenburg" and other Zeppelin dirigibles found that the new paint used for the "Hindenburg" was easily flammable. It contained fine aluminium powder and iron oxide, a combination well known to be dangerous in chemical engineering. From this fact and the whole proceeding of the accident he concludes that the hydrogen had nothing to do with the outbreak of the fire. A dirigible filled with helium would have burnt as well.

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