"It has a bit of special tech sauce, too: rather than coupling its propeller mechanically to the car engine, like Orion, it seems to use a generator and electrically-spun props."

So it loses 70% of the stored energy in the fuel converting it to electricity, and 70% of the electrical energy converting it to kinetic energy? Very fuel efficient... I guess that the generator is a backup to solar cells, but even so, they are carting a lot of mass in the fuel, generator and motor for a 10% (theoretical maximum) conversion rate.

Stuart

" - indeed, BMW has a demonstrator car that can run on hydrogen now (though its fuel does all boil away in a matter of days, potentially causing the garage to explode if you've rashly parked it inside)."

I (and the lizard army) would like to see that.

A.

"Even in the case of nice hydrogen made out of water using electrolysis, you need a carbon-free source of electricity."

You could just use the water to turn some turbines before converting it?

Nevil Shute's autobiography "Slide Rule".

He was a mathematician on the R100 project.

If I recall the book correctly (it -was- a very long time ago I read it), the R100 was a sister ship to the R101. One was built as a project run by the state, the other was a private run project.

Guess which was quicker, lighter, less overrun and didn't catch fire?

Boeing announces "the future of air travel" on the same day as the first flight of the A380...

W and John Stag

Why would Boeing want to make itself look good just because reportedly happy people are disembarking from a competitor's ultra-modern airliner? Boeing is all sweetness 'n' light, doncherknow?

Hehe.

Good on ya, guys.

A380 touches down and Boeing is leaping up and down yelling "It's All About Meeeeeee!" by trotting out what is effectively old tech with a slightly newer (but still old) spin and not (at the moment) particularly feasable due to problems with the production of hydrogen - and touting it as the Future of Aviation(tm).

Bollocks.

Boeing needs all the military support it can get because it's in grave danger of losing the commercial sector.

I seriously doubt that Boeing is in any danger of "losing the commercial sector". Boeing like Airbus have their ups and downs, but the market has to know that having two competitors levels the playing field.

It's in everyone's interest that both companies stay afloat, just to be able to play one against the other.