I was at one time a huge proponent of the development of hydrogen technologies (fuel cells and elemental gas) for use in vehicles but that all changed after some in-depth research I did as part of an Environmental Economics course I was taking. The costs of producing hydrogen is prohibitive, even if using cheaper GHG emitting technologies; the cost of transporting the gas in a super-cooled state is outrageous; and, the cost of building all the infrastructure needed to support a nation of hydrogen burning cars is no small investment. My concerns about the viability of hydrogen continued to grow (including the hydrological impact of the widespread application of this technology), but so did the funding pouring into the development of this technology.
Well, it seems that the pipe dream may finally be dead. This article in the
Wall Street Journal caught my attention and validates what many environmental advocates and economists have been saying for quite some time; hydrogen technology will not be affordable in time to make a significant impact on the reduction of GHGs. The technology for electric and hybrid-electric cars however is readily available, affordable, and in demand.
The exciting part about this to me is that battery technology and hybrid systems are really starting to see some big advances (I'll have a few examples to back this statement to post up later) and the future is definitely brighter for emission, or near emission free private transportation.
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