Is it worth $15 billion to kick-start the hydrogen highway?
Is hydrogen worth the investment?Thus far, war funding for Iraq and Afghanistan is over $140 billion dollars and another $40+ billion is on the table. Other reports suggest that the total cost of the Iraq and Afghan wars could hit $2.4 trillion. Sadly, when push-comes-to-shove, these wars could not have happened if not for America's foreign oil dependency.
So, how do we get off oil?
For decades the world has been told the 'hydrogen economy' is the future. According to GM, the future is here.
By 2010, if a hydrogen highway...(Finish: Hydrogen highway)
Labels: chevy equinox fuel cell vehicle, hydrogen highway, plug-in hybrid vehicles
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:50 AM
3 Comments:
Complete Story
Thus far, war funding for Iraq and Afghanistan is over $140 billion dollars and another $40+ billion is on the table. Other reports suggest that the total cost of the Iraq and Afghan wars could hit $2.4 trillion. Sadly, when push-comes-to-shove, these wars could not have happened if not for America's foreign oil dependency.
So, how do we get off oil?
For decades the world has been told the 'hydrogen economy' is the future. According to GM, the future is here.
By 2010, if a hydrogen highway existed to fuel around 1,000,000 fuel cell vehicles, GM believes if could produce hydrogen fuel-celled vehicles at a price competitive with conventional technology. Ultimately, the problem with the hydrogen economy isn't fuel cell vehicles, it's the lack of hydrogen fuel pumps.
To build enough hydrogen filling stations to make fuel cell vehicles convenient in the top 100 metro areas, plus enough stations interspersed along all major highways to enable transportation between these 100 metro areas, would cost between $10 - 15 billion according to GM.
Is hydrogen worth it?
Based upon today's technology, many in the scientific community believe that hydrogen is both an inefficient carrier of energy, and that producing pure hydrogen is too energy intensive.
Of course, since hydrogen is the most common element in the universe, understanding how to efficiently tap into hydrogen and effectively utilize this element would be the greatest technological development in the evolution of the human species.
Still, critics of hydrogen not only rightly point out the inefficiencies of hydrogen, but they also claim that plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles would be a better investment. And those critics might be right.
So, hydrogen is a waste?
Countries such as China are completely dependent upon coal for their electricity consumption, so electric cars are a scary proposition in such a country.
Additionally, in terms of larger vehicles and long distance commuting, hydrogen seems a much better solution than electric vehicles. Moreover, there are still problems with lithium batteries, such as weight and cost - even safety.
Furthermore, the world's cleanest and greenest automakers - Honda and Toyota - believe in the future of both hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles. So, can American afford not to be at the forefront of this technology?
Finally, GM's current fuel cell vehicle, the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell Vehicle utilizes a NiMH battery that provides supplementary power to the fuel cell vehicle for extra acceleration or going up a hill, but that electricity does not extend range. With lithium batteries, combined with next generation fuel cell technology, it would seem to make far more sense to enable the regenerative-braking Equinox fuel cell vehicle to use a lithium pack to extend the range of the vehicle, much the way as does a plug-in hybrid - reducing the the amount of hydrogen needed.
Inevitably, it appears unclear as to whether hydrogen is worth the investment, at least in terms of hydrogen vehicles. If, however, a better way to isolate hydrogen - a better method of electrolysis, for example - were developed, $15 billion would seem like chump change.
Is a $15 billion investment worth the risk to put an end to the trillions we spend on foreign oil dependence?
Good article, I think it should be noted though that while producing "lab quality" hydrogen takes a lot of energy, producing lower quality hydrogen that is suitable for combustion engines and may be suitable certain fuel cells is not terribly difficult, expensive, or energy consuming.
Good point. I'm glad you made it.
The oil industry, as one example, already produces enough hydrogen to power millions of fuel cell vehicles as part of their refinery maintenance.
While there are problems with hydrogen, I don't have any doubt that these problems could be solved, or that work-arounds could alleviate many of these problems to a point of effectiveness.
Considering the upside of achieving the hydrogen highway, I think it would be socially irresponsible not to to try to make it happen.
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