Hydrogen Economy: Where's the buzz?
FCV's: Too much of a threat to the military-industrial Iron Triangle?Fuel cell vehicles, such as the Chevy Equinox FCV, Honda FCX Clarity, and Toyota FCHV, captured a pretty big chunk of the spotlight at the LA Auto Show this year, but nobody really seemed to care.
Sure, fuel cell vehicles are expensive and there isn't yet a hydrogen infrastructure. In reality it would take 10's of billions dollars to kick start the hydrogen economy and to create enough tax incentives to make fuel cell vehicles affordable for consumers.
With such high costs, why not just focus on plug-in hybrid vehicles and pure electric vehicles anyway, the consensus seems to be saying these days.
How sad. How embarrassing for a country that used to be the world's leading auto manufacturer and technological leader. Does America have any future beyond consumption? Finish....
Labels: chevy equinox fuel cell vehicle, Foreign Oil Dependency, fuel cells, Honda FCX, hydrogen highway
posted by Dahcredyns at
9:33 AM
5 Comments:
Full Story
Fuel cell vehicles, such as the Chevy Equinox FCV, Honda FCX Clarity, and Toyota FCHV, captured a pretty big chunk of the spotlight at the LA Auto Show this year, but nobody really seemed to care.
Sure, fuel cell vehicles are expensive and there isn't yet a hydrogen infrastructure. In reality it would take 10's of billions dollars to kick start the hydrogen economy and to create enough tax incentives to make fuel cell vehicles affordable for consumers.
With such high costs, why not just focus on plug-in hybrid vehicles and pure electric vehicles anyway, the consensus seems to be saying these days.
How sad. How embarrassing for a country that used to be the world's leading auto manufacturer and technological leader. Does America have any future beyond consumption?
While I am a big fan of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, from where will the electricity come? Coal? Nuclear power? Some might say solar and wind power, which would be great, but it's well known that hydrogen can make renewable energy sources much more effective because of hydrogen's energy storage abilities.
More interesting, if lithium proves effective for diesel or gasoline powered plug-in hybrid vehicles, then it could just as easily prove effective for plug-in hydrogen fuel cell hybrid vehicles.
But let's forget auto technology, or which type of auto works best. Ultimately, hydrogen can power combustion engines, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. Thus, the real sticking point of hydrogen is hydrogen creation and distribution. While these issues are real, they can and will be overcome with investment.
Therefore, the hydrogen economy, ultimately, is about investment. It's about MONEY.
Today, $3.00 gas is starting to capture the attention of America. Yet, the real cost of gasoline is far more expensive.
In the 90's, the costs of securing Middle East oil averaged between $50 billion to $150 billion dollars per year, depending upon the study. Thus, on average in the 90's, the $10 billion worth of oil per year purchased from this area actually cost at least $60 billion and maybe as much as $160 billion. Thus, if gas cost $1.00 per gallon in the 90's, it would have cost at least $6.00 per gallon if the full cost of that gasoline were completely paid at the pump.
If Americans had been paying the real cost of gasoline during the '90s, vehicles like the Hummer or the Sequoia would have never been built.
Yet, sadly, that cost still doesn't include things like the War in Iraq and oil-funded terrorism against the US.
Nothing Changes
Ultimately, one year of foreign oil security costs could easily kick start the hydrogen economy. Sadly, like an iceberg, the real size of America's foreign oil dependency costs are far too well hidden. Thus, most politicians aren't even addressing these costs, nor are they factoring them into their energy plans for America - at least not on record. Unfortunately, however, as these politicians one-up each other on their CAFE plans as they try take over the helm of America and its titanic energy consumption, none offer a real vision for change.
CAFE, however, is a joke and a largely irresponsible Congressional act. The reason the real costs of gasoline are hidden is because it supports the military-industrial complex - the Iron Triangle that has been funding both political parties for, well, forever. If Congress didn't help hide these costs, CAFE wouldn't be needed.
The fact that not one politician is campaigning against this Iron Triangle seems to hint that it still controls both parties. Hopefully, at least, America's titanic foreign oil consumption has a few more lifeboats when it goes down.
YES! Thank you for so rightly pointing out that hydrogen technologies work WITH the plug-in, hybrid and battery technologies. This is not a case where we have to choose. We simply have to figure out the right combination at the right time.
In the end, hydrogen is the one solution that can really reduce the dependence on imported fuels while cutting emissions and giving the vehicles the same range and performance we're used to. However, hydrogen vehicles will likely do that WITH one or more hybrid, plug-in or battery platforms aboard.
Thanks for making this important point that seems to be lost on most of America these days who's searching for that one silver bullet. I'd rather have a silver buffet.
Patrick-
Sadly, there is much hydrogen economy skepticism in America today. Who can blame the skeptics? Automakers have been using hydrogen and fuel cells as an excuse against increasing fuel economy for decades.
Still, I do believe that hydrogen has now come of age and hydrogen is about far more than just fuel cell cars. More important, if Americans were paying the real cost of gasoline at the fuel pump, America would be far more interested in hydrogen and other alternatives.
Nonetheless, for skeptics of hydrogen I would highly recommend reading the book ZOOM, followed by the The Hydrogen Economy.
ZOOM is not about the hydrogen economy, but the state of oil, and ZOOM paints a very scary picture of oil. The problems associated with foreign oil dependency are going to get FAR worse.
Then, when you realize how crazy the oil economy is, it seems obvious that the best solution is The Hydrogen Economy - the best way to democratize energy.
Converting to hydrogen won't be easy, but the Hydrogen Revolution would make the Industrial Revolution seem like an insignificant event.
The hydrogen economy simply does not add up. Losses are too great at all stages, in production and distribution, even giving generous allowance for technical progress:
http://entropyproduction.blogspot.com/2006/07/hydrogens-death-knell.html
Liquid fuel based distribution is better in every way, and could be produced by solar energy, if you don't go straight for electric and batteries.
You also would not have to make an entire new distribution system.
Regards,
DaveMart
Davemart-
I'll check out your post, but on the face it of it I don't agree with you.
I've seen solar-to-hydrogen models in homes that make economic sense if you think long term. That's completely clean, distributed energy that can power your entire home and a few automobiles - even if the power grid is knocked out by a storm, terrorists or even a squirrel, as happened in the past.
Additionally, if you watch the path that Honda is taking with its Home Fuel Stations, that they are also testing with solar panels, a hydrogen highway is far less needed in the short term.
Today, many of Honda's fuel cell test vehicles are powered by solar powered filling stations - which is probably why Honda has started a solar company. Ultimately, solar and hydrogen are complementary, and as solar power accelerates, so to will hydrogen as a fuel as it is probably the best way to capture and store solar energy.
Moreover, today's Honda Clarity FCX achieves 275 miles. So, you wouldn't need a major distribution system in the short term for homeowners. When you add in the advances in lithium, which could significantly increase the range of fuel cell hybrid vehicles, the potential is even greater.
But, most important, I think you are too easily setting aside the technological breakthroughs that are possible. While I might be advocating for the hydrogen economy far too early, I have no doubts whatsoever that the hydrogen highway and the hydrogen economy will become reality. I have read far too many studies in just the last few months that have found surprising and unexpected results demonstrating the potential of completely new, green ways of producing hydrogen to believe in anything that claims, without doubt, the hydrogen economy will never happen.
More important, the early bird will get the worm.
And, as far as the costs of hydrogen, if Americans were paying the real cost of gasoline - particularly the $100 billion+ that America spends every year securing Persian Gulf oil (not including war costs) at the gas pump rather than as hidden taxes, investing in solar, wind and geothermal created hydrogen wouldn't look nearly as expensive.
Moreover, just one year's worth of terrorist-supporting foreign oil security costs could more than cover the costs of the hydrogen highway.
Still, all things considered, hydrogen converted from natural gas isn't that much more expensive than gasoline today when gains in efficiency, etc are factored into the equation. Now, this isn't a path I would want to take, other than as a supplementary kick-starter, because it isn't very green, but if this path were balanced with an ever-increasing requirement for the percentage of hydrogen that had to be created via renewable energy, I could live with it.
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