Hydrogen Cars - Embracing the Inevitability of Hydrogen Cars
The race to replace oil in our vehicles has spawned a new generation of technologies vying for dominance in the 21st century, and the stakes have never been higher. A world dominated by oil has led to unprecedented man made pollution, leaving many cities covered in smog and soot, and many of oil’s top producing countries either have unpredictable governments or reside in volatile areas of the world.
Several technologies compete for the right to power billions of vehicles over the next century, but only hydrogen offers the critical combination of abundance and zero emissions. Before hydrogen cars fully replace their gas-guzzling counterparts on the roads, several obstacles remain, but the solution is as simple as the phrase uttered in the 1989 film Field of Dreams: If you build it, they will come.
Building an Infrastructure
Many detractors of hydrogen vehicle technology cite the disparity between the number of gasoline and hydrogen filling stations, with upwards of 200,000 gas stations versus 62 hydrogen stations in the United States. The feasibility of hydrogen cars is questioned by using a variant of “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”, but this is a false argument.
Consumers will purchase hydrogen cars where the fueling stations already exist, mainly in densely populated cities. As more vehicles are purchased, the demand for hydrogen filling stations will increase (37 are already planned) which will make it practical for more consumers to purchase hydrogen cars. The process will continue organically and stations will be built in a spider web pattern along ‘hydrogen highways’ that will serve to connect population centers. Similar plans have been enacted in other countries, including Canada, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Norway, and Sweden.
The process will take a number of years, allowing an important but rarely discussed slow and smooth economical transition from gasoline fueling stations.
Widespread Vehicle Manufacturing
Automakers worldwide are facing declining sales in all models, and this has caused some auto manufacturers to suspend their development of hydrogen vehicles. Others, such as Daimler and Honda, continue to develop hydrogen vehicle technology, hoping to be among the first to market. These and other auto manufacturers are developing models that may be ready for full production in the next 4-5 years.
Once hydrogen cars are both available and proven, acceptance will increase, enticing additional auto manufacturers to restart their hydrogen vehicle development programs. Though they will be several years behind and face the stigma of being ‘behind the times’, the transitional pace of gas to hydrogen fueled vehicles will be gradual and won’t significantly harm their company’s bottom line.
A Decline of Alternative Competition
In 2009, gasoline powered vehicles clutter our roads no matter where we live. Gasoline engines are inefficient, produce a significant amount of pollution, and are based on the consumption of finite fossil fuels.
Biofuel, created from various plants, was popular several years ago but has now sparked several environmental controversies, such as the clear cutting of the rainforest in Brazil and ‘food vs. fuel’ in the United States and Europe. In addition, biofuel, like oil, is carbon based and is not the long term solution to reduced vehicle emissions.
100% Electric vehicles have supplanted biofuel as the choice du jour and while their technology, like hydrogen, emits zero emissions, their inability to instantly recharge makes them an impractical long term solution, especially in the United States. In a nation where the majority of shipping is conducted by trucks traversing hundreds of miles per day, electric semis are an inadequate solution.
In nations with a combination of increasingly restrictive emission standards and a road based shipping industry, hydrogen vehicles aren’t the best option, they are the only option.
A Confluence of Technology
The decision to replace gasoline powered vehicles with alternative fuels was first seriously considered in the 1970’s. Until recently, the idea has been abandoned and rediscovered several times with little success. Engineers and designers have developed several competing technologies that has fostered innovations that are years ahead of their time. Each technology has supporters that claim it to be the best choice for our future, but only hydrogen offers an environmental solution as well as the flexibility to serve all of our fuel needs.
Derrick B. writes and posts content on a topic he is very passionate about, which is hydrogen cars
Some of our most popular articles are about hydrogen car conversion, how hydrogen cars work, and information about the BMW and Honda Hydrogen Cars
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