The capacity to mass produce hydrogen powered vehicles and the fuel required to run them has been available for many years, yet industry experts still estimate that the technology is 10 to 20 years away from being a mainstream fuel supply. This is not due to a lack of experience by manufacturers in the production of Hydrogen fuel cells, or vehicles that run on them.
The first Hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle was built in the 1960s by General Motors in the United States. Hydrogen fuel cells were also used in space by NASA in the 1960s. Given the impressive pedigree and early development of this fuel, why is it not yet a commercial reality?
The facts are that Hydrogen is a very dangerous substance, and these dangers are present not just at the consumer end but all the way through production, transportation and storage. A tank of pressurized Hydrogen in many ways the same as a time bomb. Any damage to the structure of the vessel containing the Hydrogen could result in a powerful explosion, even from relatively small tanks like those that would be fitted to automobiles.
There is also the issue of using electricity to produce Hydrogen in the first place. This itself is quite energy intensive and involves losses of energy at each stage of transformation from one form to another, such as when electrical energy is converted into chemical energy to form the Hydrogen molecules. Even if this electricity was generated from clean sources such as solar panels, it could be used directly to charge batteries or supply a grid with greater efficiency than for producing Hydrogen.
So what is the future of the fuel cell? Fuel cells do not have to run only on Hydrogen. They can be run on many different fuels, including methanol and ethanol. Both these substances can be produced at a far lower electricity cost than Hydrogen. These fuels do produce Carbon Dioxide emissions however, though these could be neutralized by use of biofuel crops to produce the fuel in the first place.
Unless we are able to produce virtually limitless amounts of energy the Hydrogen economy is unlikely to emerge. Our time would be better spent discussing the serious development of the Ethanol economy. This technology is proven, safe and far cheaper than its Hydrogen counterpart and can be easily mated with current battery powered electrical systems.
The first Hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle was built in the 1960s by General Motors in the United States. Hydrogen fuel cells were also used in space by NASA in the 1960s. Given the impressive pedigree and early development of this fuel, why is it not yet a commercial reality?
The facts are that Hydrogen is a very dangerous substance, and these dangers are present not just at the consumer end but all the way through production, transportation and storage. A tank of pressurized Hydrogen in many ways the same as a time bomb. Any damage to the structure of the vessel containing the Hydrogen could result in a powerful explosion, even from relatively small tanks like those that would be fitted to automobiles.
There is also the issue of using electricity to produce Hydrogen in the first place. This itself is quite energy intensive and involves losses of energy at each stage of transformation from one form to another, such as when electrical energy is converted into chemical energy to form the Hydrogen molecules. Even if this electricity was generated from clean sources such as solar panels, it could be used directly to charge batteries or supply a grid with greater efficiency than for producing Hydrogen.
So what is the future of the fuel cell? Fuel cells do not have to run only on Hydrogen. They can be run on many different fuels, including methanol and ethanol. Both these substances can be produced at a far lower electricity cost than Hydrogen. These fuels do produce Carbon Dioxide emissions however, though these could be neutralized by use of biofuel crops to produce the fuel in the first place.
Unless we are able to produce virtually limitless amounts of energy the Hydrogen economy is unlikely to emerge. Our time would be better spent discussing the serious development of the Ethanol economy. This technology is proven, safe and far cheaper than its Hydrogen counterpart and can be easily mated with current battery powered electrical systems.
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