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NEW CAR PRICES AND RESEARCH
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Fuel Economy: Hydrogen Vehicles
A nice idea for the future, but not a present-day fix
by Brian Chee
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| FUEL ECONOMY AND CLEAN AIR GUIDE |
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Forget hydrogen, at least for the near future and probably forever. The infrastructure isn't in place and won't be unless AM/PMs start selling 32 oz. hydrogen big gulps, the technology isn't ready, and let's face it - no one really wants to drive a hydrogen car.
This much change on a global scale would require years of preparation and gradual implementation. The end result would be a scenario where impoverished countries pollute with internal combustion, while wealthy nations make the switch to hydropower. And here's a more realistic reason - taxation. What would the U.S. and EU do without the tariffs and fees they plant on a gallon of fuel?
Still, hydrogen is a nice goal to shoot toward, and Automakers have made great strides in developing this technology. Today, there are actual full-power vehicles on the road - a Honda FCX in Los Angeles, two Toyota FCHV SUVs for the University of California, and Ford's Focus FCV. Each vehicle utilizes hydrogen and fuel cells in a different way, but the basic premise is the same. According to the Alternative Fuel Data Center, "Hydrogen gas (H2) can be produced in virtually unlimited quantities using renewable resources. Hydrogen's real potential rests in its future role as fuel for fuel cell vehicles. Hydrogen and oxygen fed into a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell "stack" produces enough electricity to power an electric automobile, without producing harmful emissions."
Automakers continue to work on making these fuel cells smaller, as well as increasing power. Prototypes are at the point where an adequate power supply can be stored in a fuel cell small enough for a regular vehicle, such as the Ford Focus or Honda FCX - but with modifications.
Then there's the General Motors Hy-wire concept, the first vehicle to combine hydrogen fuel cell power with bywire technology. Bywire technology means that vehicle systems - steering, braking, and acceleration - are controlled electronically. The Hy-wire concept enables drivers to brake and accelerate with either the right or left hand. The steering wheel is actually a set of handgrips the driver slides up and down.
General Motors is aggressively pursuing the Hy-wire concept, with an eye on becoming the first manufacturer to mass-produce fuel cell vehicles by 2010. GM's hydrogen strategy is outlined in the Hy-wire and Autonomy concept vehicles.
Sounds good, but hold the phone: government estimates put a hydrogen refueling infrastructure on the map at around 2020 - which is why GM is attempting to solve the problem by using in-house fuel such as natural gas as the refueling method.
Perhaps one day hydrogen will be how vehicles get down the road. Automakers are spending billions of dollars to make this a reality. Yet optimistic estimates for the maturity of this type of energy source are 10 years out - and probably more. In the meantime, hydrogen is just what it is - a nice idea for the future, but not a present-day fix for the problems of fuel costs and oil dependency.
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Source: ABT
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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