R.I.P Hydrogen Highway
Nearly four years ago Schwarzenegger first outlined his plan, but because fuel cell technology is progressing much slower than glaciers are receding and California is in a budget crunch, the pipeline to funding is being shut off.
While noble in its aspiration, the technology to create hydrogen from clean energy sources is still not there, so building hundreds of stations made no sense. Putting the money into R&D to make hydrogen from electrolysis or algae more cost effective, fuel cell vehicles or hydrogen storage, would have been a better bet, even though billions have already been spent on those areas.
During those four years plug-in hybrids, cellulosic and electric vehicles have all progressed much more rapidly, and in combination, they could eliminate the need for fuel cell cars and a hydrogen highway.
Ethanol and electricity are much easier to distribute and store than hydrogen, so unless there is a major breakthrough in hydrogen from clean energy in the near future, fuel cell cars may never come to pass.
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- The Hydrogen Distraction - December 26, 2006
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Comments
It's ignorant assholes like you that get people looking in the wrong direction. We need to DEMAND hydrogen. If hydrogen IS dying, it's because of counter-progressive, ill-informed articles like this one are duping the mass of stupid into setting their eyes on ethanol and garbagey alternatives that aren't even truly green energy at all. Being slightly better than gasoline is like placing a band-aid where stitches are required.
Ok, I don't want to second David's choice of words, but I agree with his basic case. The blogosphere is littered with plug-in champions, battery/ethanol true believers. And skepticism over H2. It's like the pro-Ron Paul media movement for energy. Everywhere you turn it's anti-H2... Wheel based electric motors are the future of the auto industry- b/c of design, cost and performance advantages. Not b/c of the Earth.
Auto engineers will tell you that batteries, fuel cells and capacitors are all needed. Batteries alone cannot do the job. They have problems with scalability and performance. Batteries cannot compete with H2 fuel cells in mass /volume production. Plus, the infrastructure for 'plugging in' does not exist. The case is overstated. How many people park their car within ten feet of a plug? What type of plug? Is it raining or cold outside? We would need to build that infrastructure.
Only H2 fuel cells can deliver electron streams to electric motors on par with a combustion engine. H2 storage as a solid is the future. Progress is coming along quite fine - in chemical and physical adsorption systems. If you have it as a solid, you can sell H2 over retail shelves. Bricks sold at the 'gas station' that just pop into your vehicles. Do not assume we need to rebuild the gas station model. Walmart can build your H2 highway.
Local production is also likely. Appliances that produce H2 locally (from gas/water) are also coming along nicely with nanostructured catalysts that reduce cost and improve efficiencies. And bio-driven reactions that produce H2 are quite real - and revolutionary.
The statements against H2 are always overstated and ignore the role of materials science in production/storage solutions.
We should not confuse ourselves with any 'short term fixes' for the auto industry. We are reinventing a major industry, not putting on band aids. Thank you David)
If we expect Asia to come online with plug ins we are kidding ourselves. They are going the cheapest road forward. And unless we give them a viable mass volume alternative to combustion engines, there is no stopping their choice. Silicon Valley green VCs are hilarious in their 'pro battery' car stance when they have no idea of how to build a mass volume car. Where does someone in Asia 'plug in'? H2 offers us local production and retail based distribution.
Ok, off my stool. Just please, don't buy into the short-term approach - and cynicism. Electric motors cannot move forward without H2 fuel cells.
Thank you... www.garrygolden.net
