Feds, Automakers Renew Vow To Make Hydrogen the Fuel of the Future
By John O'Dell August 15, 2008In case you've been wondering, major automakers and the lame-duck Bush Administration have reaffirmed their joint commitment to hydrogen fuel and to getting fuel-cell electric and other hydrogen-using vehicles into the retail market by 2018.
The happy group renewed its vows during a hydrogen technology showcase Thursday in Washington.
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A pair of Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric Vehicles are shown in rendering of a hydrogen fuel station being installed near los Angeles International Airport.
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"With continued investment, hydrogen holds the potential to help fundamentally change the way we power our vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Bud Albright, an Energy Department undersecretary, said in remarks delivered during the public showcase.
The Energy Department, Transportation Department, nine automakers with prototype hydrogen-using vehicles and a number of fuel companies and other hydrogen advocates are in the midst of a cross-country tour to promote hydrogen as the logical successor to oil for fueling cars and trucks.
The manufacturers in "Hydrogen Road Tour '08" are BMW, Daimler, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co., Hyundai-Kia, Nissan Motor Co., Toyota Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG.
The National Research Council estimates that under the "best-case" scenario - with technological hurdles cleared, consumers primed to buy and drive hydrogen autos, and the government and industry willing to make a massive financial investment -- it would take 15 years to make hydrogen-powered autos cost-competitive with conventional cars and trucks, the subscription-only Greenwire news service reported today.
But a massive new fueling infrastructure would be needed to give the vehicles mass market appeal: today there are only 63 hydrogen stations in the entire country, and most are dedicated to government and private fleets and are not open to the public.
The research council estimates that a minimum investment of $200 billion - 75 percent of it form private industry -- will be needed through 2023 to successfully bring hydrogen cars to market.
The National Hydrogen Assn. disagrees with that figure, calling it "staggeringly high," and General Motors has estimated that an investment of $10 billion to $15 billion would provide the initial framework for a national hydrogen fueling system.
The California Fuel Cell Partnership has estimated that hydrogen fuel initially would cost $8 to $13 for the equivalent of a gallon of gas -- whether compressed for fuel cells or in liquid form for hydrogen-burning internal combustion-engine vehicles such as BMW's Hydrogen 7-Series prototype.
But hydrogen delivers about twice the efficiency of gasoline, making the "real" price closer to $4 to $6.50 a gallon-equivalent. Increased production from an expanding hydrogen vehicle fleet could help lower the price.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor
LEAVE A COMMENT
As a former bus commuter I can tell you main reason most people don't ride is the difficulty of reaching work after alighting from the bus.
A fleet of small electric cars at the arrival Park and Ride could be used by these commuters. They'd be intentionally ugly and incapable of speeds that would tempt joy riders, and their cost would be included in the commuter's monthly bus pass.
Perhaps one of the national auto rental companies could be talked into taking on the maintenance of these vehicles.
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