Hyundai and Toyota are two companies leading the way in terms of hydrogen cars – so it’s safe to say that they’re not just a thing of the future, but they’re very much a reality now. When H2 cars become more widespread, the United States will be less dependent on foreign oil, achieve lower prices for gas, and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
In 2005, Honda became the first automaker to lease a commercial fuel cell vehicle (FCV) to a family in Redondo Beach, California. In 2008, the Honda FCX Clarity became the first production line FCV available for lease to the public. In late 2012, Hyundai started building production line fuel cell vehicles for sales to fleet managers worldwide.
For the past 36 years, the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has been conducting research on fuel cells for use in transportation, industry and residential applications.
Hydrogen fuel cells are unique in that they offer the potential for zero emissions, as the only byproducts from these automobiles are heat and water vapor. In contrast, many of the current hybrid and “green” vehicles on the market still emit pollutants such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, ozone and microscopic particulate matter.
Zero Emissions
Hybrids and other green autos are a step in the right direction to address environmental issues, but only hydrogen cars have the promise of zero emissions of pollutants. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that fossil-fuel automobiles emit 1 ½ billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year, but hydrogen fuel-based transportation would all but eliminate this.
In addition to this, H2 autos will reduce the United States’ reliance on foreign oil sources. The so-called “hydrogen highway” will lead to less dependence on OPEC, large U.S. oil companies, oil refinery malfunctions and disruptions, and less resistance from oil-producing nations like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia or from hostile nations.
Cluster Model
The cluster model for transitioning from gasoline-powered cars to hydrogen-powered cars involves building hydrogen fueling stations in high population areas and then gradually rolling out hydrogen cars in those areas. This will be done in larger cities first, and then the clusters of hydrogen refueling stations and fuel cell cars will eventually be connected through infrastructure.
The majority of scientists and engineers agree that converting from gasoline-powered internal combustion engines to hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines is a relatively easy transition. This would buy time for fuel cell cars to be fully adapted.
Hydrogen-on-demand vehicles and those that use hydrogen peroxide as a propellant are still contenders in the marketplace, avoiding the need for compressed or liquid hydrogen refueling altogether. And, what about adapting hydrogen peroxide for fuel in cars since it is currently being used in race cars and jet packs? These are other options to consider although they may be farther out on the timeline.
Hydrogen cars are the future, so take a test drive of this website right now and see what you’ll be driving a few short years from now. With Germany, Japan, Scandinavi.The hydrogen economy is rapidly approaching and Great Britain and the United States are in the hunt. Are you ready?
On June 10, 2014, Hyundai handed the keys to Tim Bush and family so that they can drive the first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicle available for lease by a consumer in the United States.
