waltondammerung

When hydrogen bombs

I have long been skeptical of the miracle that will save us all from certain death by asphixiation sitting in traffic: hydrogen-fueled automobiles. What I heard on the news today clinched it for me; I had no idea that the most economical way to produce hydrogen is an electricity-intensive process converting fossil fuels into hydrogen. I about choked on my teeth when I heard it. "But," you say, "But it also requires a lot of energy to refine oil into gasoline. At least we will have the benefit of cleaner emissions." To that, I refer to scientists who think that the hydrogen escaping into the atmosphere as we transport it and inject it into our cars will realistically cause as much pollution damage as car exhaust does now. If you take into account the energy required to produce the hydrogen, it seems that the only pollution that would be cut significantly is noise pollution, since hydrogen cars run silently. And even that's not all that great, if you think about it. Who wants the person in the next car to be able to hear them warbling along with the radio?

Then there's the fact that even people who have a vested interest in encouraging the hydrogen hype--scientists developing it who depend on interested investors or government money to fund their research--say that hydrogen cars for consumers are twenty to thirty years off, at best. I have yet to hear anything more optimistic from anyone deeply involved in the industry (and I read a lot about this sort of stuff for work).

I admit I'm far from being an expert, but I'm going to hazard to predict that the smart money is on hybrid cars over hydrogen. Why? They're realistic and they're affordable. People are buying them already. They actually cut down on emissions and the use of fossil fuels. I predict that hydrogen cars have been overhyped, and that the hype will die long before mass-produced hydrogen cars roll off the assembly line. And I will be laughing all the way home in my used Prius as I pass all of the unused hydrogen fuelings stations that our esteemed governor apparently will have built by then.

PS Sorry I have no references to back me up on most of this (except the beautiful photo of Arnold). I read a lot of it in business journals and trade magazines for work, and I don't remember exactly where I've read a lot of it. Even if I did, I would be able to link to it online, because most of it is for subscribers only.