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 Hydrogen
(H2) is being aggressively explored
as a fuel for passenger vehicles. It can be used in fuel
cells to power electric motors or burned in internal combustion
engines (ICEs).
It is an environmentally friendly fuel that has the potential to
dramatically reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but several significant
challenges must be overcome before it can be widely used.
Benefits
Produced Domestically. Hydrogen can be produced
domestically from several sources, reducing our dependence on petroleum
imports.
Environmentally Friendly. Hydrogen produces no
air pollutants or greenhouse gases when used in fuel cells; it produces
only nitrogen oxides (NOx) when burned in ICEs.
Challenges
 Fuel
Cost & Availability. Hydrogen is currently expensive
to produce and is only available at a handful of locations, mostly
in California.
Vehicle Cost & Availability. Fuel
cell vehicles are currently far too expensive for most consumers
to afford, and they are only available to a few demonstration fleets.
Onboard Fuel Storage. Hydrogen contains much less
energy than gasoline or diesel on a per-volume basis, making it difficult for hydrogen vehicles to go as far as gasoline vehicles between fillups—about 300 miles. Technology is improving, but the onboard hydrogen storage systems do not yet meet size, wieght, and cost goals for commercialization.
Other challenges include
fuel cell performance, customer acceptance, and hydrogen transport
and bulk storage.
Additional Information
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