Hydrogen Vehicles – Are they Feasible?
The importance of developing new methods of powering a vehicle is becoming more and more of a focus for manufacturers. Although the research and development of new methods comes at a price, the damage being done to the environment by the established methods is reaching such a level that it has now become necessary for governments to pass legislation penalizing those who continue to produce damaging vehicles. Faced with the choice between developing less sustainable methods and being fined, and putting the money in now to ensure a more stable future, it makes sense to move to newer, cleaner methods of vehicle production.
The hydrogen fuel cell is a method that has come under some scrutiny in recent times. With some debate over the feasibility of hybrid and electric cars at the present time, not least in terms of refueling while there are so few enabled service stations, hydrogen is seen by some as the savior of the motor car. Noted “petrol head” Jay Leno has said that the hydrogen car may well even be the savior of the old cars we know and love – by using the cleaner, more efficient models such as the Honda Clarity for our day-to-day journeys, we will still be able to enjoy the likes of the Bugatti Veyron and Porsche Carrera for “weekend driving”. However, there is a growing body of criticism for the hydrogen-powered car, with some sources arguing that the technology is currently imperfect, and perfection so far off that it could be up to forty years before we can expect a feasible large-scale solution.
Some argue that hydrogen powered vehicles will not have a meaningful impact on gasoline use nor on the environment for so long that any money spent on the development of such vehicles will simply divert resources away from more immediate solutions. The government has gone to the lengths of cutting off funding for the development of hydrogen fuel cells, and as of the present time the number of public vehicles powered in this way in the United States is in the region of two hundred – most of those being in California, where the support for the technology, both emotionally and logistically, is at its highest.
While none of this means that companies should cease research into the production of hydrogen-powered vehicles, there is a growing belief that other methods of powering cars, such as biodiesel, may well be a better bet for the future. The problem with the hydrogen dream is that, as yet, it simply is not a technology which is ready for mass production, and that alternative, equally clean and even cleaner methods are further ahead in their development. While, some years down the line, hydrogen fuel cells may well be a viable answer to the many problems we face, companies will need to pick a point to focus on and follow it through if we are to have cleaner motoring any time soon. As things stand, Honda is pressing ahead with the Clarity FCX, and if there are positive outcomes on that front, things are still prone to change.