Hydrogen Cars

There is an abundance of hydrogen on our planet.
Many can’t wait until we see hydrogen refueling stations on every corner. In order to use the fuel cell concept in vehicles as a source of energy, it must be pure hydrogen. Pure hydrogen does not occur naturally, it must be collected using a chemical or electrical process. At the moment, the cheapest way to produce hydrogen is the latest “steam methane reforming”. Another concept in research and development is a procedure that involves solar energy. Fuel companies can save ten percent by using environmentally safe solar energy to remove hydrogen.

Automotive corporations like Toyota, Honda and GM are paying close attention to fuel cell powered vehicles. Toyota assures us that fuel cells are the most efficient power source for a car and far more cost effective than internal combustion engines. A battery and a fuel cell are much alike, using a chemical response of electrons between hydrogen and oxygen to generate power.

Toyota has begun to investigate a wide range of fuel sources such as natural gas, gasoline and liquid hydrogen, as well as the development of components to use with this type of energy. Toyota is justifying their thoughts on whether or not they should propose a fuel cell car to the general public for retail sale before October 2014 and at a very high price.

The main problem that must be overcome if fuel cell cars are to be usable by the general public is infrastructure. The infrastructure will have to include input from the company, Chevron Texaco, which is developing a unique filling station that houses small-scale natural gas steam reforming on site to produce hydrogen, is a great example.

Traditionally, hydrogen cars meant a lack of performance. Toyota has had colossal success with a prototype high-power vehicle. We won’t see hydrogen cars on the market until automakers figure out an optimal way to make the cars to drive down the price. There are currently no hydrogen-powered cars commercially available to consumers, but the government and car companies aim by 2010 to have the infrastructure in place.