Use of Hydrogen Fuels in Cars
Hydrogen fuel in cars can greatly reduce our dependence on foreign oil, as well as reduce the carbon footprint left by gas-burning vehicles. Another great benefit of hydrogen fuel is that it can be harvested from so many different sources, like biomass and methane gas. However, there's still much debate over this new technology. Some argue that the cost of hydrogen fuel conversion is just too great. In May 2008, Wired News reported that "experts say it will be 40 years or more before hydrogen has any meaningful impact on gasoline consumption or global warming, and we can't afford to wait that long. In the meantime, fuel cells are diverting resources from more immediate solutions." Both sides agree that hydrogen fuels in cars can revolutionize our way of life, but only the future will tell for certain.
Other People Are Reading
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Los Alamos National Laboratory
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The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has been conducting research on hydrogen fuel cells for the past 28 years. Scientists at Los Alamos are developing better materials and technologies to improve different fuel cell components.
Hydrogen Fuel Leader
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As of 2009, California's governor Arnold Schwarzenegger supports a plan to get over 2000 hydrogen filling stations built by 2010, stretching up and down the west coast from Vancouver, British Columbia, all the way down to Baja, California.
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Fuel Cell
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Fuel cells convert hydrogen to electricity through a chemical process. Fuel cells are considered a clean energy source because the only byproducts are heat and water.
History
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The Rivaz car had the first internal combustion engine that used hydrogen in 1807. The experimental prototype designed by Francois Isaac de Rivaz of Switzerland stored compressed hydrogen gas in a balloon and had an electrical cell ignition (see Resources).
The Reformer
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The "reformer" is an onboard device that converts hydrogen-rich fuels like methanol into hydrogen gas.
Uncertain Future
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Many hydrogen fuel programs have been shelved or delayed because the new technology is still unproven in certain conditions, and is extremely expensive (see Resources).
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