Submitted by Uncle Reality on Mon, 02/11/2008 - 10:25pm.
Building the vehicle was the EASY part.
Now, figure out where all this hydrogen is coming from. Production of hydrogen is still energy negative unless we use rather large photo-voltaic cells or resort to chemical conversions that result in large quantities of waste.
Have you ever seen the production and refueling facility for the "All-American Family's Fuel Cell Accord," that Honda gave away a few years ago? It was about the size of a railroad car and had to be located in Southern California so that the solar cells that could power the electrolysis could get enough sun.
The bottom line is that cheap hydrogen that is widely available is a pipe-dream for the foreseeable future. 2020 will come and go with no fuel cell vehicles on our roads.
BTW, don't place bets on ethanol being anything beyond an additive anytime soon, either. It's still energy negative and there is no national or regional distribution infrastructure. We're still subjecting it to raw politics, as well. Brazil could export millions of gallons of surplus ethanol here every year, but agricultural state politicains have made ethanol importation illegal. Meanwhile, corn prices are skyrocketing, fueling inflation in almost all prepared products and meat.
The best bets for the future are still hybrids, electric vehicles, and propane/LNG fuel. Biodiesel usage will likely grow, as well. They all work right now - the rest is just fantasy, for now.
Fuel cell vehicles