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Forget Hydrogen Cars, and Buy a Hybrid
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/533186/forget-hydrogen-cars-and-buy-a-hybrid/[font face=Serif][font size=5]Forget Hydrogen Cars, and Buy a Hybrid[/font]
[font size=4]Hybrids are a much more cost-effective way to reduce carbon emissions than newly released hydrogen fuel cell cars.[/font]
By Kevin Bullis on December 12, 2014
[font size=3]If you want to help cut greenhouse gas emissions, you should probably skip the hydrogen fuel cell cars now coming to market and buy a (much cheaper) hybrid instead.
After decades of research and small-scale demonstrations, hydrogen cars are finally rolling into view. These vehicles use electric motors, but their electricity comes not from a battery but from hydrogen, processed in a chemical reaction that takes place inside a fuel cell.
Researchers and engineers have greatly lowered the costs of fuel cells—by as much as 95 percent—in recent years. That, along with pressure to meet emissions regulations in California, means the technology is finally coming to market. Earlier this year, Hyundai started leasing hydrogen-powered Tucson Fuel Cell SUVs in California. Toyota plans to launch a newly designed compact hydrogen car called the Mirai in Japan this month and in the U.S. next year. Meanwhile, GM, Honda, and others are developing their own hydrogen vehicles.
Carmakers are keen to extol the environmental credentials of these new models. Hyundai advertises that its cars emit no carbon dioxide, while Toyota boasts that its hydrogen cars “leave nothing behind but water.”
…[/font][/font]
[font size=4]Hybrids are a much more cost-effective way to reduce carbon emissions than newly released hydrogen fuel cell cars.[/font]
By Kevin Bullis on December 12, 2014
[font size=3]If you want to help cut greenhouse gas emissions, you should probably skip the hydrogen fuel cell cars now coming to market and buy a (much cheaper) hybrid instead.
After decades of research and small-scale demonstrations, hydrogen cars are finally rolling into view. These vehicles use electric motors, but their electricity comes not from a battery but from hydrogen, processed in a chemical reaction that takes place inside a fuel cell.
Researchers and engineers have greatly lowered the costs of fuel cells—by as much as 95 percent—in recent years. That, along with pressure to meet emissions regulations in California, means the technology is finally coming to market. Earlier this year, Hyundai started leasing hydrogen-powered Tucson Fuel Cell SUVs in California. Toyota plans to launch a newly designed compact hydrogen car called the Mirai in Japan this month and in the U.S. next year. Meanwhile, GM, Honda, and others are developing their own hydrogen vehicles.
Carmakers are keen to extol the environmental credentials of these new models. Hyundai advertises that its cars emit no carbon dioxide, while Toyota boasts that its hydrogen cars “leave nothing behind but water.”
…[/font][/font]