Car experts claimed that hydrogen cars would be popular by now. They haven’t taken off for two reasons; cost and infrastructure. It takes a lot of money to produce hydrogen plus there aren’t enough places for people to replenish their rides. So instead we have lots of hybrid autos out there and some consumers are buying electric ones such as the Volt. The only state where you are likely to see a hydrogen auto is in California.

Actually, the idea of powering a vehicle with hydrogen is an old one. In fact, the technology for using hydrogen to power a vehicle has been around for quite a long time now. There are actually two types of hydrogen autos available; one where the engine is powered directly by the hydrogen. The second one uses a fuel cell as a power source to power a hybrid type vehicle or pure electric car. The fuel cell is a device which converts hydrogen to electricity. There are no pollutants as the result of the burning of hydrogen. It produces byproducts that are natural and can be absorbed the environment without any damage to our eco system.

The main issue is cost; it costs way too much money to make hydrogen because rare materials are needed in order to produce it. Hydrogen fuel is not a product of nature. Instead it must be made from methane or some other fossil fuels. It can also be a byproduct of such resources as wind, solar or nuclear. Using these resources is not practical when a motor vehicle is involved. It’s much more practical to utilize a fuel cell. Also, the only state that has stations is California and they only have thirteen.

One major obstacle is cost. Folks complain about filling up their car with gas but remember that one kilo of hydrogen fuel generally sells for $15. That is the same amount as one gallon of gas which may cost $4. As you can see, the cost difference is rather significant.

However, that doesn’t mean that automotive companies have given up on the idea. Many have programs that are studying the possibility while others experiment building hydrogen powered concept autos. One hydrogen auto that can be leased is the FCX clarity by Honda. It’s available in California because that’s the state with the most number of stations.

We will see more hydrogen cars only once there are enough stations to support a large number of users and when the cost drops down. It’s not realistic to expect consumers to pay $15 per kilo of hydrogen. We’re probably around ten years ago from making turning hydrogen autos into a reality.

Hydrogen cars wouldn’t take anything away from electric cars or hybrid autos, they would simply be one more option that consumers would have available if they wanted a green auto. Options are a good thing because they give us a choice. With the proper infrastructure and lowered cost of manufacturing fuel cells, hydrogen autos on our roadways can become a reality.

Author Bio: Written by Jacqueline Star – We have lots of new cars at Ford Fiesta Dallas in TX. Ford Dealers St Louis offers cars in St Louis and Fort Worth Ford offers deals in DFW and Dallas.

Category: Automotive
Keywords: hydrogen cars, hydrogen autos, hydrogen automobiles, hydrogen, cars