The Challenge with Hydrogen Powered Cars
Cars, they are a major adversary to the environment. Cars emissions are one of the leading causes to pollution in the air. The majority of us use them and for some it is very difficult not to use them. Sometimes mass transportation is not available to get you where you need to go. Sometimes it is too far for you to ride your bike or walk. These are all understandable issues and they are fairly good excuses for using a car, but they don’t take away from the fact that cars emit vile carbon gases into the air.
A solution to this problem has been in the formulating stages for a long time. Electric cars were the first to really be pushed out the door and into the market. All you have to do is plug your car in and let it charge for a while. Too bad those vehicles don’t hold a charge for very long. Now, there are electric cars run by hydrogen fuel. They are very eco-friendly because they do not let off any emissions, but they certainly aren’t economically friendly.
In an article from the Environmental News Network, I read about the 2009 Hydrogen Road Rally. A dozen or so hydrogen powered vehicles drove up California to Vancouver. This event may not seem that special, but the significance is grand for the future of hydrogen cars. You may not know it but IOE was the organizer and sponsor of the first alternative fuel vehicle rally, “The Drive to Survive,” that went across the country in 2003.
Currently, one hydrogen powered car would cost $500,000. That is extremely expensive, but if the cars were able to be mass produced, the cost would drop down to that of new cars on the market now.
So, why don’t they mass produce these vehicles? Just like any other car, hydrogen cars need fuel. You may not notice this, but at the gas station, there is no pump for hydrogen fuel. That was a big deal with this Hydrogen Rally. British Columbia, Canada, currently has a couple hydrogen fuel stations and they are planning on putting in a few more. This rally was in the hopes of getting a “hydrogen highway” through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. This highway would have fuel stations all along it so that people with hydrogen cars could drive from Baja, California to Vancouver, Canada.
This is the beginning of something big. Before you know it, we all will be driving hydrogen powered cars. Until then though, I would like to hear your thoughts on this new type of car.
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