A Hydrogen-Filled Dream

“I have a dream…”

The sentiment of these words by Martin Luther King have been shared by many throughout the years in American history, beginning with the Revolutionary War, with a dream for freedom by our forefathers. Abraham Lincoln then dreamed of equality and a land united. Women dreamed of the right to vote and through their efforts, their dream came true. Martin Luther King’s dream became a reality. John F. Kennedy envisioned sending a space ship to the moon and now we have landed on Mars.

Another dream is now emerging and quickly becoming a reality: the hydrogen economy. Although this dream is not new, the escalating cost of oil is quickly bringing it to the forefront. There is a movement, the Hydrogen Manhattan Project – led by individual Americans – to support corporations and elected officials towards the goal of having every car on the road in the U.S. powered by hydrogen produced from clean sources of energy by the end of 2020.

Many carmakers are stepping up and taking the lead in this venture. In June of this year, the Honda FCX Clarity came off of the assembly line, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell -instead of gasoline – and produces absolutely no carbon emissions. A teacher and mom is now test-driving the new Chevy Equinox fuel cell car in Massachusetts. In her words, “I’m contributing to the future, just by making this car closer to a reality for everyone else.”

Last fall, Toyota released the newest version of the FCHV, a mid-size SUV powered by a hydrogen fuel cell that gets 80 miles per kilogram of hydrogen and has a driving range of 480 miles. Suzuki has been approved to road test a new hydrogen fuel cell version of its SX4-FCV.

Although fuel cell vehicles have advanced to the point where the initial stages of mass production can begin in three or four years, what is lacking is the hydrogen fueling infrastructure. There are currently only about 70 hydrogen fueling stations nationwide, with California leading the way with 25 of them. It is estimated that only 12,000 hydrogen fueling stations would need to be built in order to have a fueling station within two miles of 70% of the entire U.S. population and one every 25 miles on the freeways between the largest 100 cities. The free market can be utilized to the fullest extent to build the hydrogen fueling stations.

A hydrogen economy is the dream of a few that can become a reality for all. Hydrogen provides a fuel that is totally produced in this country, is less expensive than gasoline, has no negative economic side effects, and is friendly to the environment. Will the goal of the Hydrogen Manhattan Project be met by 2020? Only we can decide.

About the Author:

Sue Proctor is the founder of The Earth Keepers. If you have questions or comments, you can contact The Earth Keepers at s.earthkeepers@att.net.