I've read one too many articles pondering what might be the automotive fuel of the future. Admittedly, they've gotten better over the last few years. They no longer speculate about hydrogen exploding like the Hindenberg. They no longer tout cars that "run on water". They no longer cite prices for hydrogen from scientific suppliers at $30/kg.
But one thing they all do, still, is compare hydrogen as it is produced today to hydrogen as it will be produced in the future. The last article I read (aaugh!) went so far as to claim "we don't know" how hydrogen will be produced in the future. WTF?
I can think of about five different ways to produce hydrogen right now, in my back yard. The problem isn't how to produce it. The problem is there's no way to use it! And that's only a problem because there are still idiots writing articles wondering what the fuel of the future might be.
The article also spent a good deal of time explaining that hydrogen is today produced from natural gas, leaving carbon behind. Yeah well I don't care! Everything from my toothpaste to my computer is made from fossil fuels today. But, the fact is, some day those fuels will run out. And while my toothpaste and even plastics can be made without fossil fuels, gasoline can't! It's also questionable whether ethanol and biodiesel can be profitably made without fossil fuel inputs. They sure as hell can't be made with wind and solar power.
But, seriously, doubting the usefulness of hydrogen based on how it is produced is like doubting the usefulness of electricity because it's produced from coal. It doesn't matter! The benefit of a standard delivery method like electricity is, if we decide we don't like coal for some reason, we can outlaw coal tomorrow and the entire country won't have to buy a new toaster oven. If we decide we don't like hydrogen made from natural gas, we can outlaw it in 20 years and nobody will have to buy a new car, or build a new jet plane.
There's another benefit of a standard delivery system like electricity or hydrogen as well. Over the years, the cost of electricity has remained remarkably steady, even as the cost of most fossil fuels has soared and the power plants themselves have changed dramatically. Appliances have also gotten more and more efficient. Manufacturers can afford to invest in improvements because they know electricity will still be around in 30 years.
Good luck getting a US auto manufacturer to invest today in gasoline engine efficiency improvements. They'll never pay off. And even better luck getting an investment in any of the many possible "fuels of the future" to pay off until we actually know what that fuel might be. Here's a hint: it's hydrogen.
