Big bumps on the 'hydrogen highway'


Phil Chubb, Special to the SunPublished: Wednesday, May 30, 2007
The "hydrogen highway" article of May 26 neglects to mention the following:
- Hydrogen fuel isn't free. Most hydrogen presently comes from passing steam through natural gas or steam and oxygen through pulverized coal, which consumes 30 per cent of the hydrogen's available energy.
- Mass producing hydrogen by electrolysis from environment-friendly sources -- hydrogen proponents' Holy Grail -- is even less efficient, consuming 70 per cent of the hydrogen's available energy.

- Most energy required to produce hydrogen comes and will continue to come from burning coal or natural gas. This produces air pollution and greenhouse gases and unnecessarily squanders finite fossil fuel reserves on an inefficient process.
- Hydrogen's physical and chemical properties make transporting and storing it challenging and expensive.
- Despite the hype and years of heavily government-subsidized research, hydrogen fuel cells remain expensive, with limited lifespans. Meanwhile, battery technology advances steadily. Compare your cellphone or laptop battery with what was available 10 years ago.
- Efficient, low-pollution plug-in hybrid vehicles will soon be on the market. Production of Chevrolet's Volt is scheduled for 2010.
The "hydrogen highway" concept is the product of vested commercial and political interests. To date, both have demonstrated greater skill in extracting and squandering taxpayers' dollars on a futile concept than in producing a viable, environment-friendly transportation alternative.
Phil Chubb lives in North Vancouver