Hydrogen fuel cell not a solution until 2020

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Date: 2003-03-27

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"Even with aggressive research, the hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle will not be better than the diesel hybrid (a vehicle powered by a conventional engine supplemented by an electric motor) in terms of total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by 2020," according to a recent study by MIT researchers. Release of the study, which was carried out by the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment (LFEE), follows just a month after President Bush announced a billion-dollar initiative to develop the hydrogen fuel-cell-powered “Freedom Car.”

However, the MIT study suggests that even best estimates of the efficiency and practicality of fuel-cell vehicles indicate that they will not be able to compete with the hybrid cars, which are already on the road, until about 2020. The new study is an extension of a study done in 2000, which also concluded that the hydrogen fuel cell was not a clear winner. The sticking point is that, although hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles have low emissions and energy use on the road, converting a hydrocarbon fuel such as natural gas or gasoline into hydrogen to fuel this vehicle uses substantial energy and emits greenhouse gases.

“Ignoring the emissions and energy use involved in making and delivering the fuel and manufacturing the vehicle gives a misleading impression,” according to Malcolm A. Weiss, LFEE senior research staff member. Read the MIT Web site article

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