T Mac
01-05-2008, 07:13 PM
The experts say fuel-cell electric cars are unlikely to hit the showrooms much before 2020.
But after driving the Honda FCX working prototype around Vancouver yesterday, I'm a little more optimistic.
The hydrogen-fuelled technology that will finally dismiss the gas guzzling internal combustion engine to the garbage heap, replacing it with the zero-emission electric powerplant, has made fabulous progress in recent years.
Perhaps the two biggest obstacles to mass production don't concern the effectiveness of the power generation technology itself.
One is the ability to store the hydrogen used to generate the electricity in a tank that won't take up the whole rear end of the vehicle in order to give the vehicle a decent range of use between fill ups.
Two is the development of a totally new and incredibly expensive roadside infrastructure to enable fuel-cell vehicles to "gas up" in the same way as a regular vehicle.
Solving the first problem will lead to the investment needed by - dare I say it - oil companies to build the infrastructure necessary to meet the fuel supply side.
Click here (http://autos.canada.com/news/story.html?id=e7402017-0521-403e-8831-1a9490f618af) to read the entire story from driving.ca
But after driving the Honda FCX working prototype around Vancouver yesterday, I'm a little more optimistic.
The hydrogen-fuelled technology that will finally dismiss the gas guzzling internal combustion engine to the garbage heap, replacing it with the zero-emission electric powerplant, has made fabulous progress in recent years.
Perhaps the two biggest obstacles to mass production don't concern the effectiveness of the power generation technology itself.
One is the ability to store the hydrogen used to generate the electricity in a tank that won't take up the whole rear end of the vehicle in order to give the vehicle a decent range of use between fill ups.
Two is the development of a totally new and incredibly expensive roadside infrastructure to enable fuel-cell vehicles to "gas up" in the same way as a regular vehicle.
Solving the first problem will lead to the investment needed by - dare I say it - oil companies to build the infrastructure necessary to meet the fuel supply side.
Click here (http://autos.canada.com/news/story.html?id=e7402017-0521-403e-8831-1a9490f618af) to read the entire story from driving.ca