The Quest for Hydrogen Fuel

Are you still one of those people who find hydrogen-powered cars unbelievable? Well, you’d better think again. One of the best automakers in the market today is on a quest to produce a vehicle that can run using hydrogen fuel. BMW says that this year, 2008, they will introduce the first hydrogen powered vehicle.

Germans are absolutely determined to manufacture a great number of hydrogen powered vehicles. Have you seen a BMW lately? Well perhaps in the coming months, you will see the magnificent creation of BMW.

General Motors declared way back in the year 2000 that they are going to build hydrogen powered cars but most people believed that it would take around 20 years before that goal can be achieved. Hydrogen technology sounds too unbelievable for them. It was only in 2004 that BMW made the same announcement and they promised the public that by 2008, hydrogen powered BMW cars will roam the streets.

Recent photographs of BMW cars are gaining so much attention especially in automotive blogs. BMW launched their 7 Series just recently and its alternate fuel is hydrogen. Many people spotted the test run of the said vehicle in Germany.

There are still several things to consider before the public accepts hydrogen powered vehicles. You see, the internal combustion engines are still the most popular and hydrogen fuel is just new in the market.

Among the factors to consider are the following:

1. Cost. Hydrogen fuel is quite costly. At present, fuel cells have prohibitive prices but because of technological advancements, the cost is slowly being lowered. Once the price of fuel cells drop to a certain level that is quite affordable for the public, only then can it be a viable substitute.

2. Production concerns. In order to develop the hydrogen cells, a great amount of fossil fuel is needed. The hydrogen infrastructure is also very expensive to implement. Billions of dollars is not even enough and according to some experts, the infrastructure alone can cost 1 trillion dollars.

3. Storage concerns. This is another possible problem associated with the production of hydrogen cells. The existing gas lines can’t be used to transmit hydrogen fuel because it reacts negatively with steel. Therefore, the government needs to create a distribution system that can be used exclusively for hydrogen fuel.

Despite the three major concerns, automakers like BMW and the federal government are still focusing in the use of hydrogen cells as an alternative to combustion engines. If ever a hydrogen infrastructure is made, the government and the people can benefit highly. One benefit is that the US and other rich countries will no longer depend on foreign oil. The best benefit that the entire mankind can benefit from is that the emissions of greenhouse gases will considerably drop.

The two possible benefits are enough so that the government and automakers continue with their goal in producing hydrogen powered vehicles and a hydrogen infrastructure. If the government does extend the much needed assistance, hydrogen technology will soon benefit everyone.

The quest for hydrogen fuel cannot be realized if only the automakers like General Motors and BMW push for it. They need help from the government and the support of the public. If man wants to save the planet, hydrogen fuel is the best answer rather than depending solely on combustion engines. Check out BMW hydrogen powered vehicles online now.