But hydrogen's lightness is also an advantage, because the gas dissipates in the air 12 times faster than gasoline vapor, making it harder for a fire to start. And automotive hydrogen fuel tanks, often made of composite materials, are designed to minimize leakage even in a severe impact. Quantum Fuel Systems of Irvine, California, says the hydrogen tanks that it makes go through two dozen tests and are shot with guns, suspended over fire, put through pressure cycles and subjected to temperatures ranging from -40° to 54°C.
Q: How will hydrogen be distributed to gas stations?
A: Very carefully, because hydrogen is such an escape artist that it is difficult and expensive to move. The hydrogen infrastructure is embryonic: There are about 1,130km of hydrogen pipelines in the country, compared with 1.6 million kilometers for natural gas. One challenge is that hydrogen pipelines have to be very tightly sealed and specially treated so that they do not become dangerously brittle. Trucking hydrogen not only burns fossil fuel, but requires energy-consuming compression, and even then a truck can carry far less energy than an equivalent gasoline tanker.
Q: How long before I can buy a hydrogen-powered car?
A: Honda says it will offer a limited number of its new-generation FCX fuel-cell vehicles for lease in 2008. Several companies, including BMW, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler, are building test fleets of as many as 100 hydrogen vehicles. Currently, the high cost of manufacturing the vehicles and setting up the hydrogen infrastructure mean it could be two decades before affordable hydrogen-powered cars and trucks are widely available. And it might never happen at all.
RSS