Hydrogen
fuel cell vehicles versus battery electric vehicles
Wednesday,
October 31, 2007
Are
battery electric vehicles just as compelling as hydrogen
fuel cell vehicles?
That's the argument that Gizmag makes for BW in the
article, Is
Hydrogen the Answer to Our Future Transport Needs?
A number of years ago, I thought I was going to become a
disciple of the hydrogen economy, but the more I read
about fuel cell cars, let alone the missing hydrogen
highway, the more I felt that fuel cell vehicles were just
a delay tactic to real fuel economy.
Thus, I embraced hybrid
vehicles and the future of plug-in
hybrid vehicles, which I have believed could make fuel
cell vehicles, and the hydrogen highway, unnecessary.
Lately, however, I am having second thoughts.
For example, yesterday I started thinking about Vampire
electronics - essentially just electronic device
standby-drawn electricity - and how it is becoming obvious
that U.S. electricity consumption is going to explode in
the next few decades as the digital revolution picks up
steam. Currently, vampire electronics account for a
staggering 5 percent of US electricity consumption, but
that number is going to jump to 20 percent in just a
couple of years! At that rate, what will it be in 10
years? 2o years? And the actual electricity consumption of
all those extra electronics isn't even being considered.
Is the grid prepared? Is the grid prepared for this and
millions and millions of battery-powered vehicles? Where
will the extra electricity come from?
I already experience blackouts living in California almost
every summer, yet I'm supposed to believe that there is
plenty of excess capacity for millions of plug-in hybrids
and electric vehicles as long as they only charge at
night? Please, when have we ever lived in such a perfect
world? My electricity cannot even be guaranteed today!
Hydrogen haters
Many against the hydrogen economy believe oil companies
will dominate this new energy paradigm, and big oil
companies just can't be trusted. Fine, but will big
electricity companies monopolizing all of America's energy
be so much more altruistic than big oil companies?
Wouldn't it be better for utilities and oil companies to
compete against each other for hydrogen production?
More interesting, wouldn't hydrogen enable better energy
distribution and diversification than either oil or
conventional electricity? For example, alternative energy
providers could use hydrogen to store excess renewable
electricity. Home owners might add fuel cells to their
house to work with solar roofs that would make solar power
much more efficient and cost-effective.
Now, I'm not arguing that hydrogen is more important than
electric vehicles. Hydrogen generated via renewable
energy, such as solar power and wind power, could both be
stored for extra electricity capacity to power electric
cars and used for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. And, while
electric vehicles make great sense for small, urban
vehicles, it seems hydrogen fuel cell vehicles make better
sense for larger vehicles. Nonetheless, hydrogen fuel cell
vehicles can use the same battery technology as electric
vehicles.
Ultimately, I think the debate between battery-powered
cars and hydrogen fuel cell powered cars is shortsighted
and misguided. America needs both, and both technologies
should be seen as complementary technologies, not
competitive technologies. In fact a hydrogen fuel cell
plug-in hybrid vehicle might just be the best vehicle for
the future simply because it enables the most distributive
energy grid imaginable.
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