Many (including President Bush) have hailed the fuel cell as the fuel of the future - the fuel that will fix our environmental woes and move us away from foreign dependence on oil. But can it really live up to all the hype? That's the question as Honda's fuel-cell vehicle, the FCX Clarity, made its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2007.
A number of studies (including one from Tesla Motors, another from Toyota, and another resulting from a joint effort from the EUCAR, CONCAWE, and JRC) indicate that fuel cell technology is less efficient (based on a well-to-wheel analysis that takes into account the entire life cycle of the fuel from raw materials to processing and transportation to usage) than many other technologies. These studies also indicate that depending on how the hydrogen is produced, greenhouse gas emissions aren't as low as one might hope.
On the other hand, Honda says that well-to-wheel carbon dioxide emissions when hydrogen is produced with natural gas are "less than half that of a conventional gasoline vehicle. With the production of hydrogen from water by electrolysis, CO2 emissions can be further reduced and ultimately approach zero if the electricity used for electrolysis is generated using solar, wind, water or nuclear power" (Honda News Release, 14 November 2007). Honda also notes in its FCX FAQ that tank-to-wheel fuel efficiency of their fuel cell is twice that of a hybrid-electric vehicle and three times that of a conventional gasoline vehicle (of course we must remember that that is tank-to-wheel, not well-to-wheel).
So what do you all think? Is fuel cell technology the way to go?
Edited by stins - Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:24:01 GMT
