[edsuski]

Can someone help me understand the Hydrogen Fuel Cell model?

By most estimates - the needed infrastructure is eight to ten years away (converting a significant number of today's gas stations into Hydrogen refueling stations).

The energy required to produce H2, compress, cool and store it would result in more driving range if the energy were simply used to charge a Li Ion battery (such as those used in the Tesla and Volt). The basic physics does not seem to make sense (?).

I fear that Hydrogen fuel cells are simply a diversion from the real and technically feasible PHEV's. In many ways it looks like gasoline (it would likely be delivered by trucks and stored in tanks and distributed through hydrogen "gas" pumps etc.) so it would re-use the current business model of gasoline stations but, you would still need to visit the station to refuel.

The needed infrastructure to refuel PHEV's is essentially 100% deployed to virtually every home in America. For longer trips you would have to rely on some other type of fuel such as gasoline or E85 etc. but, the infrastructure for, at least gasoline, already exists. And remember – 78% of America commutes less than 40 miles per day so the consumption of gasoline “could” be reduced to far below what we can supply domestically when enough PHEV’s were in service.

As for Hydrogen being the most "prevalent" molecule in the universe (something usually stated to “justify” the use of H+ fuel cells), one needs to keep in mind that the electrons used to charge a PHEV are also endless. You simply have to make them move in one side of the charging circuit and out the other. Of course, the power company has to generate the power - but MORE power is needed per mile to create Hydrogen. What, if anything, am I missing here? Seriously - hydrogen seems to make no sense from a physics stand point - much less an infrastructure stand point.

I'm not saying that we could not make hydrogen fuel cells work in automobiles - but rather why should we? They would require more energy per mile than PHEV's and a HUGE investments in infrastructure to make them feasible. Of course, until we actually start – it will always be nearly a decade away. And until the infrastructure is significantly in place, we will continue to buy huge amounts of oil from the Middle East and continue to make the current energy companies record profits (I may have answered my own question here). Help me out – why use Hydrogen fuel cells?