Quote:
Originally Posted by D C
Water is NOT required for hydrogen production, only a compound containing hydrogen. Water is not typically used for producing hydrogen in the US today.
A significant portion of the hydrogen produced in the US today is a byproduct of oil refining (how ironic).
The current cost of a kilogram of hydrogen is somewhere in the $5-6/kg range (current prices are tough to come by). A kg of hydrogen has approximately the same energy as a gallon of gas. But where a gas engine is maybe 25% efficient, a fuel cell is more like 50% efficient. So that $5-6/kg of hydrogen is like $2.50-3.00/gallon of gas equivalent.
For a small fleet and relatively small geographic area (like LA) the logistics aren't too bad.
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DC,
Thanks for the explanation. However, for $1.60 (in Southern Cal.) I could recharge the Volt and drive 40 miles. If you assume a 20 mpg efficiency for the "average" car (likely less) then that would represent $0.80 per gallon. Less than 1/3 the cost of Hydrogen. That is why I don't understand the big push. Especially since the needed infrastructure to support Hydrogen is likely a decade away and will require a huge investment. The infrastructure to recharge a PHEV is 100% deployed to virtually every home in America today. A small fraction of the existing 200K gas stations could be used to supply some type of fuel for longer trips. Infrastructure done! I don't get the attraction to Hydrogen.
Ed