Why don't governments push for more hydrogen cars?

[Aurora]

The Guardian - 24/03/11

The much-heralded 'hydrogen economy' never appears to get out of first gear. Are our politicians failing us by not pushing harder for hydrogen-powered cars?

Article continues ...

Lots of interesting comments.

[RenewableCandy]

Quentin strolls in.

Portable H2-maker that you can plug in when too much wind is blowing, and use to fill White Vans with H2...

[JohnB]

Quentin strolls in.

Portable H2-maker that you can plug in when too much wind is blowing, and use to fill White Vans with H2...

Whoopeeee! A haversack of grants from the government, who were also able to rescue Northern Rock. Where does the electricity come from to make the hydrogen, and when a nuke goes bang, will there be enough hydrogen available for everyone to drive out of the exclusion zone? It sounds too much like BAU.

Or am I too cynical?

[RenewableCandy]

If it's just public vehicles, being driven on H2 made from wind energy made during the night when we're all asleep (erm once there are enough WTs to do that), then perhaps a few of the H2-stations are worth having?

[JohnB]

If it's just public vehicles, being driven on H2 made from wind energy made during the night when we're all asleep (erm once there are enough WTs to do that), then perhaps a few of the H2-stations are worth having?

It was private cars and white van man too.

[RenewableCandy]

Yeah well that's Quentin for you, isn't it ?

[mobbsey]

The Government will have to push cars sooner or later -- people won't be able to afford the fuel to make them work conventionally.

Then again, Cameron, Osborne and all their horsey landed gentry chums will be alright...

[Little John]

I thought hydrogen has a negative EROEI doesn't it? That being the case, though it may well be worthwhile cracking hydrogen for specialist applications (welding,/cutting etc), it makes no sense as a fuel for a mass fleet of vehicles. It would be more energy efficient to consume the energy used to crack it (electricity, usually) directly in such vehicles.

[PS_RalphW]

The UK government is giving Toyota £11m to build hydrogen powered sUVs in Scotland (I think). That should pay for about 100 vehicles and a year's bonus for the Toyota executive who signed the deal. The vehicles will be quietly scrapped in a couple of years as there is no hydrogen fueling infrastructure in the UK.

Sadly, with falling oil prices and rising electricity prices and taxes, it will soon be cheaper to drive my diesel than my EV.