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Originally posted by shakran
Fuel cell vehicles are a load of crap. Even if we get hydrogen from a non-fossil fuel, we have the problem that hydrogen does not like to stay single. It bonds to other molecules at the drop of a hat. That means we have to separate the other molecule from the hydrogen, a process which takes a HELL of a lot of energy whether we do it with steam, electricity, or heat.
The simple fact is that hydrogen is an energy storage medium. That means you can use it to store energy you already have, but you'll lose some of that energy in the process - - -it's just like a battery. Meanwhile, the energy to crack the hydrogen from the other molecules is wasted, that energy was produced with coal, oil, or nuclear power, all of which pollute, yet enviro freaks who should know better are saying it's great for the environment because there are 0 emmissions from the tailpipe of a hydrogen car. They fail to see the fact that this is only true because the pollution is simply happening far away from the car, but it's still happening.
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This is way off topic, but I must address your comment. There is research going on at various universities to have bacteria turn biomass into hydrogen. Since the biomass comes from waste crops which were produced from solar energy the process would eliminate the use of hydrocarbons to produce hydrogen. Another option as mentioned by yournamehere is solar power. The sun puts out tremendous amounts of energy which could be harnessed to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. There are many ways to produce hydrogen and not all of the involve using hydrocarbons or enriched uranium.
Quote:
Originally posted by yournamehere
You forgot the worst part - transporting it.
Currently, hydrogen is transported in its liquid state, in semi-trucks. To a lot of people, that's an accident waiting to happen.
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Transportation options for hydrogen are also being researched. Some scientists believe they can make a material that will absorb hydrogen and store it in an inert state with only moderate pressure. When the pressure is released, the hydrogen is released from the material and becomes available for the fuel cell. It's still a long way off, but it's a step in the right direction.