It has been a significant week for the progress of hydrogen as a legitimate alternative as a transportation fuel.
The world’s first plane powered solely by hydrogen fuel cells embarked on its maiden flight last Tuesday. The Antares DLR-H2 spent 10 minutes in the air to showcase its 105mph speed capabilities and quiet electric glide motor when it took off in Hamburg and the German Aerospace Centre-sponsored aircraft should eventually be able to reach 300mph.

However, when it comes to road transport it seems there is significant division as to whether fuel cell powered cars are really worth pursuing.

Split decision on fuel cell funding

In the United States, the effectiveness of fuel cell technology has been openly questioned as the country bids to bridge the gap with Japanese and European car makers in the green car race.

In May’s Budget announcement, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced a 22 per cent increase in overall funding for vehicle technologies. Funding of fuel cell technologies however, was to be slashed by some $100.8million as the Department of Energy (DOE) chose to refocus its efforts on what Mr Chu described as technologies with “more immediate promise” (for more read ‘Fuel cell funding to be cut in 2010 Budget’).

However, that decision was overturned earlier this month when Senator Byron Dorgan and the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, which he heads, overturned the DOE’s initial decision and decided to include $190million for hydrogen research and development. The DOE also announced a $5million Funding Opportunity Announcement to assist laboratory level research and development technologies to produce hydrogen from coal back in June (read ‘Funding support for hydrogen projects’).

Here in Europe the support has been more resolute with the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative holding a total budget of around €1billion to be invested in fuel cell research and development by 2014 (see ‘European fuel cells call for proposals’). Even closer to home, UK car manufacturer Riversimple unveiled its two-seat hydrogen powered urban car in June, with a top speed of 50mph that can travel 240miles without refuelling and weighs just 350kg (read ‘UK company to unveil hydrogen fuel cell car’).

Nevertheless, most of the green car initiatives in the UK seem to revolve around electric cars with the Government launching its £25million Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator scheme which aims to accelerate a shift towards low emission motoring by creating the world’s largest network of electric vehicle recharging stations.

So even though hydrogen fuel cell cars have retained some support in both the US and Europe they seem to have become second best in the green car race. So do they have a future at all?

Our verdict on fuel cell cars

Here at TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk we believe that fuel cells have massive potential and could play a significant role in the future of motoring.

Why? Well, firstly it’s hard to look past the progress that fuel cells have made in recent years. Chevrolet for example has 115 Equinox fuel cell vehicles that have logged more than 750,000 miles; while the Honda FCX Clarity was recently named World Car of the Year at the New York Auto Show. Hydrogen fuel cell buses have been implemented in a number of major cities including London and other hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been developed for commercial and industrial use.

The stumbling block for fuel cell cars remains their high costs and the lack of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. Another criticism is that hydrogen isn’t a primary energy source – it is more of an energy carrier and with CO2 emitted during its production it is argued that it isn’t very green at all.

However, these hurdles are slowly being surpassed. It is possible to produce hydrogen from water using electricity from renewable energy – something that is already happening in Berlin where an electrolysing plant at a filling station generates the gas from water, using 100 per cent renewable energy from a hydroelectric plant in the Alps. Indeed fuel cells are about twice as efficient as internal combustion engines and so this helps compensate for any energy loss in its production.

Even the issue surrounding refuelling infrastructure is being tackled – the US, for example, already has 65 hydrogen stations. As commercialisation increases, costs will decrease and fuel cells can help reduce our carbon footprint.

So are hydrogen and fuel cells the definitive answer to our energy needs? Perhaps not, but with the use of fuel cells in everyday applications constantly on the rise, we believe they will play a key role in a future mix of low-carbon fuels.

Faye Sunderland