I would again encourage you to forward your insights to Germany, China , Toyota , Volvo and the rest of the stakeholders in the World's Hydrogen Stategy so they can benefit from your insights
GM, Mercedes-Benz, and VW have all ended hydrogen FCEV development for personal cars. Mostly on the grounds that they are too expensive. Which is what we've seen with FCEV cars that have come to market. Since the cars need refueling infrastructure before they can be sold, which is also very expensive, these companies don't see investing in hydrogen cars paying off in the next decade, if at all. That is a sizeable portion of the car industry saying hydrogen isn't practical for personal transportation. GM and M-B, plus some others, are still developing FCEVs for commercial applications. Those could work with a more limited infrastructure, but the technology itself really ready for such heavy duty use. BEVs are generally a better option at this point. Maybe hydrogen will become a better option. The world uses over 70 metric tonnes of hydrogen a year. Virtually all it comes from fossil fuels. Steam reforming natural gas yields nearly 5.5 tonnes of CO2 for every tonne of hydrogen produced. That's the real reason those countries* are pursuing green hydrogen. Using it for trucks might be a side benefit. *I think China is just trying to make cleaner use of their coal.
The best way to lower emissions is claim a parcel of land, put an earthen house on it, plant a garden big enough to supply enough food and clothing for your family. Maybe have a sheep for wool if you live in a cold climate as wearing more warm clothing is better than burning. Otherwise, I hope hydrogen and EVs help. The problem is they both are our of reach for many, and even still they don't completely solve the problem.
There is no single solution that will completely solve the problem. The solution is comprised of many solutions. EVs are one slice, more efficient homes are another, more efficient industrial buildings yet another. The fact that no one solution is a ‘silver bullet’ isn’t reason to disregard it, it is reason to push forward and find additional solutions.
That depends on what you define as the problem and what you define as the solution. Some people are ok with destroying the planet and making a horrible future for their grandchildren, or at least don't think there's a problem. What I was saying is some solutions require sacrifice. But everyone wants to have their cake and eat it too. I can't get an EV to work for me right now. Hopefully some day.
That seems to be a non-sequitur as apparently you were indicating the problem as human driven climate change as was I. True, some solutions do require sacrifice. Others, that are just as effective require less sacrifice, some require no sacrifice. However, all require change. Some people fight against change far more than they fight against sacrifice. I am sorry an EV doesn't work well for you. Hopefully it will in the future.
I did try once though. 5 years ago we got a 2013 Nissan Leaf. It was our first nice car. We put up with it for a year and ended up selling it. I got it for $9,000 and sold it for $7,000. I also sold my 1972 VW Beetle and 1985 VW Golf diesel. It didn't make much sense for the nice newish car to be the work/grocery vehicle and when we needed to go anywhere else either painstakingly plan and wait at charging stations or take the "mosquito fogger" diesel. Getting mechanical work done to the Nissan was also seemingly going to be a nightmare as the Nissan dealers within 200 miles wouldn't touch it even to get us an extra set of keys. With the money from selling those vehicles (after paying off the Nissan) we put a downpayment on a hybrid Avalon. I think that's the best we can do now. Covid hit, family with kids that now need taken care of died, rents doubled, eggs are now nearly $4 a dozen and wages in my line of work have stagnated. The best I can do is $550 per month in transportation costs absolute maximum. Thankfully, the Avalon fits the bill and in one year it'll be paid off, freeing up some $180 per month. I just don't see me getting an EV for $180 or so per month. Fuel costs have been around $50 per month, so I should be able to afford a bit more than $180 on an EV. If someone knows of the best bang for buck that fits that and won't make my insurance skyrocket, let me know. I've been walking or riding my bike to work. I hope that helps.
Germany inaugurates world’s first hydrogen-powered train fleet A fleet of 14 trains provided by French industrial giant Alstom to the German state of Lower Saxony has replaced diesel locomotives on the 100km (60 miles) of track connecting the cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude near Hamburg. Hydrogen trains have become a promising way to decarbonise the rail sector and replace climate-warming diesel, which still powers 20 percent of journeys in Germany. Partnerships have recently been signed with India and Morocco, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz sealed a green hydrogen deal with Canada on a visit this week, laying a path for a transatlantic supply chain.
Source: Toyota, NREL Collaborate to Advance Megawatt-Scale Fuel Cell Systems - Toyota USA Newsroom Toyota Motor North America (Toyota) is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to build, install and evaluate a 1-megawatt (MW) proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell power generation system at NREL’s Flatirons Campus in Arvada, Colorado. This 3-year, $6.5 million collaboration is funded in part by DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and supports DOE’s H2@Scale vision for clean hydrogen across multiple applications and economic sectors. The 1-MW fuel cell system integrates multiple Toyota fuel cell modules into a larger system to provide responsive stationary power. Through a previous collaboration, NREL has demonstrated the use of an automotive fuel cell system to provide carbon-free power for a data center. This new system is at a significantly larger scale, generating about 15 times more power and capable of direct current and alternating current output. . . . Now if they would bill the employees, both civil and contractor, at the NREL for the premium cost of the hydrogen fuel, the problem would soon be solved. Toyota could then return the fuel cells to their unsold cars. Bob Wilson
For stationary power, hydrogen might work as storage for renewables in places with extended periods of low renewable output.
Sometimes I go by HDTBill on social media. It stands for Hydrotreater(HDT) Bill. Treating with Hydrogen. I like H2...sometimes I called my calc apps ITSaGAS. Funny.
Honda had a prototype called FCX back around the turn of the century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_FCX project was sold to toyota There was a proposal by honda to release the FCX coupled with a device called a Home Fueling Station developed by Plug Power Inc ( nasdeq symbol plug) that was advertised to provide home heating, home hot water and fuel for the FCX. What ever. Main reason I've read here at priuschat in the distant past, why this is not fit for US adoption is the inefficincies with the production of hydrogen and the costs involved. That and the classified nature of the technology being in the nuclear realm, ie the bomb. Even the electic lobby has a deep seeded objection to funding hydrogen projects. More for them, as my wild guess, as it's been posted here at priuschat fairly recently, about me (vvillovv), that I don't know how the government works. So it's more than just a little personal to me, when sharing my ideas and research on a subject like that dirty word ( to many priuschat members ) "hydrogen".
Wow. I thought this was 'settled science' by now. Who drug this out of the garbage can??? I'm admittedly biased. One of the more serious 'close calls' in my 10 USN Submarine patrols was from hydrogen. My current employer played with H2 some time ago when they were trying to 'be green.' It was a very expensive and short lived lesson in what NOT to do with dot.gov incentives. Hard Pass!!
