Hydrogen

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An Alternative Fuel For

Automobiles
By: K. Dzwonkowski

To
Fuel

The Need for Alternative Fuels

-Current Supply of Fossil Fuels may be exhausted by the year 2030.

-By the year 2025, petroleum production will decrease dramatically.
-The political instability in the Middle East will cause the price of petroleum to
continue to increase.
-The United States is becoming dependent on foreign nations for their
petroleum needs and is, therefore, causing a decline in their status as a
world leader.
-The United States Foreign Policy would not have to consider the OPEC
Factor in making decisions concerning world affairs.

Why Hydrogen is the Best

of all the Rest
Hydrogen is a stable element.
Hydrogen can be produced from biomass (plant matter). This is

excellent because the United States has huge agricultural

resources.
Hydrogen is renewable.
Hydrogen is the most abundant element on earth making up 75
percent of our environment.
A pound of hydrogen holds more energy than any other material.
Hydrogen is clean burning great for our atmosphere. Fuel cell
cars have no exhaust emissions.
In its gaseous state, hydrogen is non-toxic and burns invisibly.
Hydrogen is odorless no nauseating fumes to inhale.

Current Usages of Hydrogen as

an Alternative Fuel for
Automobiles
plans to have 50,000 fuel cell cars by
Honda Motor Company

2010. Hydrogen to be used to run the fuel cells. The cars power
and range of driving have increased over the past years.
Fed-Ex and UPS plan to phase in hydrogen powered trucks over
the next five years.
General Motors has already designed and built model fuel cells
and plan to have a production-ready hydrogen model available by
2010.
Daimler-Chrysler has 100 fuel cell cars and buses in operation
using hydrogen as their fuel. Thirty-six of the buses have 75,000
hours of operation and 1.1 million kilometers of travel.
Both Chevron and Shell have opened hydrogen fueling stations in
California and Washington D.C. Los Angeles will soon have 21
stations while San Francisco will have eight.

Current Usages of Hydrogen as

an Alternative Fuel for
Automobiles (Cont.)
Ford Motor Company has developed an engine that is optimized to

burn hydrogen. The engine can reach an overall efficiency of 38

percent. This is about 25 percent more fuel-efficient than a typical
gasoline engine. The engine is comparable to Fords 2.3 liter engine
used in the Ford Ranger.
From 2000-2005, 65 light-duty trucks using fuel cells were placed into
use in Los Angeles. The trucks have logged more than 220,000 miles.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell versus

Gasoline Powered Internal
Combustion

Water vapor
Carbon dioxide
Nitrogen oxides
Unburned
hydrocarbons

Hydrogen
Fuel Cell
.25 lb/mile
.00 lb/mile
0g/mile
none

Gasoline
Powered
.39 lb/mile
.85 lb/mile
.3-.5g/mile
present

Converting to a Hydrogen
Based Fuel
The U.S. Government needs to increase their financial support of

the program. (The support needed can be compared to the Race

to the Moon campaign. The government heavily supported this
program in order to be the first to put a man on the moon. The
same support needs to be given to make the United States the
first to convert to a hydrogen based economy. The United States
currently lags behind countries such as Europe and Japan in
converting to alternative fuels.)
With increased government support, current gasoline stations
could be converted to hydrogen stations. People cannot buy and
use cars fueled by hydrogen if there is no way to obtain the
hydrogen fuel. This will require major restructuring of current
stations, however, it would be a one time cost that will assuredly
be recouped many times over.
A five-cent tax per gallon on gasoline could defray part of the cost
of converting to the use of hydrogen. The tax would be eliminated
once the conversion has taken place.

Converting to a Hydrogen
Based Fuel- Cont.
Incentives for buying fuel cell cars and for investing in hydrogen

technology needs increasing. The incentives could include tax

rebates for the purchase, preferential parking and free registration
for fuel cell cars.
The problem of storing the hydrogen fuel in cars needs
addressing. Currently, the area needed for a car to go 300 or
more miles between fill-ups would require a tank about the size of
a trunk.
Distribution system for hydrogen will need developing. Current
system of storing and transporting hydrogen is expensive.
However, with increased government support and the increased
usage of the fuel, the price will go down and the profits will go up
for the businesses involved in distributing the product.

Concluding Facts
The usage of hydrogen holds the promise of ending the U.S.s

dependence on foreign countries.

Fuel cells generate electricity from a catalyst induced chemical
reaction between hydrogen and oxygen ions in a cell. This process
produces the by-products water and heat when pure hydrogen is
used. The fact that hydrogen fuel will be environmentally friendly is
an advantageous attribute. The current damage being imposed on
the environment can be slowed down dramatically.
It has been predicted that it is possible to change from a petroleum
based economy to a hydrogen based economy by the year 2038.
This is a realistic, however slightly optimistic, target date.
Once hydrogen is used commercially, thousands of jobs will be
created in the United States (not in foreign countries). Jobs created
includes scientific research and development, manufacturing,
construction, and sales.
Hydrogen production will be good for our economy it can be
produced here and will not need importing.

GO HYDROGEN!
The United States is fast approaching a time when the need for
an alternative fuel will not be an option it will be a requirement.
The best answer in many ways is hydrogen. A lot of research and
development needs conducting before this dream can become
a reality but it is feasible and it is desirable.

H2

H2

H2

H2

References
California Energy Commission. (2006 June). Hydrogen as a
transportation
fuel. Retrieved March 18, 2008, from
http://www.energy.ca.gov/2005publications/CEC-600-2005-027/CEC
600-2005-027-FS.PDF
Kiefer, I. (1979). Energy for America. Crawfordsville, Indiana: R.R.
Donnelley & Sons.
Kushnir, P. (2000, May/June). Hydrogen as an alternative fuel. Army
Logistician. Retrieved March 16, 2008, from
http://www.almc.army.mil/alog/issues/MayJun00/MS492.htm
Reynolds, W. D. (2006, May 24). The next step - conversion to the solar hydrogen economy. Retrieved March 15, 2008, from
http://www.beyondfossilfuel.com/hydrogen/reynolds.html

References (Cont.)
Saunders, R., Nuccio, S., Seafeldt, A., & Meboe, K. (n.d.) Hydrogenpowered cars.
Retrieved March 18, 2008, from
http://www.meboe.com/kevin/hydrogen/hydrogen.html
Schwartz, P.& Randall, D. (2003, April). How hydrogen can save
America.
Wired, Issue 11.04. Retrieved March 17, 2008, from
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.04/hydrogen.html
United States Department of Energy: Alternative Fuel & Advanced
Vehicles Data Center.
(2008, Feb 26). Alternative &
advanced fuels. Retrieved March 17, 2008, from
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/hydrogen.html