Rising gas prices fuel push for hydrogen-powered cars

A hydrogen car in Germany fuels up, with hydrogen costing about 30 percent more than gasoline

September 15, 2000
Web posted at: 2:00 PM EDT (1800 GMT)

From Correspondent Chris Burns

MUNICH, Germany (CNN) -- Automakers are racing to find ways to replace increasingly expensive fossil fuels. One of the hottest alternative fuels in development is the most plentiful element on the planet, hydrogen.

At a recent hydrogen forum in Munich, researchers showed off their wares, suddenly terribly relevant to a world hit hard by the latest oil price shock.

"Since the energy-importing countries in general are very knowledgeable in energy efficiencies, in renewable energies, in hydrogen, they would go together and form this counterbalance in order to free themselves from the import dependency of fossil fuels," said Carl-Jochen Winter of Hyforum 2000.

What's more, hydrogen is Earth-friendly. Hydrogen-powered cars combine liquid hydrogen with oxygen to create energy. There are no dirty hydrocarbon emissions. The main byproduct is water.

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Environmental issues

There is a downside: liquid hydrogen is an explosive. BMW, which has developed a hybrid prototype that uses either gasoline or hydrogen, said its hydro-car has passed crash tests. In the event of an accident, the pressurized hydrogen can be released through escape tubes, the company said.

There are other catches to what seems like a miracle fuel, starting with how the hydrogen is produced, how much it costs and where to get it.

So far, the most economical way to mass-produce hydrogen fuel is with a natural gas-fired plant. Solar power and wind power are still a long way from becoming economically viable.

In Germany, a hydro-car still costs about 30 percent more to run than one run with gasoline. Normal gas station and the world's filling stations would have to adapt to hydrogen fuel -- a huge investment.

But tougher environmental policies and rising petroleum prices could be hydrogen's best ally.

"The high price of gasoline is promoting hydrogen at the moment, because one day hydrogen will be cheaper than all," said Ragna Nordheimer, a BMW spokeswoman.

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