Hydrogen fuel cells are a relatively new technology, and even newer is the ability to use them to power cars. They use hydrogen and oxygen to power the car, and as a by product, produce only water. Although this seems great, the methods used to obtain the hydrogen needed are not as clean. There are more ways to obtain the hydrogen, other than methane, which is what we use today, but they are much more costly. Getting hydrogen from methane is about 80% efficient, as well as producing carbon monoxide (CO) as a byproduct. Getting the oxygen is much easier, as our atmosphere has naturally occurring oxygen.
Fuel cells are also extremely expensive to manufacture. The cost around $47/kW, assuming they are being mass produced, which equates to about $3,760 per car.
Many people also have nowhere to get the hydrogen from, or refuel. There are around 23 publicly accessible hydrogen refueling stations, the majority of which are in California. It would cost around 20 million dollars by some estimates, to get enough refueling stations in the U.S. for it to be practical to own a hydrogen fuel cell powered car.
Hydrogen technology has also had the support of multiple presidents, and other countries are pushing it as well.
On the other hand, electric cars are already widely used. The first practical electric car was produced in the 1880’s, and have been mass produced off and on ever since. They use a battery, which can be recharged, to power the car. There are currently over 30 all electric passenger cars that are legal to drive on the highway.
The main problem with electric cars is their relatively short range, and high cost. The lithium ion batteries used in the car's can get quite pricey, and their range is not the greatest. But as more and more people are buying the cars, and newer technology is being introduced, the cost will keep on coming down.
One possible solution to the above problem is hybrid electric cars. Although they are not zero emission cars, they are still better than gasoline powered cars. They also tend to have a longer range, and their prices are comparable to that of traditional gasoline cars.
Maintenance of electric vehicles is not too bad, but if the battery is defective, then it has to be replaced, which can be costly. It also costs much less to charge an electric car (per year) than to refuel a traditional gasoline car (per year). One study did find, though, that the lower cost of refueling did not offset the car's higher purchase price.
Another big problem with electric cars, is that dealers are reluctant to sell them. They do not have as high of margins as traditional cars, and they take longer to sell, reducing the commissions that salespeople make. They also require less maintenance, and many dealerships rely on their service departments for profit.
Overall, even though both of these types of vehicles have their shortcomings, they are both considered to be zero emission vehicles. They could help us significantly reduce air pollution, and carbon dioxide emissions. But in the end, it is up to the buyer to decide if it is worth the price.
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"Hydrogen Production." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2016. <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_production>.
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