NRC finds hydrogen economy on track
However, many technical barriers must be tackled and breakthrough technologies invented before emissions-free, petroleum-free cars and trucks hum along U.S. roads.
Researchers still have many technical barriers to tackle and breakthrough technologies to invent before emissions-free, petroleum-free cars and trucks hum along U.S. roads. Nonetheless, a federal program launched three years ago that will develop more fuel-efficient vehicles and that will eventually lead to a transition to a hydrogen-fueled transportation system is headed in the right direction, according to a recent report by the U.S. National Research Council (NRC).
“The goals of this program are extremely challenging, and success is uncertain, but it could have an enormous beneficial impact on energy security and the U.S. economy,” says Craig Marks, a retired vice president for technology and productivity at AlliedSignal, Inc., and chair of the NRC committee that produced the Review of the Research Program of the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership report.
The FreedomCAR (Cooperative Automotive Research) and Fuel Partnership, which includes President George W. Bush’s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, is a research collaboration among the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the “Big Three” U.S. automakers, and five major energy companies. It builds on the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles, its predecessor launched during the Clinton Administration.
Ultimately, “we’re trying to have the [hydrogen] technology ready by 2015,” says Steve Chalk, DOE’s hydrogen program manager. If it is successful, “we think industry then will be in a position to make a commercialization decision,” and vehicles could start appearing in dealership showrooms by 2020.
To get there, the program plans to first develop more fuel-efficient internal combustion engines, including both petroleum- and hydrogen-fueled versions. Next will come advanced hybrid-electric vehicles, and finally fuel-cell-powered vehicles that will run on hydrogen produced from various energy sources.
Many technical barriers need to be overcome, says the NRC panel. The biggest include hydrogen storage in vehicles, fuel cell cost and durability, and hydrogen production at a cost competitive with gasoline. At this stage, the challenges don’t appear to be insurmountable, but because of the “large number of unknowns and need for breakthroughs,” panel members declined to speculate on the program’s probability of success.
The committee also reported that the funding level is consistent with the program’s priorities and the administration’s commitment of $1.7 billion over 5 years. However, the report voiced concern about congressional earmarks, which in fiscal year 2005 amounted to 16% of the total hydrogen budget. Funds were diverted from critical R&D programs, and this delayed work in areas such as hydrogen storage and safety.
