Hydrogen, hydrogen everywhere...

[Oscar]

Hydrogen, hydrogen everywhere...

[ http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31926995 ]

By Matthew Wall Business reporter, BBC News 19 March 2015 Last updated at 20:03 ET

Hydrogen fuel cells have been around for decades, but they have always been heavy and expensive.

Now Japanese car manufacturers in particular, like Honda, Toyota and Nissan, as well as Korea's Hyundai, believe they have finally made the fuel cell commercially viable and much more efficient.

Toyota's Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), for example, is being rolled out in the US, Japan, Denmark, Germany and the UK this year.

With a range of about 300-400 miles (480-640km) and a tank that can be filled in a matter of minutes, Toyota is hoping FCEVs can give conventional electric vehicles (EVs) a run for their money.

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Far more eco-friendly is hydrogen produced through electrolysis - splitting water into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen molecules - particularly if the electricity used has come from renewable sources, such as wind and solar.

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So are we well on the road to a fully-fledged hydrogen economy, weaned off our dependence on damaging hydrocarbons?

Possibly, but most industry experts believe that road will be a long one.

"It's going to take a long time because you're completely changing the paradigm - the infrastructure, the regulations - everything," says Mr Franc. "We're on a journey, but we can't go too fast."

The Carbon Trust's Alex Hart is similarly cautious: "Vehicles will definitely be fuelled differently in future, but whether by hydrogen, electricity or biofuel is less clear. We just don't know what the dominant technology will be.

"But we will decarbonise our world - we have to."