Hydrogen Fuel – Top Reasons To Replace Gasoline With Hydrogen Fuel

In a bid to reduce the United States’ growing dependence on Middle East oil for the country’s petroleum needs, President George Bush declared a $1.2 billion hydrogen fuel program in his 2003 State of the Union speech. This substantial budget allocation for the advancement of technological studies for hydrogen-driven fuel cells also sought the significant, if not the total, reduction of pollutants like greenhouse gases emitted by vehicles, homes and business establishments dependent on foreign petroleum.

Today, more and more vehicles are being powered by hydrogen fuel. Automobile giant General Motors has been producing a one hundred per cent hydrogen-powered vehicle prototype, something which augurs well for the country since President Bush’ 2003 announcement of the hydrogen fuel project. To date, fresh funding continues to pour in for hydrogen fuel development as an alternative fuel. The current technology requires fuel cells for storage and for processing of gas that in turn powers the vehicle or other fuel-dependent machinery and equipment.

But while hydrogen certainly makes a good fuel alternative, it too has its downside. Even if generated from natural gas, considered today as the cheapest energy source ever, hydrogen fuel is still four times more expensive to manufacture than gasoline. The Bush administration’s initiative has considered reducing this cost to the level of gasoline-generated power by year 2010, as well as to seek ways of deriving hydrogen power from renewable sources of energy, nuclear power, or possibly coal.

Turning to hydrogen fuel instead of using gasoline can eliminate the country’s dependence on other countries for energy. Hydrogen is readily available and even abundant domestically. It can be found along with natural gas, coal, biomass and even water. The hydrogen fuel project, according to the Department of Energy, can help lessen our country’s import demands by more than 11 million barrels a day–the estimated amount of oil the US buys from abroad today–by 2040.

Taking significant steps to making our air free from pollution caused by gasoline-powered vehicles is another agenda spoused by the country’s hydrogen fuel program. Hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity instead of gasoline to power vehicles. This will eliminate pollution and lessen the country’s greenhouse gas discharges caused by gasoline-guzzling vehicles by over 500 million metric tons of carbon emissions every year by 2040.

The high efficiency ratio of hydrogen as energy source limits the emission of compounds that harm the environment. When burned to generate electricity and power an engine, hydrogen emits nothing but water vapor. Hydrogen-powered machines and equipment can therefore help us achieve a cleaner and healthier environment.

Hydrogen fuel looms as the newest and most exciting discovery of this decade. Owning a car because of the fuel cell technology has never become more gratifying than today. We might as well enjoy our road trips more often.