Will Japan's fuel cell drive crash?

[Taro Toporific]

Japanese auto industry has bet their future on hydrogen fuel cells and they have put 30% of their R&D money into it but...
Ballyhooed hydrogen fuel cells may have environmental drawback
Thu, Jun. 12, 2003 / WASHINGTON (AP)
...Scientists say the new technology could lead to greater destruction of the ozone layer that protects Earth from cancer-causing ultraviolet rays.
Researchers issued a report Thursday saying that if hydrogen replaced fossil fuels to run everything from cars to power plants, large amounts of hydrogen would drift into the stratosphere as a result of leakage and indirectly cause increased depletion of the ozone.

[Taro Toporific]

Japanese auto industry has bet their future on hydrogen fuel cells and they have put 30% of their R&D money into it but....

And this just in...
The trolls of Japan Inc. have just released plans to use Japan's foul love and 3rd-world tech, kerosene, to provide the hydrogen for fuel cells. Sheeeeeeeeeee-it, gas is cleaner.

Idemitsu Kosan to supply kerosene-derived hydrogen
Japan Today, (Kyodo News).
Friday, June 13, 2003 at 09:00 JST
TOKYO --- Oil refiner and wholesaler Idemitsu Kosan Co. said Thursday it has extracted hydrogen from kerosene and will operate a station in Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture, to supply fuel-cell cars with kerosene-derived hydrogen, starting next April.

[ramchop]

A bigger ozone hole and less friendly pollution to protect us from the light. I hope these scientists were funded by the carbon boys and were paid to say that.

[Taro Toporific]

A bigger ozone hole and less friendly pollution to protect us from the light. I hope these scientists were funded by the carbon boys and were paid to say that.

Craze Over Hydrogen Fuel Overrated, Warns UC Professor
The Berkeley Daily Californian, July 22
...Farrell, along with his partner, David Keith, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, published a report in the July 18 issue of Science Magazine questioning the practicality of hydrogen fuel when compared to cheaper, faster methods of reducing pollution. ...
...Hydrogen is not as environmentally friendly as most people think, however, Farrell cautions.

While it produces few emissions when it is actually burning, the process of deriving hydrogen from the oil and coal in which it is found produces substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, Farrell and his colleague said in their report.

Farrell's research has also revealed that constructing a completely new infrastructure to distribute hydrogen fuel would cost at least $5,000 per car.

While money continues to pour into hydrogen research---Bush has been trumped by the European Commission, which plans to spend more than $2 billion on hydrogen-related research---Farrell said the goal of lowering pollution would be better served by focusing on reducing emissions from electricity generation and freight transport.