Fuel Cell Cars
Imagine a car that only had one waste product: water. That is the tantalizing
promise of fuel cell cars, which have not yet arrived in the commercial
marketplace. If it sounds too good to be true, that's because it might be. Fuel
cell cars produce electricity by chemically breaking down hydrogen fuel. When
pure hydrogen is used, the only by-product is water, but pollution is produced
in creating the fuel itself. Also, because hydrogen is a flammable gas, safety is an
issue. Fuel distribution stations, such as this proposed northern California
hydrogen pump, and storage solutions are under development but still rife with
kinks. It could be two or more decades before fuel cell cars are widely
available and adopted by drivers.
