Projo Cars Blog

General Motors swung by Brown University late last week with two of its Chevrolet Equinox Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles. I took a ride and it was impressive, silent with plenty of snap.

The visit was part of GM's "Project Driveway" which involves 100 of the fuel cell vehicles getting everyday use in New York City, Washington, DC and California.

The vehicle is silent because it's basically an electric car with the fuel cell making the electricity onboard. This compares to a plug-in electric vehicle, such as GM's much ballyhooed Chevy Volt.

I know I am not the brightest bulb around, but it seems to me that GM is onto something with the Volt -even though it is a couple of years away and will cost some $40,000 - while the bloom on fuel cell technology might be coming off.

I mean, why go to the trouble of making electricity onboard using that pesky element hydrogen - which is not only produced using fossil fuels but is hard to store - when you can potentially use ready-made electricity? Just plug in - at home, at work, at the store, on the road, at the movies, at the restaurant etc etc.

Electricity is ubiquitous and it is easy to imagine credit card accessible fill-up stations wherever you park your car. Meanwhile, you can almost count the number of hydrogen outlets nationwide on a few hands. Most of them are probably in New York City, Washington, DC and California ...

Of course, there are a couple of caveats.

First, generating the electricity. Having our vehicles run on electricity will mean an incredible increase in demand. The challenge will be to do so through methods that are pollution free. Solar, wind and nuclear come to mind as does some form of clean burning of coal and natural gas which are the predominant fuels now in use.

Second, storing the electricity. How to make batteries that can store sufficient power without being so heavy they are counterproductive. This, of course, is one argument in favor of fuel cell technology.

However, Tesla has proved you can produce a viable if expensive electric car with lithium ion batteries. The Tesla Roadster has a range of 250 miles and its fuel efficiency is the equivalent of 135 miles to the gallon.

So while Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Renault are among other manufacturers looking into fuel cell technology, for my money plug-ins are the way to go.

- Peter C.T. Elsworth

 Tags  Alternative fuels Chevrolet electric General Motors Honda Hydrogen fuel cell Mercedes-Benz plug-in Renault

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