The House of Representatives is debating over mile per gallon standards required of all new automobiles sold in the US. The target is an average of 35 mpg by 2020. That means that any company’s average mpg of their entire line of new vehicles (including trucks, suvs, and vans) will have to be 35 mpg or better. Environmentalists have long pushed for this kind of goal, claiming it to be the most effective way to cut CO2 emissions and stifle global warming. The car makers are fighting against it claiming a forced increase of nearly 40% to each vehicle. I have to ask: Wouldn’t the market adjust to the requirement, especially due to mass production? After all, 2020 is still 12 years away.
In contrast, Honda is advertising their new FCX Clarity, a hydrogen fuel cell powered electric car. Honda boasts zero emissions while maintaining driving performance, up to 100 miles per hour. The obvious problem will be the limited infrastructure of hydrogen refueling centers. Honda plans to release a limited number of cars to southern Cal in 2008 and build up from there. My next question is: Why don’t competitors follow suite? Shouldn’t we take advantage of the technology and spend our efforts in enlarging the hydrogen refueling infrastructure?
As an answer to my questions, I found an interesting article posted by the Daily Camera in Boulder, CO. According to now retired professors Frank Kreith and Ron West, hydrogen is not a good answer because of it’s production method. Normally, natural gas is used to produce hydrogen. So it is with Honda. Natural gas is an expensive fossil fuel that is already in short supply. Hydrogen can be created with an electrical current, but all tests show that it requires twice the electricity that can be produced by hydrogen. This would really up the cost of electricity. Nuclear reactors can also create hydrogen, but the possible side effects of spills, explosions, etc are a daunting threat that’s hard to justify.
Building green could benefit from a new fuel system. I’m pleased to hear all the advances in personal transport. I don’t know if there are solutions for dump trucks, loaders, and cranes, but if you hear of any please let me know. To read up on the House’s plans for mpg requirements, click here. To check out Honda’s new FCX, click here. Read about hydrogen here.
