Will hydrogen fuel cell cars eclipse EVs before they’ve even had a chance to go mainstream?

We’ve been waiting for electric vehicles (EVs) to replace gas guzzlers for more than a hundred years. Literally. The first electric motor was installed in a car way back in the 1800s. Yet a deeply entrenched oil and gas industry has kept this technology at bay for decades. Now, at long last, major car manufacturers are releasing plug-in vehicles that are both efficient and somewhat affordable. But the switch to EVs is still taking longer than many anticipated.

Now, some believe that we will never see an electric vehicle revolution, not because the technology isn’t sound, but because it will quickly be made obsolete by something even better: hydrogen fuel cell cars.

A major complaint about electric vehicles (at least among the eco-conscious) is that they’re still dependent on a power grid that runs off fossil fuels. Even though the EVs themselves aren’t belching toxic fumes into the air, their batteries are powered by the same coal-fired and nuclear power plants that fuel our homes. When you consider the entire life-cycle of ownership, they’re not as green as you’d think.

Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles harvest power from another, much cleaner source. Hydrogen is the simplest and most abundant element in the universe. Instead of a big dirty engine, or heavy battery, hydrogen vehicles have a fuel cell, which converts hydrogen to electricity, giving off only heat and water as byproducts. For a long time, these true zero-emissions vehicles were the stuff of myth and legend in automotive circles, but now, two major car companies are moving to bring hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to market within the next few years. Take a peek.

Hyundai Tucson (pictured above)

According to Hyundai, “The Tucson Fuel Cell represents the next generation of electric vehicles – those that create their own electricity, on-board, from hydrogen.” Unlike many EVs, the Tucson Fuel Cell has a driving range up to 300 miles and is capable of full refueling in under 10 minutes. Starting in Spring 2014, the company plans to lease this next-generation Tucson Fuel Cell vehicle to customers in the Los Angeles/Orange County region for $499 per month, including unlimited free hydrogen refueling and At Your Service Valet Maintenance at no extra cost. That means if something goes wrong, a Hyundai tech will come out to your house to fix it.

Images: Hyundai and Honda

The post Beyond EVs? Two Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars That Are Even Better appeared first on EcoSalon.

Biofuel usage has increased considerably in recent years, mostly driven by government mandates to find cleaner fuel options. But a new UN report brings into question how environmentally friendly these biofuels actually are.

The report, from the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management, suggests that before we start patting ourselves on the back for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by using biofuels, we really need to examine more closely the environmental effects of producing ethanol and other renewable transportation fuels.

Using a life-cycle approach to the issue, the report states that further research is needed to discover the impact that producing biofuels has on a region’s biodiversity, land, air, waterways and numerous other environmental concerns.

Some biofuels, after all, are much more environmentally friendly than others. For example, using sugar cane derived biofuel has the potential to reduce emissions by up to 100 percent, but using biofuel made from palm oil on deforested land has the opposite effect.

Further research and debate about these differences, the report suggests, would not only help determine which energy crops to grow and where, but also provide clearer definitions and criteria for distinguishing the degree of sustainability of various biofuels.

Read full report here.

Image: twoblueday

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