The future of the global automotive industry will be driven by hydrogen, not gasoline — at least as senior management at General Motors sees it. While hybrids, which combine gasoline engines with electric motors, were the buzz last year at the North American International Auto Show, it’s hydrogen that will be the fuel of the future, GM powertrain group vice-president Tom Stephens said.
Let’s hope so. Less dependence on oil means a cleaner environment and less wars. Toyota is the leader in hybrid technology and the hybrid that Ford is now heavily advertising as superior technology is indeed precisely that – because they license their hybrid technology and engines from Toyota.
The major technological hurdles that hydrogen car technology must still overcome are storage and delivery. Hydrogen is the lightest element, so it can leak out of anything. Gas stations would need to be replaced with hydrogen stations so the fuel could be delivered everywhere. Then of course is the question of how to create all that hydrogen. One of the coolest ways I’ve heard of via solar arrays in the desert that create hydrogen as a by-product.
GM is well-known for speaking out of all sides of their mouth at once when it comes to alernative energy, however it’s encouraging they are now openly speaking about switching to hydrogen.