Energy Department Kicks in $119 Million for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Research
President Bush has indicated it is imperative to kick Americas oil habit. In conjunction with this goal, the Department of Energy has just announced a $119 million dollar research initiative.
Money for Research and Development
Obviously, automobiles are the basis of Americas oil addiction. Everyone seems to have at least one car if not more. To attack this problem, the current administration is putting a lot of emphasis on hydrogen fuel cell research for vehicles.
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are extremely environmentally friendly. They work by converting hydrogen and oxygen into electricity through a chemical process. This process is particularly attractive because it produces no pollutants, is nearly twice as efficient as combustible gas engines and relies on extremely plentiful resources that are not located in foreign lands. There are, however, a few drawbacks to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Hydrogen powered cars are much more expensive than traditional gas powered vehicles. The technology is simply not advanced enough to make production cost effective. The...