Probably most of us on this site are familiar with the documentary 'Who Killed the Electric Car?' But what he occured since then in the industry is equally disturbing. The Department of Energy proposed a group called FreedomCAR to address the future transportation needs of the US. This collaboration included the DOE, major oil companies and auto makers (despite anti-trust laws that prohibit these types of groups from forming). It appears that the hybrid and plug-in hybrids that are being touted lately are just a distraction until they can perfect what they define as the new "hydrogen economy." Big Oil and Big Automotive are threatened by EVs because they do not embrace the infrastructure they worked so hard to perfect (liquid fuels, the internal combustion engine, and parts distribution). Hydrogen fits the mold they are looking for so the majority of tax payer money for alternative vehicle fuels and technology has gone to these hydrogen technologies. The problem with hydrogen is that it takes far more energy to produce than you get out of it, it is highly combustible (far more than gas) and it is extremely expensive. Scientists agree, too, that the environmental impact will be WORSE than gas cars because of the energy needed to prodice and distribute the fuel. Check out twocentspermile.com for more info.

I discovered recently that Hydrogen is created as a byproduct of Chlorine manufacture in significant volumes. If we, as society, decide we need the chlorine, then we have spent the energy to get it and the Hydrogen byproduct need not bear the whole cost of the production. Similarly, I guess, with Bottled Oxygen as the obvious way to make it would be to electrolyse water.

What I don't know is whether there is currently a net surplus of Hydrogen in compressed gas form which has no other uses so it could be beneficial to have just enough fuel cells in use to absorb the excess. I still think trying to replace the gasoline retail network with Hydrogen will create demand which could only be filled by highly energy costly water electrolysis for the Hydrogen and then leaving Oxygen excess. These things need to be balanced to avoid changing the atmospheric composition inadvertently.

What do the rest of you think? Is anyone from APCI Inc/Ltd. who can comment on relative market sizes before EV consideration?

________________________________ -- Richard Goldsmith Director, Zodiac Image Technology Ltd. Guildford, Surrey. U.K. Skypename : richardmgoldsmith