Number of Hydrogen Fuel Stations Dropping

There are fewer hydrogen fueling stations in California today than just a couple of months ago, and that in a state that set the most ambitious policies for adding the next-generation fuel as an option on its highways.

Hydrogen has great promise as a vehicle fuel, given that it produces nothing but water vapor (and not enough of that to add significantly to the greenhouse effect). But it still takes energy – usually produced by burning fossil fuels – to make hydrogen. And there are precious few stations that sell hydrogen, and fewer still cars that run on it.

In an effort to ensure that the infrastructure was in place when mass-market hydrogen vehicles hit the market, California aimed for 100 hydrogen fueling stations by 2010. With the closure of two stations recently and the impending closure of another, the number of stations open for business will drop to 22, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Many experts see hydrogen, produced by renewable energy sources, as the most promising long-term solution for clean-running vehicles. But many of those same experts say short-term solutions, like plug-in hybrid gas-electric vehicles and the like, are needed now, given the pressing demands of the global warming challenge.

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