[Serenity]

The question is, is the government willing to put their money where their mouth is. They always talk about supporting cleaner, greener projects but will they to this extent when it's their funding that will be needed to encourage adoption?

Hydrogen Cars Will Need Multi-Billion Dollar Jumpstart, Experts Warn

Washington, DC. July 18, 2008 (ENS) - It will take massive subsidies from the U.S. government to make hydrogen fuel cell vehicles a significant part of the nation's transportation future, according to a National Research Council report released Thursday. The study finds that even under a best-case scenario only about two million hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be on American roads by 2020, less than one percent of the nation's estimated total number of cars and trucks.

Achieving that goal would require the government to pump at least $55 billion in subsidies over the next 15 years to make hydrogen vehicles cost competitive with conventional cars and trucks, the report concluded. Current government spending has equaled some $879 million since 2004.

But the chair of the committee that wrote the report said the suggested government funding should be put in perspective with other subsidies.

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[RFL1986]

Unfortunately I think proper government funding may be a long way off, especially considering the price at hand here. Although there is always a lot of talk regarding money for R&D or distribution for green projects most of the time it just doesn't happen. Hopefully this could be the exception to the rule though.