After decades of disdain following the 1937 Hindenburg disaster, hydrogen is finally becoming a technological darling once more. According to the New York Times, there isn’t a single automaker that isn’t focusing some R&D effort on the rush to create the first hydrogen vehicle for the masses. Prototypes are already zipping about on the road, and yesterday the Times offered a look at six models, including a hydrogen-powered Prius. Though it’s not clear when we may finally get a “zero emission vehicle”–especially if one takes into account the energy spent in making these things–but the optimistic tone of the Times makes it sound like we could be seeing hydrogen-powered cars on sale to the general public in just a few short years.
Source: Don Sherman, On the Road, Hope for a Zero-Pollution Car. New York Times, April 29, 2007. Photo: A fuel cell-powered bus in London, by Tom Page.
