While the media buzz might make people believe hydrogen fuel cells are around the corner, significant hurdles still need to be crossed. Even though some prototype fuel cell cars are showing promise in delivering an experience similar to existing cars, cost, hydrogen storage, and lack of infrastructure are major issues. More importantly, though, in my opinion, is where is all the hydrogen needed to meet our transportation need going to come from? Unlike gasoline, hydrogen is not considered a fuel, but an energy carrier, not unlike a battery, a carrier of electricity. A fuel of some sort is needed to create hydrogen, be it fossil fuels, alternative fuels, or solar energy. A San Francisco Chronicle article attempts to stress this lingering question, but like many other articles on the topic, fails to offer any suggested roadmap towards a likely hydrogen supply strategy. If we use photovoltaics to generate electricity to convert water in to hydrogen in an electrolizer, could we not more efficiently use the electricity from the photovoltaics in a full-electric car with a battery pack?

[Source: San Francisco Chronicle]