OK, I searched dKos for this and didn't find anything: Honda is going into production with a hydrogen powered car. The link is
http://cars.blogs.ca/2006/02/06/hydrogen-powered-honda-fcx-to-go-into-production/
Several months ago at the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda introduced a wind cheating, earth friendly, fuel cell-powered concept called the FCX. Several weeks ago in Detroit at the NAIAS, Honda quietly announced that they would build a production vehicle based on the FCX concept. With the advancements theyve made for this latest generation of hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles, a production model will be ready within three to four years.
Honda seems to have solved many (if not most or all) of the problems hydrogen powered cars have. As the old saying goes, those who beleive that something can not be done shouldn't interfere with those actually doing it.
More on the flip.
The first problem the article addresses is the range of the vehicle:
Another breakthrough was in the realm of storage, and with a newly developed higher absorption material in the tanks which allowed Honda to double storage capacity. The FCX can achieve a real-world driving range of over 500 km (350 miles).
350 miles is the standard range of your 30MPG/12 gallon tank car. And demonstratably is acceptable to the American consumer. In a package that is expected to pass Japanese and Californian crash safety regulations. I'd say the storage problem is solved.
The second problem is the lack of hydrogen refueling stations:
And that brings me to the last item relating to this revolutionary concept: Hondas Home Energy Station (HES). The HES is an all purpose energy station for home and vehicle energy needs. When fed a steady diet of natural gas (which, at the molecular level, consists mostly of carbon and hydrogen) that is readily available in most residences, the HES converts the gas to straight hydrogen. The hydrogen is then stored for future use, piped into your hydrogen-powered car, or used by the HES for its own set of fuel cells to generate electricity for the home.
OK, this is the one mildly regrettable aspect of this whole development- using natural gas as a hydrogen source. This still pumps greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere (just signifigantly less of them), and is affected by natural gas prices. Personally, I'd have preferred an electricity + water hydrogen generation, with electricity generated from a combination of nuclear + wind.
The HES is also a solution to the problem of wind generated energy- how do you store the energy between the time the wind is blowing and the time the energy is needed? Answer: each home has it's own HES that, when the wind is blowing but the energy isn't needed, is converting it into hydrogen. Then, when the energy is needed but the wind isn't blowing (enough), the hydrogen is converted back into energy. The ultimate UPS, for us computer geeks.
Even with using natural gas as a hydrogen source, this is still a step in the right direction- as the car doesn't care where the hydrogen comes from. Once we get a hydrogen fleet on the road, then we can worry about switching from natural gas to electricity+water for hydrogen production.
The article doesn't address the problem of limitations on world-wide platinum supply.
Don't bother running down to your local Honda dealership and trying to buy one of these. First of all, it'll be 3-4 four years before the first cars roll off the assembly line. And, as the article reminds us, prices for the initial vehicles will be astronomical. This is how new technologies always work- I remember when VCRs cost $5,000. Prices come down as production ramps up.
UPDATE: I want to point everyone at Crisis Corps Volunteer's comment, about alternatives to platinum as a catalyst. If this technology proves out, that eliminates one of the last objections to wide-spread hydrogen use.