Overview
Please respond with 175 words
Professor and Classmates;
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles sounds good on the surface, and realistically if the technology could advance a bit it might not be a bad option. However, there in lies the problem as well. The processes used to create the hydrogen that can be used in vehicles are not "green" processes, and in many cases at offset the greenhouse gases that hydrogen powered vehicles are designed to reduce. Next is the fact that most current hydrogen technology still relies on some other form of power within the vehicle to transfer energy to the wheels. Most of the time that's an electric motor, or series of electric motors, which then highlights the efficiency of the electric power rather than the hydrogen. Add to this the limited range that current hydrogen vehicles have, at least no better than electric or hybrid electric powered vehicles, along with the limited access to filling stations, and hydrogen suddenly becomes a last resort. Another issue is the reputation that hydrogen has for being unsafe or unstable. I imagine that many people worry about getting into an accident and having the car explode. While this notion may be unfounded, I believe that many people would think about this and think Hindenberg on wheels. The final kicker is the cost of the technology. With the average cost of a hydrogen powered vehicle being around $80k (USD), it prices the vehicles out of most peoples range.
Realistically, the science and technology behind hydrogen power is quite amazing, however, engineering it into vehicles in a manner that ensures occupant safety, reliability, and both environmental and cost efficiency would appear to be quite a challenge.