- by Ray Bernard
Hybrids to prove 'greener' for some time
10 March 2003: Hybrid petrol-electric cars are likely to prove to be 'greener' than those based on the much-vaunted 'hydrogen economy' until at least 2020, according to a study by the Massachussets Institute of Technology.
The study agrees that hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles have low emissions and energy use on the road, but points out that converting a hydrocarbon fuel such as natural gas or petrol into hydrogen fuel uses substantial energy and emits greenhouse gases.
Motor industry and US Government officials have expressed their belief that it should be cost-effective to produce hydrogen-fuel cars in large numbers by 2020.
Virtually all industrial hydrogen supply at the moment comes from natural gas. In the future large amounts of hydrogen will be separated from water through the use of alternative energies like wind and solar power, but this green method of making hydrogen is still too expensive
Toyota and Honda are currently the leading makers of hybrid cars, and a number of other large manufacturers have entered into technology transfer agreements both for hybrids and fuel cell research.
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