ANSWERS: 1
  • <h4 class="dechead">On One Hand: A Number Have Been Built and Sold

    Hydrogen cars, which produce no harmful emissions, have been available in limited quantities since the 1990s, and the first hydrogen filling station in the world opened in Munich in 1999. Shelby Cobra has manufactured an engine that runs on hydrogen, and there are conversion kits to help vehicles such as Hummers run on hydrogen.

    On the Other: Their Future Is Cloudy

    In May 2009, the New York Times reported that Energy Secretary Stephen Chu had announced the end of government spending on research into running cars with hydrogen fuel cells. Indicating that perfection of the the technology would likely take too long, Chu said that the money would be put toward the development of stationary fuel cells. In 2008, Toyota and General Motors--among others--ceased to develop hydrogen fuel cell technology, focusing efforts on electric cars.

    Bottom Line

    Though the technology exists and hydrogen cars have been shown to work, the lack of cost-efficiency and practicality have put hydrogen fuel cells on the back burner, where they remain as of January 2010.

    Source:

    New York Times: U.S. Drops Research Into Fuel Cells for Cars

    MSNBC: Hydrogen Cars Ready to Roll, For a Price

    Hybrid and Hydrogen Cars

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