Is hydrogen fuel (for vehicles) cheaper than gasoline?

Question

I saw somewhere that it was $4.99/gal in California. Is this correct? So then the only benefits would be to end our dependence on foreign oil and for the environment?

Answer 1

Hydrogen would not end our dependence on foreign oil. Hydrogen has to be manufactured and since nuclear power is not allowed in the U.S., you will have to burn fossil fuels to create the power needed to manufacture hydrogen.

Answer 2

It is currently made from fossil fuels, so it is expensive.  However, in theory it could be made by electrolyzing water, so it would be relatively cheap.

Answer 3

On an equivalent energy basis, hydrogen costs about the same as gasoline. That's because most hydrogen is actually made from fossil fuels today.

Answer 4

I know that 1 kg of ammonia has costed around 20 cents (200 $/tonne) and containes 2 m3 of hydrogen so it was already more cheap than gasoline...

Answer 5

Currently, hydrogen is three to four times as expensive to produce as gasoline (when produced from its most affordable source, natural gas).

Hydrogen can either be burned as a fuel or used in a fuel cell to create electricity by splitting the electrons off the hydrogen atom.

The president (yes, George W.) has announced a program incenting research and development around hydrogen as a fuel source.  The R&D would focus on making hydrogen cheaper to produce and easier to safely transport, dispense, and use as a fuel source.

Hydrogen is very volatile (remember the Hindenburg).