Why isn't hydrogen used as a viable alternative to gas cars?

Question

There are several websites trying to sell hydrogen conversion

instructions. If hydrogen is such a great alternative, I wondered why we all aren't changing our cars over? Must be some sort of drawback.

Answer 1

The web sites selling hydrogen converters are a scam.   If you look at the web sites you will notice that they don't sel plans through the mail.  They only offer them as a PDF or something similar.  Thats because they don't want to be charged with mail fraud.  Those things don't work.  If they did the auto manufacturers would offer them as either standard equipment or as an option.  think about it.  If you were in the market for a new car and deciding between two similar models would you buy the one that burned twice as much fuel.  If someone invented a hydrogen converter that actually worked it would be licensed to one or more of the auto companies.  All of them are looking for an edge to make their products more desirable than the competition.

Answer 2

There is no infrastructure to produce, store and distribute all the hydrogen that would be required for one thing.

Answer 3

Lots of drawbacks, actually.  Hydrogen isn't really around by itself in abundance, you have to get it by splitting up molecules that contain hydrogen - like water.  The only way to get the hydrogen out of water is through electrolyis (running an electric current through the water), and that requires electricity.  Since most of the electricity is actually produced through burning fossil fuels, you are back to a net energy equation that just doesn't make sense.

On top of all that, hydrogen doesn't have the energy density that gasoline does - you don't get as much energy from burning a gallon of hydrogen vs. a gallon of gas.  Hydrogen is also hard to transport safely, there isn't a good distribution system for it (not a lot of hydrogen pumps at the gas station), and it's explosively volatile. (think Hindenberg).

Answer 4

The Hydrogen fuel cell is a great idea.  The problem right now is distribution.  Where do you fill up?  The are a couple service station chains that have plans to provide fuel for hydrogen powered cars, but they are only in high profile areas like California and New York.  Eventually it may become more common.  The cars, themselves, are also very rare and expensive right now.

Answer 5

There is no supply of hydrogen in the world. If there were, you would see a lot more of these cars. Since hydrogen gas does not occur anywhere in the world naturally, it must be made. Most hydrogen made today is made from natural gas, but the natural gas itself actually makes an even better car fuel than hydrogen. That is why there are more natural gas cars than hydrogen cars on the road.

Answer 6

Hydrogen is very flammable, I'm guess they haven't  developed a means by which the everyday idiot can be trusted to be able to use it without blowing themselves up!

Answer 7

Theres a better alternative out there.  go google tesla howitzer and see for yourself.  Its basically the idea that when you create a vacuum inside is an immense amount of energy.  And the government won't release the patents cause the oil companies have influence over them.  and the goverment uses this energy to create weapons some of them more powerful than the nuclear bomb.  They've had this technology since the 50's and its still not out.  probably won't be available till we run out of oil and gas.

Answer 8

Because certain people don't want you to have technology. They would loose a lot of money and power.  Yes I have plans to sell, yes i make so money from them. This is not a scam like some people think and say. If it is scam, then why does NASA (gov) use hydrogen for rocket fuel????? We just show you how to add a booster to your vechile and that's it. Some people have built water units for their vechile and it worked. But what happened to them (RIP) Stan. If you make an invention and go to get it patent the gov checks it out to see if could be as national security threat. If is oh well its over for for your invention.

W2G

http://www.water2gas.com

Answer 9

I'm building my own converter, my friend built one on a website we found, I paid the $ for the plans sold on the page, but I'm told you can get them for free on the internet if you look.  I'm actually assembling it right now and stopped to take a break.

www.water4gas. com  this is just one website - there are others.

My friend got it to work and work very well - his gas mileage has increased 60% so I'm putting mine in over two days....

Answer 10

Because till now no government is willing to invest in a real project to cope will global warming, At the end of the day, Gas companies are the base of the world economy and despite the nice words no government is doing anything to face this issue