Volkswagen Golf SportWagen HyMotion debuts in L.A. [video]

[nationalize the fed]

3. Some rough numbers

One Kilo of H2 = about 1 gallon of gas but since the fuel cell is more efficient you get more miles from the H2. The Hyundai can get up to ~80 miles per Kilo.

It takes ~40-50 kWh to make one Kilogram of H2.

According to Nissan Leaf forums, a Leaf can travel about 100 miles on ~34 kWh of electricity. The Tesla model s can go ~265 miles on 85 kWh, if you don't use A/C or the heater and don't drive @85 mph.

I think these vehicles are marketing hype at this point.

Toyota has been working on Fuel Cell vehicles since the early '90s. If you watch this press conference held in Tokyo just a couple of days ago with the Top Toyota executives you may reconsider

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/toyota-en

Listen to a couple of TMC Engineers as they talk about the testing of the FCV and see if it sounds like "marketing hype"

The carbon footprint for using the electricity to charge a battery

That depends on the source of power. Most people charging their electric cars in the US today are charging their cars with electrons made from coal.

considerably better then using it to produce hydrogen using electrolysis and then compressing it under high pressure for filling vehicle storage tanks.

Hydrogen fuel becomes a practical reality


ITV Presenter Rebecca Broxton walks through the new Honda SolarPark in Swindon, UK

The launch of the UK’s first commercial-scale hydrogen production and refuelling facility powered by solar energy heralds the dawn of an era of true carbon-free fuel.

The gas will be generated at Honda UK's manufacturing plant in Swindon at the rate of 20 tonnes per year using a process called solar hydrolysis, whereby Hydrogen will be produced from water using the heat of the sun, and used initially to power a pair of forklifts, a fleet of commercial vehicles, and an education centre situated alongside the filling station.

With the generating and dispensing infrastructure now in place to ensure commercial-scale volumes of liquid Hydrogen on tap, one of the partners in the venture, Briggs Equipment UK, has developed the technology to run a pair of Hydrogen fuel cell-powered 2.5t Yale 80v trucks at the automotive manufacturer's site...
http://www.shdlogistics.com/news/view/hydrogen-fuel-becomes-a-practical-reality

Honda has eliminated the need for a compressor in the home fueling units it will sell after their FCV is introduced next year

Honda begins operating next generation solar hydrogen station prototype, intended for ultimate use as a home refueling appliance capable of an overnight refill of fuel cell electric vehicles.

...The previous solar hydrogen station system required both an electrolyzer and a separate compressor unit to create high pressure hydrogen. The compressor was the largest and most expensive component and reduced system efficiency. By creating a new high differential pressure electrolyzer, Honda engineers were able to eliminate the compressor entirely - a world's first for a home use system.
http://world.honda.com/FuelCell/SolarHydrogenStation/

The concept of renewable hydrogen is apparently difficult for some here to grasp. It's not rocket science.

If you've got solar panels, and they've paid for themselves, how much does a Kilo of H2 cost?

Solar Hydrogen is the Fuel of the Future