The End Is Near?

The end of our dependence on fossil fuels that is. I came across this article by Jim Motavalli of the New York Times, about a zero emissions, hydrogen technology car being developed by Honda. It still looks like it may be some time before we have a commercially viable model, but I am encouraged by how close we are.

FOR a decade or longer, the fuel-cell car has resembled the mirage that recedes as you draw closer to it. Hydrogen-powered vehicles always seemed at least 20 years away, the subject of news conferences in Washington and static displays at auto shows. Even when test-drive opportunities came up, they were strictly controlled rides around a track, with nervous company representatives making excuses from the passenger
seat.

All that changed last month when Honda handed me the keys to a 2005 edition of its FCX (for Fuel Cell Experimental), the first zero-emission, hydrogen-driven vehicle to be certified by both the Environmental Protection Agency and the State of California for everyday commercial use. This is a street-ready hydrogen car with license plates and no rough edges, a test bed for green technology worth well over $1 million. (more here)

photo by Douglas Healey for The New York Times