Fuels Of The Future
Ethanol
Biodiesel
Hydrogen
Links
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and it makes an excellent fuel. In fact all the energy we have on earth has come from hydrogen reactions in the sun, even the energy contained in fossil fuels! A glass of water can easily be converted into hydrogen through electrolysis. So it is certainly an abundant fuel source here on earth. However with the current technologies the most economical way to produce hydrogen is by using fossil fuels. To produce hydrogen by electrolysis a current is applied to water to seperate the hydrogen molecules from the oxygen. This process is actually pretty energy efficient, from about 50-75% efficient with theoretical efficiencies from 80-94% (Electrolysis-Wikipedia).
Apparatus used to produce hydrogen by electrolysis. Diagram courtesy of Wikipedia.
What is the best way to transport hydrogen? Because it is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, large high pressure tanks are required to transport it. This can present some safety and widescale distribution issues. Another way to utilize hydrogen gas on vehicles is with fuel cells. These cells will convert hydrogen gas into electrical energy that can be used to drive the car. With our current fuel cell technology they have a relatively short lifetime and are expensive (Fuel Cell-Wikipedia).