Hydrogen Powered Automobiles Gain Favor

Washington DC May 4, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that seventy years after the Hindenburg disaster, which badly bruised hydrogen's reputation, a growing number of advocates are promoting the gas as a promising alternative to petroleum.

According to the New York Times, in the last decade, every large carmaker has jumped on the hydrogen express. Four years ago, in his State of the Union address, President Bush announced a $1.2 billion hydrogen initiative to foster clean air and lessen dependence on imported oil.

The Department of Energy has conducted marriages of sorts, joining automakers with energy companies — GM and Shell; Ford and DaimlerChrysler with BP — to encourage research and set standards for refueling hardware.

As hydrogen gains favor, hydrocarbons seem to be taking over the role of villain. Oil theorists contend that increased demand will outpace the ability to increase production. And the Supreme Court's April 2 ruling that the E.P.A. has authority to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant, as it does tailpipe emissions, was a powerful vote against fossil fuels.