Due to the rising cost of gasoline the United States is looking for newand cheaper ways to fuel the economy. U.S. President George W. Bush is workingtowards making hydrogen gas the new fuel to power automobiles for the 21stcentury.
Government officials see hydrogen as the fuel of the future, but thecost to research and study it is high. The change will also raise the U.S. to a more technological andeconomical level. Officials aimfor the total change from gasoline to hydrogen gas to take place in about twoto three years. In order to foregothe process, Bush has allocated over one billion dollars to the continueddevelopment of hydrogen gas.
A major issue that hydrogen may decrease is air pollution. With theconstant use of petroleum gas that drivers now use, the atmosphere is filledwith carbon dioxide released from vehicles. The air pollution has dropped thenormal oxygen content of air to 21 percent. Studies have shown that if oxygen drops below 5 percent, people will begin todie.
Changing the fuel used in cars would help Earth’s atmosphere by raisingits oxygen content. Being thathydrogen is harmless to the Earth’s atmosphere, it has been proven to be anexcellent source of fuel.
“Hydrogen would be a resourceful and productive change,” said Wei Twon aSouthern University graduate student from China.
Jerome Sampson, a senior rehabilitation services major from Nalco,agrees.
”Hydrogen is a cleanerburning fuel and is environmental friendly,” said Jermone Sampson, a seniorrehabilitation services major from Nalco.
Using hydrogen will allow the automobile to run mainly on naturalresources, thus releasing oxygen and water vapor into the air, which willincrease the oxygen content of the atmosphere.
By using hydrogen in vehicles, maintenance costs would be extremelylower. There will be less gasrelated problems due to the change of fuel and no emissions. Studies show that hydrogen-ran cars runmore quietly than gas-powered cars. Cars ran on hydrogen will last longerbecause hydrogen is considered to be a natural gas without toxicants unlikepetroleum gas.
Using hydrogen-based fuel instead of petroleum will also lower the costof fuel for consumers.
Louis Washington, a sophomore computer science major from Lake Charles,would be in favor of any alternative that would make having an automobile moreaffordable.
“Anything to make gas cheaper, I’m for it,” Washington said.
Not only is the pollution in Earth’s atmosphere reason for a new type offuel, but politicians feel that there will be future shortages of oil. The majority of the nation’s oil comesfrom Iraq and because of recent war activity between the United States andIraq, the stability of the U.S. oil supply is questionable.
Kailyn White, a graduate student from Florida, said “The war in Iraq isjust creating more problems for U.S. citizens.”
The transition from oil to another source will avoid any economicalcrisis, since there is a risk of oil becoming obsolete in the future.
The problem with hydrogen is that no one has been able to generateenough hydrogen to supply an engine for normal road conditions. There have been many questions on wherethe hydrogen would come from that would fuel the tanks. Finding pure hydrogenis very rare.
Dr. Derald Chriss, an assistant professor of chemistry at Southern,feels hydrogen fueled automobiles may be a dangerous issue.
“What would happen in a collision if hydrogen is evolved? It is a big safety issue,” Chriss said.
Governors of several are starting to envision a “hydrogen highway” thatwill completely wipe out the use of combustible engines. One challenge affecting motor companiesis being able to build durable vehicles that will be capable of holding onlypure hydrogen. There are in factsome cars built today with dual fuel tanks. Once the hydrogen tanks runs out, the car can continue torun on gasoline. Although someofficials are trying to put hydrogen cars into effect now, many feel it willtake years before motorists start buying them.
“I would buy a hydrogen ran car, if the price isn’t too high,” saidStephanie Albert, a junior physics major from New Orleans.
Some states announced a plan to install a number of hydrogen fillingstations every 20 miles along major highways by 2010. To avoid chaos, hydrogen can’t be delivered during schoolhours or at the same time as gasoline deliveries. Presently, the only people allowed to use hydrogendispensers are technicians with specialized training. Companies in Canada havealready started to use hydrogen gas to run gasoline-powered electricalgenerators like the ones found in automobiles.
Hydrogen can be produced from gasoline, ethanol, natural gas andmethanol. It can also be producedfrom water by electrolysis. Withthe use of electrolysis technology, researchers will be able to convert enoughhydrogen to fuel an automobile. Atthis time, hydrogen can’t be produced from renewable resources but it can beobtained through the use of windmills and solar power. The metal alloy used toconvert water into hydrogen gas only costs about half a cent. The fuel efficiency in hydrogen isgreater than that of petroleum gas.
