by Frank Sherosky

Created on: December 30, 2008

A FUEL CELL "RIDE AND DRIVE" REPORT:

Automobile consumers want a seamless experience as the industry transitions from fossil fuels to electric power fueled by hydrogen. They don't want multiple hours to recharge a battery, or a fuel that raises their food bill like ethanol. They want nothing longer than a gas station fill-up, and they want it cheap.

In reality, consumers are less concerned with the type of propulsion than the changes required in their lives to pay and drive these new vehicles. Do not underestimate the judgment of consumers. They will judge the practical value of fuel cell vehicles, when they experience how the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

I may have grown up with gasoline in my veins, so to speak, but I am just thrilled as a designer to finally see fuel cells approach mainstream. My first fuel-cell experience was with the Chevy Equinox on an invited "Ride and Drive." My co-worker, John, was surprised that I chose to sit in the back seat first as a passenger. I wanted my own full attention to make an unbiased opinion with eyes closed, and mind wide open.

As John backed the vehicle out of the parking space, the shift to Drive was exactly the same as any other automatic. The quick acceleration forward, however, caught both of us by surprise. It was a head jerk for sure, because electric motors derive their torque immediately, unlike combustion engines.

Then there was the quietness of the experience. The engine noise was conspicuous by its absence. I heard road noise, but no exhaust roar. That was it! There was no special training, no ride difference, no feeling of being unsafe.

Now, some may think the issue is fuel economy vs. safety when it comes to fuel cells, but I disagree. I experienced both, as the vehicle was the same size and feel of any gasoline-powered Chevy Equinox on the road. No need to let crashworthiness suffer. I experienced parity, as this was no small puddle jumper.

Key question: Based on present engineering expertise of the industry, can we assume a lighter vehicle can be designed to meet the same level of crashworthiness? Yes, and probably better. Think high-strength, thin-wall steel or high-strength aluminum.

As it stands today, the downside for fuel cell production centers on fuel availability and cost of the fuel cells. The cells will become cheaper over time. On a comparable scale, though, gasoline stations outnumber hydrogen stations by a tremendous factor. Then again, we live between two oceans; no need to ship fuel from the Saudis.

The problem of hydrogen production is not as great as it sounds, at least as we approach the transition from working prototypes to production. Some say it will take fossil fuel like coal to power the generation of converting water to hydrogen. Get real. We have plenty of natural gas, a potential for wind power for the electrical grid, not to mention nuclear reactors.

Here is where the government has its duty. For sure, the auto industry did not build the interstate. It was the government at the behest of President Eisenhower during the Cold War. Likewise, it will take the next president to convince congress to allocate funds for that new infrastructure so we truly can be free of foreign oil and blackmail.

Then we have the issue of final distribution to the consumer. Think of Wal-Mart, Costco, Meier and other major stations that follow the interstate. The system is basically here. Then think of the latest technical innovation, which has electrodes made from nano-particles, which increase the area of small electrodes so a station can generate its own hydrogen locally.

It's not a question of if we will have fuel cell vehicles, but when. The advantages to the earth are too great to dismiss.

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