(questions:
- are these simply the lies of Big Petrol and the Military-Industrial Complex?)
- is the real reason denial of the deeper fact that hydrogen advances render petroleum obsolete? was this obsolesence of petrol predicted DECADES ago by physicists?)
Shigeru Shoji, President of Volkswagen Group Japan, says that hydrogen cars will only be successful in the Japanese market because of extensive government subsidies – up to $28,500 per fuel cell vehicle – and assistance in building the infrastructure needed for hydrogen distribution. He believes hydrogen cars will not make it in the marketplace in other countries where the government is not willing to make such major investments to support a hydrogen economy.
Shoji recently told Bloomberg News that the commitment by Toyota and the Japanese government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles is just another example of “the Galapagos Syndrome” that plagues Japanese manufacturing – a pattern of building products that are only suitable for the Japanese home market.
Such stinging criticism drew a rebuke from Toyota. Company spokesman Dion Corbett says such massive support from the government is necessary to get hydrogen technology out of the laboratory and into the marketplace. He believes hydrogen will have a bright future not only in Japan but in Europe, California and the East Coast of America as well. Ford CEO Alan Mulally told Bloomberg recently to expect more hydrogen cars in the coming years.
In the meantime, Volkswagen is keeping an eye on Toyota and the hydrogen economy in Japan. VW Japan spokesperson Yasuo Maruta says it’s goal is to be no more than 3 years behind in fuel cell technology in case hydrogen power becomes more viable. However, even Toyota admits that a full tank of hydrogen fuel will cost $50 to begin with, though may eventually settle in the $30 range. That’s for 300 miles of driving range, mind you, and only in areas (i.e. SoCal) where hydrogen fuel stations are.
While both hydrogen and battery advocates claim their system is the most environmentally friendly, the truth is that both rely heavily on fracking. Why? Because hydrogen is made primarily from natural gas and most electricity is generated by natural gas, at least in the US. And fracking is what makes the abundance of low cost natural gas we enjoy at the moment possible. The road to emissions free driving that doesn’t pollute the environment is an illusion if fracking is its foundation.
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Thursday January 30, 2014 10:59
Toyota has left no doubt about its commitment to fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) as the next evolutionary step in emission-free driving.
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The new Toyota FCV concept model
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At the show, Toyota displayed not only its new hydrogen powered sedan but also its hydrogen tank along with test results demonstrating it was able to withstand impacts from small caliber bullets, .50 caliber rounds barely made a dent.
However, Toyota is not just depending on the durability of its technology.
“The demand for environmental sustainability is achieving critical mass” said Bob Carter, Toyota’s vice-president and general manager of Toyota Sales USA during his presentation at the ANWC.
Surprisingly, Carter sees a shift in buyer’s ethnicity as the force to promote this trend claiming that “we’re already the most popular automotive brand among Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans and African Americans” who are, based on information from the U.S. Census Bureau he presented, on a trajectory to representing the majority of Americans by 2050. With that, he said comes a shift to younger car buyers with more conscience of sustainability.
Although Toyota stole the show highlighting its new technology, Honda probably deserves credit for having the cooler prototype.
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The new Honda FCEV concept model
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So the glove has been thrown down, and the challenge has been accepted. We are likely to see competing technologies in the market starting this year with a wider variety of battery electric and hybrid vehicles, followed by hydrogen cars in 2015. Each of them, as you may remember, will feature a different profile of technology metals employed, but all of them will push the market more towards electronics and technology. (A full article comparing metal usage by different technologies is in preparation.)
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