Mercedes Benz B Class F-Cell Hydrogen Car
Hydrogen cars are coming. Over the years, the promise of hydrogen has been touted as the ultimate solution for clean affordable power. Billions of dollars were invested only to see hydrogen give up the spotlight to electric and hybrid vehicles. But wait. Hydrogen is not dead. While everyone was showing off their latest plug-in electric prototype at the recent Frankfurt Auto Show, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche surprised many when he stated that hydrogen fuel cells, not batteries are the ultimate way to move beyond oil.
“The chances further down the road seem to me better on the fuel-cell side than on the battery-electric side.” stated Zetsche.
Zetsche went on to tell reporters that hydrogen beats electric batteries at moving cars long distances without refueling. Hydrogen can also power big, roomy sedans much more readily than batteries.
How does this all related to natural gas? Well, there are no hydrogen cars being commercially built and available at your local dealer for a few years yet. However, natural gas vehicles are here today.
How this all relates to natural gas is in the distribution. Natural gas is proven, abundant and affordable. Yet in Canada there is only ~11,500 natural gas vehicles on the road while in the US there are only about ~150,000. One of the stated reasons is the lack of fill stations (distribution) for natural gas in North America. While every single car manufacturer has natural gas cars available outside North America, none of them offer a natural gas option in Canada. Governments at all levels need to expand incentives to increase the number of natural gas vehicles in Canada and mandate all car manufacturers to make natural gas models readily available in Canada today.
Canada, and more specifically the Province of British Columbia, have a great opportunity to be a leader in reducing carbon emissions and regaining its leadership role in hydrogen technologies by creating the necessary incentives to get a strategic natural gas distribution system in place. You see, this distribution system could be immediately available for natural gas distribution and subsequently used for hydrogen distribution. A distribution system that would take us through the “bridge” period of natural gas to a future with hydrogen powered vehicles.
Distribution is key to natural gas vehicles, and it will be for hydrogen vehicles. Building a strategic distribution system for natural gas will serve both and be critical to make natural gas and hydrogen successful.
