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Originally Posted by arsenal
And you still need thousands of outlets to plug electric cars into.
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Millions of outlets already exist.
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Originally Posted by arsenal
You don't think that hydrogen technology can improve? It is still pretty much in its infancy compared to electric and battery technology.
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The problem, like I said, is storing enough Hydrogen to travel longer distances in a tank safe enough to use in passenger sized vehicles, yet cheap enough to be practical. Battery technology has improved greatly in the last ten years. Storing Hydrogen hasn't, AFAIK. Materials that are cheap enough to use aren't strong enough to contain the H2 gas (and be strong enough to withstand 99% of collisions).
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Originally Posted by arsenal
So will hydrogen technology.
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Yes, theoretically, provided that stations around the continent start providing it.
Vehicles like the Chevy Volt can run with the current refuelling infrastructure.
It isn't just a matter of stations "converting" to Hydrogen gas either. Gas stations would have to build large pressure storage vessels, build large electrolysis machines, and the hardest thing might be to build new underground electricity supply to provide enough power for the gas stations to create the Hydrogen power they need.
Many (most?) service stations simply wouldn't have enough room on their site to build the required infrastructure. Not to mention the cost of building that infrasturcture, which would have little to no usage for quite a few years, until Hydrogen powered vehicles became much more popular.
It's a vicious cycle that would have to be broken for Hydrogen cars to catch on - people don't buy hydrogen cars because there's no where to refuel them, there's no where to refuel them because no one buys them. The challenge of breaking this cycle is why I can't see hydrogen vehicles ever becoming popular, especially as other types of alternative fuel vehicles don't have the same issues.