We are fortunate enough to live in a country where we can spend on Research and Development. It is wonderful we have the 3 billion dollars to spend on R and D for Hydrogen Fuel Cells. It is great that we have found some future problems early on so we can work on fixing them. The problem with hydrogen leaking is that it will end up floating to the upper atmosphere quicker due to it's light weight and therefore offset the ozone layer. Some scientists estimated by up to 18% with in a time period equal to widespread useage in cars, transportation, powere plants ships, etc. The problem is as the Hydrogen goes up into the stratosphere it would condense and oxidize that means you would have water.

Thus the lower atmosphere would infact cool. Currently some scientists estimate the change in ozone to be 8% which they have said is why we have holes at the poles. We had thought that they were closing up and this was perhaps a trend or cycle. All this means a disturbance in the ozone chemistry which is not good. We know what the effects of such are as we have already seen in Tierra Del fuego, with Blind sheep and cancer rate increases to alraming numbers. But we also know from aviation studies of skin cancer in pilots. You may search this topic on this baord for a cross industry study we did.

Leakage from Fuel Cell tanks or unused fuel is a significant problem which should be addressed after all we can control Feon to a large degree, but with so much Hydrogen running everything it could be a problem, Hydrogen is found everywhere and in many compounds where it is trapped and as those molecules or compounds decay Hydrogen is released naturally anyway. We may have a chance to control it and certainly we are looking into this. Another issue is of course already discussed, the heat conversion process and high temperatures which could cause intense fog banks as you drive in early mornings or urban heat from millions of cars in Metropolitan areas..

We are hoping that the researchers can infact can over come these obsticles and that we can prove that a widespread Hydrogen Economy can in fact be possible. They are aware of the problem at the Department of Energy and many top energy scientists and automobile companies are working on these and other serious issues right now.

What does all this mean? It means that jumping to conclusion on any one idea is not smart, because if we went to Electric Cars with batteries. Then we would have all kinds of waste disposal problems far worse than the energy saved. Also making electricity from fossil fuels at power plants would mean you would simply have re-displaced the pollution to somewhere else, GM announced a complete dumping of it's project recently after the California Air Resources Board figured out that the 10% electric quota of cars was a pipe dream. Although they should be commended on their forward thinking and attempt as many Futurists concur.

In 1890 Electric cars were created. And it took until 1998 to figure out what to do with them, now Tesla would have prefered the battery operated automobile as he stated at the World's Faire at the turn of the century. Of course the reality of what to do with all the dead and old corroded batteries is a serious issue, right now they do not even know what to do with all the ion-litium bateries being disposed of that do not fit the newer cellular phones because they are too big. Nickle Metal Hydride also issues. Disposal, remember we trash 10 million cars per year in this country at the current rate. Selling 17 million and a net gain of 7 million cars which will all be disposed of in the future too. Used cars are piling up across America and not just the old rusty one's which number 5 per household in the Southern States.

So you ask what is the answer to all of this? Well right now the answer is in the 3 billion dollars of research granted by Congress and brought to the table by the President in the State of the Union Speech. Is you car in to the next centurygoing to hover and emit no pollution? Could be, but seriously we have a ways to go yet. The hydrogen future looks like a bright one, but there are bugs to work through first.

"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs