Pet Forum

Since the first mass produced Honda hydrogen car is out, and we have talked about how hydrogen cars work, let's talk about the cost of the hydrogen needed to run a hydrogen car. Just how much does the hydrogen cost?

The price for hydrogen needed to power a hydrogen vehicle varies depending on the method used to generate the hydrogen, and the cost of the fuel required to create it. Contrary to popular myths, hydrogen is not free.

Until recently, the most inexpensive production method was using steam reformation of natural gas (heating methane under high pressure with a catalyst in a steam atmosphere). When the cost of natural gas was about $2 per MMBtu (Million Btu) hydrogen was produced for as little as US $0.96 per kilogram, at the production plant. In 2005, the cost of natural gas rose above $13 per MMBtu, with the cost of hydrogen rising proportionally. Other methods, such as electrically breaking water (H2O) into hydrogen and oxygen (electrolysis), chemical reactions, and biomass digestion vary in their prices. Hydrogen produced from wind farm electricity is now the cheapest way to produce hydrogen. There are many ways to produce hydrogen, and they will become more competitive in the future.

As more and more hydrogen fueling station come online, the costs will go down much more. There are also several huge breakthroughs that will lower the prices tremendously as hydrogen fuel begins to be mass produced.. This is great news for all of us that are fans of alternative energy sources.