And if hydrogen is fed into a fuel cell stack and a battery device that generates electricity from hydrogen and oxygen that can propel an electric car or truck with only heat and water as by products. The fuel cell vehicles can offer more than double the efficiency of cars today. Hydrogen could help alleviate the environmental problems including air pollution and its risks.

Weight for weight, hydrogen contains three times the energy of gasoline (petrol), but it is impossible to store hydrogen gas as compact as the conventional liquid fuel. One of the most difficult technical problems is how to efficiently store and secure enough hydrogen onboard to provide the driving range and performance of the demand from motorists. Possible to maintain the storage of enough hydrogen to support the current minimum acceptable travel (driving range – almost 500 kms) – in a fuel tank that does not compromise on luggage room. These tanks must be filled or refilled within minutes. Lot many researchers in the Internal Energy Agency U8 are devoting considerable efforts to overcome these limitations. In fact, 17 governments have committed themselves to promote hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. In 2005, the U.S. Department of Energy provide4 $ 30 million to fund 80 research projects.

A 500 km. minimum driving range is one of the main objectives of the automotive industry. The engineers believe that a ~ Allon of gasoline is equal, on an energy, a kilogram of hydrogen. (One U.S. gallon is 3.8 liters) Whereas the needs of today’s car about 20 gallons of gasoline to travel 500 km. The typical car fuel cell would have only 8 kilograms of hydrogen. Several manufacturers have tested about 60 hydrogen prototypes and demonstrated driving ranges of 200 to 300 kms.

By 2010 some auto companies expect the first production car to hit the road fuelcell. A hydrogen storage system must carry enough fuel to travel at least 500 kilometers and also light enough to carry a car. For a system weighing 600 kilograms (~ size of a vehicle), six kilos. stored hydrogen. Liquefied hydrogen storage can improve the density and stored energy could be used in cars, despite the drawbacks. Neverthe less, a world renowned carmakerBMW is driving this technology into the street. The vehical is capable of running on either gasoline for 500 Kms.or on liquid hydrogen at 250 kms.

Chemical compaction: to increase the energy density scientists have been able to take advantage of the chemistry of hydrogen itself. ~ It is the liquid phase, the molecules contain two hydrogen atoms each bound. But when hydrogen molecules are chemically bound to some other factors that may be even more than in the same container of liquid hydrogen.

Some researchers are focusing on a class of substances called reversible metal hydrides, which were discovered by accident in 1969 in the laboratories of Philips in the Netherlands. The researchers found that a samarium-cobalt alloy when exposed to the pressure of hydrogen gas that absorb hydrogen, a bit like a sponge absorbs water. When the pressure is removed, the hydrogen within the alloy reemerged in other words, the process is reversible,

In the U.S., scientists like James Reilly and Gary Sandrock, pioneered the development of hydride alloys. The density of hydrogen in these alloys is 150% more than liquid hydrogen! Such properties of metal hydrides are well suited to automobiles. Although the current metal hydrides have limitations, many car manufacturers are the most viable low pressure approaching the near future. Toyota and Honda automotive engineers, are planning to call a hybrid approach that combines a solid metal hydride with moderate pressure (less than 10,000 psi), which predict could achieve a driving range of over 500 kms.

Designer materials: recent developments in nanoscale engineering with a range of new materials of high surface area, some with more than 5,000 ~ sq.mt. area per gram of material. Carbon-based and lightweight materials are mostly inexpensive. However, finding a suitable container to store hydrogen in automobiles will soon permit TP people travel around the world in the next decade, with no dirt or contamination of the sky above us.