how bout some better research next time?

I have been always concerned that the of clean energy/zero carbon footprint would lead people into thinking that hydrogen cars will run on drinkable water and the tailpipe will produce distilled water. It would be great if you could publish some info about what really an hydrogen fuelcell powered car works as the average person is not aware hydrogen is produced by extracting it from natural gas.
I am confused myself about some of the aspects of today’s technology to produce or store hydrogen. Some information I found on websites (industrial production of energy through massive on-site fuel cells) show emission of CO2 as well as a byproduct of the production of electricity )

Thanks for adding to the discussion and for the links, which are right on target.

Nice post! This seems to be one of the biggest myths about hydrogen. Thanks for setting the record straight.

Here are two more sources that echo what you said…

The U.S. Department of Energy says that:

“Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles emit approximately the same amount of water per mile as vehicles using gasoline-powered internal combustion engines.”

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/did_you_know.html

Furthermore, this issue was addressed in the Winter 06-07 issue of Earthwise, which is the quarterly newsletter of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Here is the excerpt:

“Since hydrogen fuel cells emit water vapor (a heat-trapping gas), what impact would a hydrogen-based transportation system have on global warming?

To compare the potential climate impact of a future transportation system dominated by hydrogen fuel cells rather than fossil fuels, we must consider all of the heat-trapping emissions produced by these two power sources. If gasoline, for example, fully combusts in a vehicle engine, the tailpipe exhaust will contain both carbon dioxide and water vapor. Tailpipe exhaust from fully combusted fuel cell hydrogen gas (H2), on the other hand, will contain primarily water vapor.

The impact these emissions have on our climate depends in large part on their atmospheric lifetimes. Water vapor remains in the atmosphere only a few days or weeks, and hydrogen gas about two years, but carbon dioxide lingers more than a century. Transitioning to a transportation system based on hydrogen would therefore have essentially no long-term impact on climate due to short-lived water vapor exhaust or minor hydrogen gas leaks, but would dramatically reduce our emissions of long-lasting carbon dioxide-the key factor driving global warming.

We must be sure, however, that the technology we use to produce hydrogen does not contribute to global warming. Fossil fuel-based production methods would release carbon dioxide (and heat-trapping methane) into the atmosphere, whereas production fueled by renewable energy would not.”

http://www.ucsusa.org/publications/earthwise/fuel-cells-water.html

Greg Blencoe
Hydrogen Discoveries, Inc.