Why not hydrogen?

I've always wondered why we don't just burn hydrogen in internal combustion engines. Its cleaner and out performs gas. I know you couldn't make hydrogen on board because it takes more power to make then it puts out. But we could just fill up with pure hydrogen at a station. BMW has a concept car called hydrogen7 with a v12. they have a video of it and they just went to a special hydrogen station and filled up. I think it can also run on petrol. I also think there is like 100 of them made so far.

Why can't we and what the disadvantages?

 

Hydrogen, in a compressed state, is still highly explosive. As such the US safety standards are very specific. This is just one of the many reasons we do not have hydrogen powered cars.

 

Think Hindenburg

 

Infrastructure.

 

Hydrogen is the most common atom in the universe, yet here on earth it is usually combined with something else. So to get it you typically have to break down fossil fuels or water. Breaking down water is energy intensive and breaking down fossil fuels still has all the problems of burning fossil fuels.

 

It can be more dangerous than current types of fuel. it ignites a lot easier than gasoline does so something like static electricity would be a lot more likely to ignite hydrogen leaking from a tank or fueling station, hydrogen flames are also nearly invisible which would make approaching an accident scene more hazardous for emergency crews. Storing it would likely have to be in liquid form which would mean it would have to be really cold, and that could lead to severe burns to exposed skin.

I'm sure some day the storage and handling will improve and we might start seeing it out there more. Similar concerns popped up when natural gas was starting to become more popular as an alternative fuel and now its a very common and generally accepted to be a safe fuel. I guess we shall have to wait and see.

 

http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/

 

the process by which we obtain pure hydrogen is still very inefficient.

partial oxidation, gasification, and seperation from water from methods like electrolysis don't provide enough for it to become an economic fuel source. not to mention all the intricacies of using it in a combustion engine

 

So your saying it takes more energy to separate water to hydrogen and oxygen then to make gas.

 

And the natural gas infrastructure is still miniscue compared to gasoline. Try going across the USA from sea to sea with a natural gas car. You won't make it.

Based on current consumption projections, there's enough economically recoverable natural gas on Earth to last another 250 years.