If Ford Ranger engines can run on hydrogen, why aren’t they in the showrooms?
Runs on hydrogen: Aviation Enthusiasts - Boeing’s Spy Plane - “The Phantom Eye”
http://video.boeing.com/services/player/bcpid1173939806001?bckey=AQ%7E%7E%2cAAAAukPAlqE%7E%2coAVq1qtdRjwBrIkHYj2MSytJiEK9s5fy&bctid=1331877361001There’s still no commercially viable way to cheaply, safely, and efficiently carry a hydrogen supply on a passenger vehicle. Maybe way down the line.
Where are you going to buy the hydrogen? If you can find a source, the Hydrogen Ranger will be tied to driving near that source. It seems impractical just now.
All cars do really “run on hydrogen”. That is the primary exothermic reaction. Thats the Hydro in the hydrocarbon. Same for cars that fuel alcohol. Its the hydrogen. Everything else is along for the ride. But pure hydrogen destroys metal tanks, eats gasket seals. and leaks through any material like a sieve unless it is liquid. Then it does the same but much slower.
If you wanted to convert a car to run on a gaseous fuel, compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquid propane (LP) would be your best bet. CNG and LP are proven technologies (whole fleets of vehicles run on them in some cities), and you will at least be able to find a few refueling stations. CNG and LP are also a LOT easier to store and handle, as well as cheaper than hydrogen.
Another problem with hydrogen currently is that most of it is made through electrolysis (someone correct me if I’m wrong), and that combined with the energy required to compress and chill it for storage means that it takes more energy to produce it than you get from it. So it ends up being only as green as the power generation technology that provides the energy for its production, and wasteful too.