Alternative fuels worth trying
A hydrogen-powered Toyota Fuel Cell Hybrid vehicle, one of two obtained by the Town of Hempstead, at a hydrogen fueling station in Point Lookout. Credit: Kevin P Coughlin
The Town of Hempstead just added three hydrogen-powered vehicles to its alternative-fuel fleet. Pollution-free wheels sound good, but once the pixie dust gets brushed away, think again. The technology is still too expensive and uncertain. So why try? Think again.
Even as the price of oil climbs, abandoning gasoline is still a dream. The town's fleet of 75 electric cars is now down to 60 because the engines didn't hold up. Hempstead's new facility to blend hydrogen and natural gas for fuel cells isn't going to save any money. In other locations, the cost of making hydrogen was as little as $4 per kilogram, although the national average is about $15 for what is the equivalent of one gallon of gasoline. Yet hydrogen has promise and such experiments encourage thinking about what's possible. Hempstead's driving in the right direction.
