• A hydrogen prototype.Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of B Balaji
  
  

History

• In 1766, British scientist Henry Cavendish became the first person to isolate hydrogen by combining zinc and hydrochloric acid, according to the Hydrogen Association. Cavendish also demonstrated that water contained hydrogen after igniting hydrogen gas in front of the Royal Society of London. In 1783, French physicist Jacques Alexander Cesar Charles became the first person to use hydrogen in transportation with an air balloon.
  
  

Identification

• Hydrogen is an essential part of many of the life-giving chemicals and materials used almost every day. All fossil fuels are formed from hydrocarbons, including natural gases such as methane (CH4) and propane (C3H8), according to the Energy Information Administration. When used as a fuel, pure hydrogen produces three times more energy per pound than gasoline but four times less energy by volume.
  
  

Directory

• In May 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency opened the first hydrogen refueling station at their emissions lab in Ann Arbor, Mich. Although the refueling station closed in November 2006, the EPA showed the viability of hydrogen distribution center. A few independent stations have sprung up, and the National Hydrogen Association now has an online database for all refueling stations in the U.S. and Canada. Currently, most hydrogen refueling stations are found around southern California.
  
  

Potential

• In 2008, Honda released the first non-prototype hydrogen vehicle: the 2009 Honda FCX. Honda's FCX website claims that the company is working on developing a method for owners to refuel hydrogen vehicles in their own homes. Honda operates an experimental "Home Energy Station" in Torrance, Calif. The Home Energy Station produces hydrogen from natural gas and also acts as a home heating system.
  
  

Considerations

• The government believes that hydrogen fuel offers one of the best and most viable ways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, according to the EIA. However, current hydrogen fuel production methods use almost as many fossil fuels as gasoline. Electrolysis can produce hydrogen fuel, but current methods are too costly for extensive use in cars. A veritable catch-22 exists with the state of the hydrogen market. In order to market hydrogen cars, hydrogen stations must exist, but in order for hydrogen stations to exist, hydrogen vehicles must be made.