There are basically three types of people who want to see hydrogen cars fail: those who are afraid of change, those with alternative technological agendas and those interested in maintaining the status quo. The people who are afraid of change have been around since the first caveman clubbed the one next to him for inventing the wheel and saying it would never work.
But, those with alternative technological agendas have also been around since the cavemen days as well. While Ogg was inventing the wheel and watching out for the club nearly missing his head, Grogg was verbally berating him while telling all other cave people to watch him try to fly like a bird off the nearest cliff. Meanwhile Nogg was selling animal skin sandals that wore out quickly and had a self-interest in seeing to it that other modes of travel did not succeed.
Things haven’t change much since those days (Okay, those weren’t real days, just an analogy that I’m using). People who are afraid of change have resisted the Earth being round, the invention of the printing press, the invention of cars, the trip to the moon, the cell phone, the Internet and now hydrogen cars.
Those with alternative technological agendas aren’t afraid of change, but they have a different vision of the future. While some have pitted electric car advocates against hydrogen car advocates, in the larger picture we are all on the same team. We want zero emission vehicles to become the norm in order to reduce emissions and dependency upon foreign energy.
The real foe are those who want to maintain the status quo, who wish to see hydrogen cars fail because there is more money to be made in resisting change. To heck with the environment, our health and dependence upon foreign fuel, they say. By doing nothing, a few powerful people will continue to profit immensely. And, that doesn’t seem very civilized now does it?
I’m one of those BEV advocates that you were referring to. So. . . Do I want hydrogen cars to fail?
Not exactly. Not as such. However, I’ve got to admit that BEV fans have a lot of skepticism and even hostility towards hydrogen.
There’s the suspicion that car makers have seized on hydrogen research as an excuse to avoid introducing the BEVs and PHEVs.
There’s the suspicion Big Oil wants to keep us all coming to their filling stations for hydrogen, rather than cede business to electric utilities — and will do whatever they can, ethically or otherwise, to tilt the playing field their way.
There’s puzzlement at exactly what hydrogen fuel cells are supposed to accomplish that BEVs and PHEVs can’t do sooner, better and cheaper.
There’s fear that we won’t have a choice: that none of us will have any opportunity to buy highway-capable BEVs or PHEVs, but will eventually have hydrogen cars shoved down our throats whether we want them or not. I like the idea of charging my car at home in my own garage. I also like the idea of taking delivery on my new Tesla Roadster in 2008 rather than waiting some unknown number of years for hydrogen cars and fuel stations to possibly become available where I live.