Hydrogen hopes: Can they restore funding for fuel cells?
Energy Secretary Steven Chu "zeroed out" hydrogen funding, but a small band of advocates want to restore the cuts.
Fri, May 22 2009 at 3:42 PM EST
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A Honda FCX fuel-cell car: The end of U.S. funding? (Credit: Honda)
Fuel-cell advocates are none too happy about Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s abrupt decision earlier this month to cancel $100 million in hydrogen funding.
In a joint statement, the U.S. Fuel Cell Council and the National Hydrogen Association said, “The cuts proposed in the DOE hydrogen and fuel-cell program threaten to disrupt commercialization of a family of technologies that are showing exceptional promise and beginning to gain market traction. Fuel-cell vehicles are not a science experiment. These are real vehicles with real marketability and real benefits. Hundreds of fuel-cell vehicles have collectively logged millions of miles.”
The groups had asked for $1.2 billion in funding, but now the tally is down to $68 million for stationary fuel cells to be used as backup power. But the advocates think he can still be reasoned with. Robert Rose, executive director of the U.S. Fuel Cell Council, says he thinks the energy secretary has been too busy to focus on hydrogen, and he hopes Congress will reverse the decision. “We aren’t giving up on Dr. Chu,” he said.
Chu evidently got an earful at a hearing of the Senate Energy and Water Subcommittee May 19. According to Dr. C.E. “Sandy” Thomas, a passionate hydrogen advocate who heads H2Gen and was in attendance, Chu took some flak. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) said he was “stunned” by the flat funding for hydrogen, calling it a “significant mistake” that was “not a smart thing to do.” He said he will “do everything we can to restore the program.” Dorgan also said that the program was 10 years old, preceding George W. Bush’s occupancy of the White House, and had been making significant progress.
Also offering complaints, though not about hydrogen, was Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who complained that Chu was not returning her calls. More to the point, J. Byron McCormick, GM’s former fuel-cell chief, resigned from a DOE hydrogen advisory group when the funding cut was announced. “As I thought about the decision, how it was worded, and the fact that the budget was zeroed, I didn’t feel I could in any way appear to be supportive,” he said.
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Comments
Kurt C.
06/27/2009 04:43 AM
Cash for Clunkers 2009 is already generating some controversy, as many hopefuls are wondering just how they're going to be able to participate. Well, the Cash for Clunkers 2009 website says right on the website – which is located at www.cars.gov – that it isn't in effect yet. Cash for Clunkers is a program that was created by President Obama, as a car allowance rebate system, wherein people trade in their used vehicles.... More
Gary K
06/16/2009 05:55 AM
Enter your comI would really like to see the EPA-OBD II Annual Vehicle Emissions Inspection Law closely examined, and changed.As it stands right now, it is entirely possible for any Gasoline powered Vehicle, from 1996 to the present, to fail it's Emissions Inspection, for not emitting enough Polluting Exhaust Emissions ! All such Vehicles have on board Oxygen [O2] Exhaust Sensors.These O2 Sensors are set up to detect a level of Polluting Exhaust Emissions that would indicate that Gasoline is.... More
dofus kamas
05/24/2009 23:48 PM
the car is beautiful
Garry G
05/24/2009 10:12 AM
I agree that cutting funding was short-sighted and feeds into the currently over-hyped expectations of what batteries alone can do for this transition from mechanical engines and liquid fuels to electric motors powered by the 'integration' of batteries, fuel cells and capacitors. Cars are not iPods, and not one device will be enough. I cringe at the notion that 'plugging into' a wall socket is somehow going to be cheap/easy or solve our problems. It's a mistake on every level from design,.... More
Anonymous
05/25/2009 09:42 AM
Who you gonna believe? An administration that rejected science at every turn in its decision making and supported H2 because they thought it was "cool", or one that actually looks at the thermodynamics and economics of proposed solutions? A Nobel laureate in physics whose only interest here is the best use of the money, or a special interest group like the "hydrogen community" whose livelihood depends on endless taxpayer funding?
H2 is a waste of time/resources. If the automakers want to.... More
