Filed under: Hydrogen, Legislation and Policy, Europe/EU
EU Parliament votes "aye" on hydrogen cars
The European Parliament voted last Wednesday in favor of new rules for hydrogen-powered vehicles. This legislation, which has yet to be converted into law during a summit of ministers from the 27 member countries, aims at creating a common standard that would avoid a patchwork of different legislation in each country. "Now the EU Member States will have the final say and I hope for their support," said EU Industry Commissioner Gunter Verheugen. "They have the potential to make Europe's air cleaner and reduce its dependency on fossil fuels." 644 MEPs voted in favor of, while only two voted against this new legislation, despite environmental groups concerns and the own Parliament's worries about the creation of a hydrogen filling station network.
[Source: Automotive news (subs. req'd)]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TX CHL Instructor 6:10PM (9/05/2008)
Ah, yes, a big room full of people who can freely spend other people's money. For them, hydrogen is the perfect fuel.
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gorr 6:33PM (9/05/2008)
They should assure that the water molecule put in the water electrolyser be constituted of 2 atoms of hydrogen and 1 atom
of oxygen and that this water not been too dirty because the warranty could not been applied. Ex: if you run out of water in the sahara desert and you spit in the water electrolyser then the car is out of warranty but you can be back home.
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Nick 9:44PM (9/05/2008)
Hydrogen is NOT an 'energy source'. It takes energy to produce hydrogen, which is an energy storage substance.
So how is it 'reducing dependance on fossil fuels' ? It won't reduce it unless it is produced with clean electricity.
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gorr 11:24PM (9/05/2008)
Nick, you are right on all counts. The only thing missing is the actual 'decision' of using clean or deep dirty electricity to put hydrogen gas in a tank and make move the car forward. It's not magical , it's just that it is an alternative to petrol. Petrol is running out supposedly and the funny thing is that it's the industry of petrol retailing themself that say over and over again that their product is running out and that it cost more and more to extract it from the ground. So they propose themself in some way to find an alternative to their unsustainable petroluem products. If they didn't jack up the price then we will be buying it without noticing nothing and they could have been in business for a couple of centuries more, LOL. They are their worst ennemy themself by saying that they must jack up the price to conserve it and that we will be empty in a couple of years. they are suicidal to the utmost degree.
The other alternative is battery but it's not ready according to the entire car manufacturers themself. And it will never power any truck, train, plane, ship, boat, agricol machinery because it already having a hard time powering a neiborood vehicule more then 30 mph for 2 hours.
Another funny thing is that it's the industry of petrol that start with already 90% of the tool needed to succeed in the new market of hydrogen gas retailling because they are already installed on almost every corner of the streets with millions of gasoline outlets. So if hydrogen cars, truck, ship, airplane enter the market then the petrol industry is already installed everywhere where the hydrogen gas is needed.
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Joseph 12:08AM (9/07/2008)
Obviously, the EU has either been run over by the car company's hype or they've lost their sanity.
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