Technology Status of Hydrogen Road Vehicles

tensions and conflict related to importing oil; the result is $0.89-19.09 per mmBtu for vehicles with catalytic
converters.
For the coal-based hydrogen case, the external costs are due to: accidents and land damage of coal mining and
transport ($0.16 per mmBtu of coal mined); pollution from coal-to-hydrogen plants ($0.12-1.39 per mmBtu
of coal input); pollution from electricity consumption, particularly in the near-term scenario , and for hydrogen
liquefaction ($2.02-43.65 per mmBtu of end use); LH 2 truck increased accidents -5 times as many
corresponding gasoline truck deliveries- and insurance, agency outlay, subsidies, NO x pollution,...are further
minor cost items considered for hydrogen vehicles.
The overall results in $ per mmBtu of fuel purchased for passenger vehicles are:
0.70-6.72 for near-term hydride
2.30-30.82 for near-term LH 2
0.20-2.73 for middle-term hydride
0.29-4.22 for middle-term LH 2
and can be compared to that for gasoline vehicles just quoted:
0.89-19.09.
.......
(Obviously), hydrogen vehicles based on coal (i.e. near-term), especially when electricity-intensive LH 2.is
used,......would not be environmentally desirable.
8.10 Discussion of cost results
It is worthwhile summarizing the break-even gasoline price in the various scenarios, with federal and average
state tax in the US, (reproducing here DeLuchi’s Table 26):
Best Case Social Cost Private Cost
Near-Term High 1.71 1.41
LH 2 0.42 Low 0.45 0.42
Middle-Term High 3.08 3.58
0.41 Low 0.90 0.92
Near-Term High 0.78 1.20
Hydride -0.02 Low 0.38 0.39
Middle-Term High 2.64 3.18
0.38 Low 0.90 0.92
(While stressing their indicative, uncertain character, DeLuchi draws some interesting conclusions):
! in all high cost cases, hydrogen vehicles are prohibitively expensive, even if external costs are included;
! external costs do not make a difference qualitatively in most cases;......this indicates that uncertainty
regarding the private cost of hydrogen vehicles, rather than consideration of external costs, dominates
most cost scenarios;
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