There has been a push in this country toward using alternative fuels – specifically hydrogen fuels that are required to run on hydrogen fuel cells.  So what is a hydrogen fuel cell?  The explanation can be easy or it can be complicated.  We’ll try to make it easy!

A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device. A fuel cell converts the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen into water, and in the process it produces electricity.  The other electrochemical device that we are all familiar with is the battery.  A battery has all of its chemicals stored inside, and it converts those chemicals into electricity too. This means that a battery eventually “goes dead” and you either throw it away or recharge it.

With a fuel cell, chemicals constantly flow into the cell so it never goes dead — as long as there is a flow of chemicals into the cell, the electricity flows out of the cell. Most fuel cells in use today use hydrogen and oxygen as the chemicals.  The biggest advantage to a hydrogen fuel cell is that the only thing it emits when used as a fuel is water vapor.

You cannot ask the question “What is a hydrogen fuel cell?” without considering the types of fuel cells that have been produced.  The main type of hydrogen fuel cell is the polymer exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC).  This is the fuel cell that the Department of Energy is focusing on as the next big thing because it is the most likely candidate for transportation applications.

The PEMFC has a high power density and a relatively low operating temperature (ranging from 60 to 80 degrees Celsius, or 140 to 176 degrees Fahrenheit). The low operating temperature means that it doesn’t take very long for the fuel cell to warm up and begin generating electricity.

There is another type of hydrogen fuel cell that shows promise when trying to operate a vehicle.  This one is the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC).  Methanol fuel cells are comparable to a PEMFC in regards to operating temperature, but are not as efficient. Also, the DMFC requires a relatively large amount of platinum to act as a catalyst, which makes these fuel cells expensive.

What is a hydrogen fuel cell?  It is the next new wave of emerging technology in the field of alternative fuels that will help our country as well as our environment.  A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle burns clean and runs efficiently.  It is what alternative fuel supporters have hoped for since the advent of alternative fuels for energy – a clean vehicle that runs great and has safe emissions.

Fuel cell technology has come a long way towards using hydrogen as an alternative fuel to power cars.  Hydrogen fuel is probably the most promising of all alternative fuels as it is produced by removing the gas from water and produces only water vapor as emissions.  The next logical step is for car companies to start producing cars that run on hydrogen fuel cells.

GMC has already done that with the production of the Chevy Equinox.  This amazing vehicle looks and performs just like any other car, but it has a marked difference.  It operates only on hydrogen fuel cells making it one of the premiere cars in the alternative fuel push in this country.

The Equinox is a beautiful SUV-type vehicle that is high performance, can carry up to four occupants, and achieve speeds of up to one hundred miles per hour.  It has been crash-tested and is expected to meet all applicable 2007 U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

You will also enjoy the benefits of driver and front passenger head curtain side air bags, the StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control System, four-wheel antilock disc brakes with Traction Control, and OnStar. On the outside, you’ll notice premium Tricoat paint and unique styling that is distinctively Chevrolet.  The Chevy Equinox is an amazing hydrogen fuel cell car that is friendly to the environment and the consumer.

Other car companies are starting to realize that hydrogen fuel cell cars are becoming more and more popular.  They are producing vehicles that embrace this technology as more and more people begin to realize that having an alternative fuel vehicle is good for the environment as well as our country.

The production of hydrogen fuel cell cars can help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and thus provide for our own independence.  That means that we can find energy right here on American soil without having to bow to the powers of oil companies overseas who set the price of oil that make gas prices soar.

Hydrogen fuel cell cars are the wave of the future.  Car companies are starting to realize this more and more.  When we start to make a movement towards green vehicles rather than powering our cars with toxic emission-spewing gasoline cars, we will realize great benefits both to the United States as well as the world!

President Bush has known this for years which is why he has appropriated billions of dollars toward investigating the use of hydrogen fuel cells to power cars.  And the technology is still young.  There’s no telling where it can go from here!

One of the most promising alternative fuels we have before us today is hydrogen fuel.  The reason hydrogen fuel is as popular as an alternative to gasoline is that it can be made on site – right here in the United States of America.  The push for alternative fuels is, in part, based on the fact that we have the opportunity to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.  When we can produce hydrogen fuel on site as an alternative fuel, we are making history!

Hydrogen doesn’t exist on Earth as a gas.  It must be separated from other elements through a process called electrolysis.  No, we’re not talking about hair removal; we’re talking about removing the gas that is hydrogen from water so that it can be a viable alternative fuel that can be produced on site, right here in America.

Steam reforming is currently the least expensive method of producing hydrogen and accounts for about 95 percent of the hydrogen produced in the United States. It is used in industries to separate hydrogen atoms from carbon atoms in methane. Because methane is a fossil fuel, the process of steam reforming results in greenhouse gas emissions that are linked with global warming.

Right now, extracting hydrogen from water in order to get an alternative hydrogen fuel is currently a very expensive process, but companies are doing it en masse on sites all over the country.  Hydrogen can be produced at large central facilities or at small plants for local use. Every region of the country (and the world) has some resource that can be used to make hydrogen. Its flexibility is one of its main advantages.

Hydrogen as an alternative fuel must be stored in fuel cells and that’s another reason why hydrogen fuel should be made on site instead of elsewhere such as a foreign country.  The fuel cells are ways to store hydrogen fuel that will power a vehicle or anything else for that matter.  When companies extract the alternative hydrogen fuel on site, they have made a smooth transition from a chemical process to something that the everyday man (or woman) can use.

NASA has known this for years.  They have their own on-site facility to produce hydrogen fuel that is used to power rocket ships and has been used for years.  Now that America is looking to hydrogen fuel as an alternative to gasoline, companies have found many ways to produce the gas on-site and make it safe to manufacture as well as to use!

In 2003, President George Bush announced a $1.2 billion hydrogen fuel initiative in his State of the Union address that was intended to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil to provide the petroleum we need to produce gasoline that would power our vehicles.  That commitment allowed scientists to develop the technology for commercially viable hydrogen-powered fuel cells to power cars, trucks, homes and businesses with no pollution or greenhouse gases.

Since then, there has been so much new funding in developing hydrogen fuel as an alternative to gasoline that we are now seeing many vehicles being powered by hydrogen fuel than ever before.  Hydrogen fuel depends on fuel cells to store and process the gas that will power a vehicle.  As a result of the initiative promised by President Bush, fuel cell technology has developed so much over the years that General Motors now boosts a one hundred percent hydrogen fuel powered vehicle.

Hydrogen fuel doesn’t come without its downfalls.  Hydrogen is four times as expensive to produce as gasoline (when produced from its most affordable source, natural gas). The hydrogen fuel initiative seeks to lower that cost enough to make fuel cell cars cost-competitive with conventional gasoline-powered vehicles by 2010; and to advance the methods of producing hydrogen from renewable resources, nuclear energy, and even coal.

By using hydrogen fuel instead of gasoline, we can actually become energy independent.  We won’t have to depend on other countries for our energy resources.  Hydrogen is domestically available in abundant quantities as a component of natural gas, coal, biomass, and even water.  The Department of Energy estimates that the hydrogen fuel initiative may reduce our demand for petroleum by over 11 million barrels per day by 2040 – approximately the amount of oil America imports today.

Vehicles are a significant source of air pollution in America’s cities and urban areas. Hydrogen fuel cells create electricity to power cars without any pollution. The hydrogen fuel initiative may reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions from transportation alone by more than 500 million metric tons of carbon equivalent each year by 2040. Additional emissions reductions could be achieved by using fuel cells in applications such as generating electricity for residential or commercial uses.

Hydrogen fuel is the key to a clean energy future.  It has the highest energy content per unit weight of any known fuel.  When it is burned in an engine, it produces no emissions.  In fact, the only emission given off by hydrogen fuel when powering an engine is water vapor.

The newest, biggest thing in the alternative fuel industry is hydrogen fuel.  President Bush knew that and now the American people know that as well.  With new fuel cell technologies, owning a vehicle that is powered by hydrogen fuel alone is now a reality.  And it’s just the beginning!  How exciting!

When it comes to powering our automobiles, there are actually many other alternative fuel sources available rather than gasoline.  Technology has come a long way since Henry Ford first developed ways to process oil to make gasoline so it could power his new combustion engine for cars.  If you own an automobile of any type, you may want to seriously explore alternative fuel sources – and for many reason!

First, burning fossil fuels – like gasoline – damages the environment.  The emissions that are released into the air by burning oil-based products – like gasoline and coal – damage the air and the ozone as well.  Using an alternative fuel source to power your automobile helps to reduce harmful emissions.  In fact, many alternative fuels – such as fuel cells and electricity – release no emissions at all.  So when you use alternative fuel sources for your automobile, you are helping the environment in a big way.

Eighty-five percent of all harmful carbon dioxide that is released into the air comes from the burning of gasoline from car engines.  The carbon dioxide that is released into the air damages the ozone and contributes significantly to global warming.  When we can reduce that carbon dioxide emission by using alternative fuel sources for our automobiles, we can make a huge difference in the world – not just in our own little part of it!

It’s a truth that we are dependent on foreign oil that we use to produce gasoline.  Although the United States does have a certain amount of oil that we can use, the fact is that we can’t produce enough to meet the needs of the people.  As alternative fuel sources are being discovered and developed, it’s being proven that using these types of fuels in our automobiles make us a self-sufficient nation.

Gas prices are high – there’s no doubt about that!  One of the reasons is that we need to burn fossil fuels to power our automobiles as they are built right now – at least most of them!  But when we start to use alternative fuel sources for our automobiles, we are drawing on resources that are right here in the United States.  And those resources are renewable – like propane, ethanol, and even electricity!

The fact is that using alternative fuel sources to power automobiles is a good choice all-around.  Not only are we reducing our dependence on foreign oil, but we are helping the environment as well.  Something as serious as helping improve the world we live in should be taken seriously.  So explore alternative fuel sources for your own automobile.  We’re willing to bet that you’ll find out it’s a good choice no matter which way you look at it!

The alternative fuel industry has grown in popularity over the years, and the Federal as well as State governments are getting involved like never before.  Legislation is being introduced every day offering government grants for using alternative fuels.  That means that research and technology can continue to progress as it has for several years now as scientists and researchers find new ways to provide us with power other than standard fossil fuels.

What types of government grants are available when it comes to the use of alternative fuels?  Well, most of them involve businesses who are interested in converting their gas-powered vehicle fleets over to alternative fuel fleets that are environmentally friendly and will meet with the Energy Policy Act that President Bush signed in 2005.

Businesses such as trucking companies use a large amount of fossil fuels.  The increasing cost of gasoline makes their operating costs rise and, in turn, passed on to the consumer – that’s us!  When these companies begin to convert their trucks over to alternative fuel and get a government grant to pay for the cost, they’re saving money, and so are we!

Of course, these government grants won’t cover the cost of switching to alternative fuel sources entirely.  However, many grants can amount to millions of dollars of free money with the companies only having to pay about half of what is required to convert engines. 

Some people don’t agree with the thought of their tax dollars paying for something like paying for companies to convert vehicles to alternative fuel vehicles.  However, if they really thought about the advantages, they might actually change their mind and begin supporting the government grant program for alternative fuel use.

For example, allowing the government to provide grant money for those who want to use alternative fuels, we are decreasing our dependence on foreign oil and thus becoming much more self-sufficient.  This will also help with the alarming phenomenon of global warming, which is a reality, and has been brought to the forefront through ex-Vice President Al Gore’s Oscar winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”.

All of us in the United States should really be concerned about both of these problems:  dependence on foreign oil and global warming.  By getting involved with grant programs, the government is doing what it can to insure that we can find solutions to the problems instead of just sitting back and doing nothing.  Alternative fuels are the wave of the future and having the support of the government through grant money can help make us a totally independent country when it comes to our energy sources.

The nation of the United States is the country that leads all others in the use of fossil fuels.  Fossil fuels are those that are formed in the ground over a period of millions of years formed from dead plants and animals.  Oil, natural gas, and coal are fossil fuels and we use a lot of them. And what is it means to fuel marketing?

Fossil fuel use by humans is the largest source of emissions of carbon dioxide which is one of the greenhouse gases that allows radiative forcing and contributes to global warming.  When you burn fossil fuels, they let out a large amount of carbon dioxide.  The atmospheric concentration of CO2, a greenhouse gas, is increasing.  This raises concerns that solar heat will be trapped and the average surface temperature of the Earth will rise in response.

We use fossil fuels to power our vehicles, heat and cool our houses, and generate electricity.  As we said, it takes millions of years to form certain fossil fuels and over-use of them has resulted in a concern that we will soon deplete our supply.  Fossil fuels are non-renewable sources of energy, so once they are used up, they are gone.

In the United States, we use about twelve barrels of oil – the most valuable fossil fuel -   per person per year.  That is why we are so dependent on foreign oil to meet our energy needs.  While the United States does have its own supply of oil, it doesn’t compare to what the Middle East has to offer.  So in order to meet the demand, we have to increase the supply.  Pretty much the only way to do that is to buy it from other countries – usually either Venezuela or Saudi Arabia.

The increased levels of fossil fuel use in this country has given birth to the green movement urging people to start exploring alternative forms of energy to avoid depleting our fossil fuel supplies completely.  But a bigger reason is because the greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming that can have a huge effect on the lives of people all over the world – not just in the United States.

If we can reduce our use of fossil fuels and start looking at alternative sources of energy, we not only improve the quality of the environment, but we also reduce our dependence on other countries for our energy resources.  The phrase “American Made” has always meant something in the U.S., but when it comes to decreasing our fossil fuel use and becoming self-sufficient with alternative fuels, it can mean so much more!

When it comes to alternative fuels, General Motors Company, or GMC has proven to be an industry leader when it comes to developing alternative fuel vehicles and pushing for more and more people to switch over to alternative fuels.  They have more hybrid and alternative vehicles than any other car company and have made great strides to inform the general public about the advantages of using alternative fuels as well as GMC alternative vehicles.

GMC’s newest campaign for alternative fuels is the “Think Green, Go Yellow” which promotes the use of Ethanol blend E85 fuel.  Ethanol E85 is made from corn and is mostly an alcohol based product.  It has lower emissions than regular gasoline and burns cleaner causing less damage to the environment.  GMC wants people to know that they firmly support the alternative fuel movement and offer plenty of vehicles that run on E85 fuel.

GMC has also been innovative in the development of the fuel cell vehicle whose only emission is water vapor.  The Chevy Equinox is GMC’s answer to the requests of people who want a clean burning car without having to give up luxury or quality.  The Equinox is fully functional, carrying up to four occupants and their gear. Plus, it’s engineered to reach a top speed of 100 mph.

Equinox Fuel Cell has been crash-tested and is expected to meet all applicable 2007 U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. And you will enjoy the benefits of driver and front passenger head curtain side air bags, the StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control System, four-wheel antilock disc brakes with Traction Control, and OnStar. On the outside, you’ll notice premium Tricoat paint and unique styling that is distinctively Chevrolet.

In other words, the GMC Equinox Fuel Cell vehicle runs on totally clean fuel cells and emits only water vapor so it is truly a “green” vehicle.  While fuel cell technology has come a long way, it has taken awhile for car manufacturers to jump on the bandwagon and produce a vehicle that is run totally on fuel cells.  That makes GMC a leader in the alternative fuel department.

GMC also produces several other types of vehicles that run on alternative fuels including hybrid cars and flex-fuel vehicles that are becoming increasingly popular.  With the push toward alternative fuels, GMC has met the demand and become a favorite among those who also support the “green” movement in vehicles.

We often think of automobile fuel as simple gasoline that you can pump from any gas station, but there are alternative fuel sources for automobiles other than gasoline.  Technology and research have found that you can power an automobile with all kinds of different fuel sources as an alternative to gasoline.  And these alternative fuel sources are great for the environment as well.

For example, electric cars have been around for centuries.  It’s true!  In the 1900’s, there were more electric cars on the road than gasoline powered ones.  With gas companies developing new and cheaper ways to produce gasoline, however, the gas powered automobiles soon became the main mode of transportation for people.

Then we had a gas shortage in the 1970’s and that prompted researchers to look for an alternative fuel source to power our automobiles.  Right now, in modern day America, gas prices have risen dramatically to the point where it is almost difficult for people to travel because it costs so much to fill up their cars.

Luckily, technology is such that we not only have alternative fuel sources, but we also have alternative fuel automobiles as well.  These automobiles run on fuels such as propane, hydrogen, ethanol, and even vegetable oil!  They cause little to no harm to the environment because they have very few to no emissions at all so no harmful chemicals are released into the air.

As technology progresses and more ways are found to produce alternative fuels cheaply, we think that the automobile industry itself will wholeheartedly embrace alternative fuel sources and begin producing more and more vehicles to meet customer needs and wants.

Right now, there are some great hybrid vehicles that are available for sale.  These automobiles can run on alternative fuel or use gasoline as their main source of power.  While not completely “green”, they are a step in the right direction when it comes to making our world a cleaner place and helping to save the environment.

Alternative fuel sources for our automobiles are being developed and perfected every day as companies along with the United States Government strive to help our world as well as our pocketbooks.  The development of alternative fuel sources in the automobile industry will continue to be honed to perfection and we could very well be seeing alternative fuels cost less than gasoline.  That would be a welcome relief, don’t you think?

Recognizing that alternative fuels are taking our world by storm, the United States Department of Energy has set up a website called the Alternative Fuel Data Center.  This website is a huge collection of information on alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles.  Basically, the Alternative Fuel Data Center has just about everything you ever wanted to know about alternative fuel.

The alternative fuel data center described those fuels defined by the Energy Policy Act of 1992.  That includes bio-diesel, electricity, ethanol, hydrogen, natural gas, and propane.  The site contains more than 3,000 documents in its database.  It also provides an interactive fuel station mapping system, current listings of available alternative fuel vehicles, and lots of alternative fuels information and related links.

The Alternative Fuel Data Center was developed in 1991 in response to the Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1988 and the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. Since that time, the Alternative Fuel Data Center has provided key information in support of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and the Clean Cities portfolio.

With the growing popularity of alternative fuels taking over the automotive industry, the Federal government knew that there would be millions of people with questions about these new products.  They wanted to be sure that Americans could get easy answers to the questions that they would have which is why they set up the Alternative Fuel Data Center website – to meet those needs.

There is so much information on the Alternative Fuel Data Center website, it would take forever to see and read it all.  But some highlights include the following:

* Toolkits that help coalitions and stakeholders reach their petroleum displacement goals.  These toolkits contain technical information, step-by-step instructions, and more to point the user in the right direction towards the use of alternative fuels.

* Education resources for teachers and students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.  That includes activities, workbooks, even competitions to increase their awareness of alternative fuels and how they can help the environment.

* Links to alternative fuel training site where mechanics can learn how to maintain and repair an alternative fuel vehicle.  This section lists various places that provide the training needed to become a certified alternative fuel vehicle mechanic.

But that’s just a sampling of all the information you can find on the Alternative Fuel Data Center website.  There really is a lot of great information here, so check them out online at www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/.