Imagine it’s 20 years from now and you’re driving to a gas station to fill up the tank. But, instead of refuelling with gas, you'll be pumping hydrogen into your car instead. This is the concept of the “hydrogen economy”—an idea that United States scientists and officials are proposing in the search for fuel alternatives that are cleaner for the environment and would reduce oil dependence . The latest national push in the US to find ways to power cars and homes using hydrogen-powered fuel cells has been under way since President Bush proposed spending $1.2 billion on research into hydrogen-powered vehicles in 2003. More than $64 million was awarded this May to 70 research and development projects at universities and national laboratories. These are aimed at making hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles and refueling stations available, practical and affordable for consumers by 2020. Earlier this year, General Motors Corp. and Daimler Chrysler AG signed agreements with the US Department of Energy to develop hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles over the next five years. GM plans to build 40 hydrogen-fuel vehicles and will spend $44 million to distribute them in Washington, New York, California and Michigan. The Energy Department will provide another $44 million. Daimler Chrysler will invest over $70 million in its partnership with the Energy Department. Scientists stress that it will be a while before the nation relies on a hydrogen economy, but the research being done today will be useful for the future. “It's a tough problem. It's not easy. It's not tomorrow,’’ says Arizona State University assistant professor, Cody Friesen, who was awarded a $300,000 three-year grant this year for research in the field. The challenge before scientists is to find the best way to transport, store and use the hydrogen. The main focus of Friesen's team is on the surfaces in a hydrogen fuel cell where chemical reactions take place. Friesen's team has developed a device that measures the mechanical response on these surfaces. The resolution of the device is so small that chemical reactions can be observed from this mechanical response: something that's never been done before, Friesen said. —NYT
