attn peak oil fearmongers: fuel cell cars take a leap forward

[Jamougha]

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Figures I've seen for running costs per mile given hydrogen from steam methane refoming are similar to those for petrol. The carbon can be sequestered.

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Ok, pretend peak oil has occurred. Where are we going to get enough methane to replace our entire oil infrastructure?

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Useful methane supplies are expected to outlast oil by some time. There are new sources like methane hydrates being considered for exploitation. Also it's to be hoped that carbon neutral sources will begin to replace some of our mains generation infrastructure.

When methane runs out, hydrogen could be produced via high-temperature electrolysis. Some of the new designs for nuclear plants operate at a high coolant temperature and can provide the required thermal energy for on-site hydrogen production. It would make great use of off-peak capacity. Costs are being estimated as similar to steam reforming, and although the process has not yet been comercialised R&D is complete.

Or, ideally, we may have a breathrough battery technology by this point.