HYDROGEN CAR
Wednesday, 12th December, 2007
HYDROGEN CAR:
Can it trigger a revolution?
The cold steel and blinking lights of technology seem so far removed from the flesh and blood of daily existence that it is sometimes easy to forget that technology cannot be divorced from society. Technology is never developed in a vacuum. If religion and social taboos once played a role, market forces and "network externalities" today determine the outcomes that directly affect the common consumer.
And so it is with electric cars and the holy grail- the hydrogen-fuel cell powered motor vehicle that will not only run on cheap and plentiful fuel, but spit out, not noxious fumes, but plain old water. And it will run more or less silently, to boot. It is thus exciting to hear Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G. Madhavan Nair’s announcement of a tie up with Tata Motors to produce a fuel cell driven car, and their goal of producing a prototype vehicle by 2008.
Both entities, one a premier government agency and the other a top-notch private corporation, are known to deliver on carefully thought-out, result-oriented projects.
They have had their share of problems, but not for them the notorious time and cost overruns, not to mention the less than satisfactory performance, of some of our defence research laboratories. Adding to the excitement is a view held in many quarters that the big, powerful, oil companies, in cahoots with motor vehicle manufacturers, are actively working to keep these technologies off the streets - at least up to a point when it will be profitable for them to deploy them in the mass market.
The Independent, for example, has reported the story of an electric car that a US major developed, pushed by legislation from California State. But the company deliberately "undersold" the car, and when the legislation (mandating compulsory introduction of electric vehicles by big car companies) was scrapped, the product was quickly withdrawn. There is more. Electric cars, including the sole product available in India, are limited by range - say around a hundred kilometres. They can go only so far on one ‘charge.’ One engineer however was reported to have developed a technology for a staggering 300 miles at 70 miles per hour on a single charge. But the oil companies bought up the technology, and neither the innovation, nor anything similar, has ever been seen on the streets!
As Madhavan Nair pointed out, these cars have no engine - only a battery or fuel cell. For car companies, that is obviously a discomfiting proposition. There are sales and service figures to be considered that directly impact their overall profitability.
And the oil companies don’t like it either. While oil is pushing the 100 dollar per barrel mark, there are trillions and trillions of dollars worth of oil still left in the earth. Actual reserves are closely guarded secrets. Still though, and that brings us to the next point, there is no doubt that oil is running out, and the mass-produced, alternately fuelled passenger car is set to become a reality sooner rather than later.
Many scientists have already questioned even the 2050 ballpark figure for oil to run out, proposing that it may well happen much earlier. Production of easy-to-extract oil has already peaked, and the peak for the more expensive stuff may not be too far away. But while the technologies exist, in secret or otherwise, the challenges persist too. For, whatever the obstacles, it is not that easy to stop technological innovation - it is bound to march on. India has little experience in the field, and Dr Nair, admitting that they cannot claim to have mastered the technology, mentioned importing modules from the West for the prototype vehicle.
Several such prototype vehicles are already running, as show pieces by car companies, and their actual costings are secret. They are cited to be expensive; with the hydrogen production costs itself quite high. Then there are storage, transportation and distribution issues, not to mention weight in the actual running car.
There is a 100-dollars- per-kilowatt efficiency benchmark which is yet to be satisfactorily achieved. But that is no reason why ISRO and the Tatas should shy away. In fact, as a motor vehicle manufacturer themselves, it is good that the Tatas have latched on to the hydrogen-fuel cell alternative. And ISRO has enormous experience with its satellites and launch vehicles, which use all kinds of complicated fuels, from liquid hydrogen and oxygen to solar energy. If anybody can pull of this off, it is these two. In November 2005, a National Hydrogen Energy Roadmap (NHER) was submitted by a steering group headed by Mr. Ratan Tata, the chairman of the very same Tata group. The roadmap, which envisions a massive investment of Rs 25,000 crore between 2006 and 2020, was approved by the National Hydrogen Energy Board.
It still quires plenty of funding support from both the Planning Commission and the Finance Ministry, and the government should ensure that the necessary clearances are provided. It needs more than just the token Rs 250 crore for the first phase. The roadmap actually has a target of injecting 10 lakh hydrogen powered vehicles on the road by 2020. Incidentally, it also talks about hydrogen-based power generation of at least 1,000 MW capacity. While Rs 25,000 crore might seem a large amount, Rs 24,000 crore will be needed for the infrastructure for hydrogen production, storage and distribution alone.
Just as India saw an opportunity in IT services and seized it by the scruff of its neck, what an achievement it would be if Indian entrepreneurs and scientists can do the same with the vehicle of the future.
Well before oil runs out, we should be able to put an alternately fuelled, viable, passenger car on the road. Imagine the beneficial effects on everything from the economy (think oil import bill, inflation) and national security (strategic independence), to urban pollution, mass transport, and quality of life and so on.
ISRO and Tatas should take this very seriously indeed, and the government should do everything it can to help them.
