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With the slow depletion of fossil fuels, some say the need for sustainable energy sources is ever growing.
On Feb. 11, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., unveiled new legislation called the H2 GROW Act, which stands for Hydrogen Transportation Wins Over Growing Reliance on Oil and seeks to make hydrogen-powered vehicles marketable alternatives for consumers within the next 10 years.
“Senator Wyden believes America can do more,” Wyden’s spokeswoman Carol Guthrie said. “The key now is to make it more affordable for average Americans.”
With raising gas prices and the possibility of an oil shortage, hydrogen-fueled vehicles offer a non-mainstream alternative.
Wyden and Cox are taking an approach not previously seen in similar environmental legislation. They plan to use federal funding to get hydrogen-fueled vehicles on the road, produce hydrogen fuel and create the fueling infrastructure. Past legislation has focused only on funding research and development of hydrogen systems, which are designed with environmental concerns in mind. A hydrogen system’s primary byproduct is water vapor, and it does not produce carbon monoxide or the other poisonous fumes characteristic of conventional gas-powered engines.
General Motors, Toyota and the Natural Resources Defense Council are all strong supporters of the proposed act.
Daniel Lashof, a representative of NRDC, said it was his opinion that hydrogen-fueled vehicles were an up-and-coming technology.
“I think (hydrogen-fueled vehicles) are very promising … there’s a lot of public interest in clean air,” Lashof said.
Toyota has designed vehicles with fuel systems composed of four 5,000-psi hydrogen fuel tanks. Hydrogen gas is fed into the fuel-cell stack where it is combined with oxygen, creating a chemical produced by the fuel cell which is then used to power an electric motor.
Martha Voss, a representative from Toyota, said she was optimistic for the act, especially because of all the companies working together.
“Nobody can do it on their own,” she said.
H2 GROW implements a mix of tax incentives and tax breaks to dramatically improve the market and infrastructure for hydrogen fuel and the vehicles it powers.
Consumers who purchase a hydrogen-powered vehicle will receive a maximum tax credit of 25 percent of the sale price, with a cap of $50,000, according to the act. The credit will steadily decrease each year, until it becomes a five percent tax credit with a $10,000 cap in 2012.
Companies that manufacture and sell hydrogen refueling equipment, clean refueling properties or purchase hydrogen fuel cells intended to be expanded for vehicle refueling will also receive tax incentives.
Wyden is pushing the act with the hope that America will embrace hydrogen-fueled vehicles by 2012.