No clear choice on next generation transportation fuel

I wonder if the way we fuel our cars is going to shape up to be another battle a la VHS-vs.-Beta, Blu-Ray-vs.-HD. A new European Union study says using hydrogen fuel cells in vehicles has potential to reduce the amount of oil burned for transportation by 40 percent by 2050. But substantial economic, technological and institutional barriers exist, the study notes. The Energy Blog (written by a Wisconsin native now living in New Hampshire) is skeptical and thinks plug-in and electric vehicles can be produced faster and cheaper than a new hydrogen fuel infrastructure.

Meanwhile, a USA Today story this week questions the benefits of plug-in vehicles. Plug-in vehicles are exactly what they sound like. They’re cars that, like a cell phone or iPod, you plug in at home to charge it up for the next day. But depending on how your utility generates that electricity, plug-ins can generate more pollution than conventional cars. It cites a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency study that found plug-ins can cause twice as much acid-rain-causing sulfur dioxide emissions. The study concludes that “alternative vehicles offer benefits, but no single technology currently stands out as a clear choice.”

Update: National Resources Defense Council blogger Luke Tonachel says he’s concerned about the USA Today article leading to misperceptions about plug-ins. The NRDC has its own plug-in study that assumes tougher laws and carbon regulation will make the nation’s electricity grid cleaner in the future. If anyone finds a link to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency study, please share in the comments section.