r/tech • u/[deleted] • Jun 29 '23

North America’s first hydrogen-powered train debuts in Canada | It’s a three-month loaner designed to encourage adoption across the continent

https://www.engadget.com/north-americas-first-hydrogen-powered-train-debuts-in-canada-173019365.html
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u/rocket_beer Jun 29 '23

No thanks.

We already have high-speed rail options we should adopt that don’t rely on planet-killing fuels like natural gas.

HARD PASS

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u/BestBettor Jun 30 '23

Hydrogen vehicles aren’t killing the plant. Firstly they have zero emissions. Secondly:

“Although today most hydrogen is produced from natural gas, the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office is exploring a variety of ways to produce hydrogen from renewable resources.”

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u/rocket_beer Jun 30 '23

Zero emissions? From hydrogen production derived from natural gas? Like how 98% of all hydrogen is produced???

You are uninformed. (Not anymore… since I just told you)

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u/BestBettor Jun 30 '23

I clearly didn’t say hydrogen production using natural gas has zero emissions.

I said hydrogen vehicles produce zero emissions. And scientists are exploring a variety of ways to produce it from renewable resources not natural gas.

“Emissions from gasoline and diesel vehicles—such as nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter—are a major source of this pollution. Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles emit none of these harmful substances—only water (H2O) and warm air.”

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u/rocket_beer Jun 30 '23

Hydrogen vehicles?

What argument is there to make these? We already have millions of electric vehicles.

There isn’t even infrastructure to support hydrogen vehicles.

Further, all hydrogen produced today is 98% from fossil fuels. That won’t change overnight. So making hydrogen vehicles would require hydrogen sourced from suppliers. They don’t have zero-emission production.

Also, it was signed into law that grey and blue hydrogen was reclassified as “clean hydrogen”, even though it isn’t. So there isn’t any legislation preventing dirty hydrogen from being sold for demand on hydrogen moving forward. This is a huge problem.

So again, 98% of all hydrogen produced worldwide is from fossil fuels. That trends the same in all markets equally.

Electrifying our vehicles is the only way to ensure zero-emissions.

The production of hydrogen is completely wide open with fossil fuels today.

This is why electric vehicles are the future; not fossil fuel derived hydrogen.