Launched as a demonstration program in 2002, the Hydrogen Highway will form a corridor that runs between Vancouver International Airport, the City of Vancouver and Whistler, with branches connecting Victoria, North Vancouver, the University of British Columbia and B.C. Hydro’s Powertech Labs in nearby Surrey. Beyond 2010, the plan is to link this network to similar projects in Alberta and California.

The North Vancouver location is particularly interesting, as it provides the answer to a thorny question: Where will the hydrogen come from? The hydrogen emitted as the byproduct of a sodium-chlorate manufacturing plant in North Vancouver delivers 600 kilograms of hydrogen an hour. This is enough to refuel 20,000 vehicles once a week for an entire year.
 

The other side of the technology needed to make the Hydrogen Highway work as envisioned is the fuel cell. While many view this complex device as a modern invention, the first one was actually produced in 1839. Sir William Grove noted that running an electric current through water split it into its two constituent parts hydrogen and oxygen. He figured that if it worked one way, it should work the other. To test his theory, Grove built the world’s first fuel cell. In a delightful twist of irony, interest in his invention quickly waned because of the dawning of a new age and fuel source gasoline.

Since then, the fuel cell has come a long way. Consider the unit that powers Honda’s FCX: It addresses two of the problems that plagued many early fuel cell-powered vehicles. In the past, efficiency and getting the fuel cell to operate in cold weather were major headaches. The FCX’s fuel cell, designed and built in-house by Honda, not only delivers an increased driving range and better efficiency (the 304 kilometres it squeezes out of each fillup is 20 per cent greater than the fuel cell it replaces), it also has the ability to function at temperatures as low as -20 C.

Outwardly, decals aside, there is little to tell the onlooker that the FCX is anything other than just another new Honda. It is marginally larger than the Honda Fit and slightly smaller than the Element, it seats four adults comfortably and handles exactly as expected. Likewise, aside from the taller step up into the cabin (needed so the fuel tanks and fuel cell can be packaged under the car) and the extra dial on the dash (it shows what the system is doing), there is very little to give the game away. It not only comes with all the modern conveniences (air conditioning, cruise control and so on), it also features traction control and anti-lock brakes. In other words, it has everything you expect from a modern car.

It is also a remarkable vehicle made all the more remarkable by the manner in which all of this complex technology remains invisible to the driver. Step on the gas and it moves smartly off the line without the usual mechanical noise. Indeed, aside from the slight whirring from the fuel cell’s numerous fans and the electric motor that drives the vehicle, it is all but silent. It also out-performs expectations. On the drive from Vancouver to Whistler and back, it passed slower-moving vehicles with a reassuring turn of speed. The secret lies in the electric motor’s ability to deliver its 200 pound-feet of torque from rev one (a gasoline engine needs to get up to speed before delivering its goods). This is enough to deliver a top speed of 150 kilometres an hour and a zero-to-100-km/h time of around 10.5 seconds.

Most importantly, however, is what the fuel cell does for the environment.

It not only consumes a renewable fuel source, it delivers its power without polluting its only emission is the water that drips from the tailpipe. Asao “Arthur” Uenodai, principle engineer of the FCX, is justifiably proud of these accomplishments and the package as a whole.

While infrastructure, cost, reliability, storage and public acceptance remain major hurdles, the Hydrogen Highway and the fuel cell-powered vehicles that will cruise it go a long way in proving that the hydrogen economy is not quite the pie-in-thesky project many of the naysayers will have us believe.