Whilst I agree with the thrust of your editorial entitled “‘Pollutant’s’ new meaning threatens hydrogen vehicles”—that is, governments really have no clue what they are talking about when it comes to greenhouse gases, climate change, and so forth, to say that hydrogen vehicles produce water vapor, which is a more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2, is only part of the story (OGJ Online, May 1, 2009).
The more damaging problem with hydrogen fuel usage is where does one get hydrogen from? The inconvenient truth, which BP, the politicians, and other agents of disinformation will not tell you, is that you have to burn coal, oil, or gas to produce the energy to create hydrogen. The energy needed to drive a hydrogen-based car is obtained in a two-stage process and is therefore inherently even more inefficient that simply burning natural gas or oil to provide the necessary energy.
Chris Matchette-Downes
Black Marlin Energy Ltd.
London
