Playing the technology adoption waiting game

In the hydrogen car utopia, cars would drive for miles and miles producing nothing more than a bit of water vapor. Powered by fuel cells that convert hydrogen into electricity used to power an electric engine, hydrogen cars promise freedom from our dependence on non-renewable energy sources for transportation. 

With researchers making huge strides in fuel cell technology, what does it take to push this technology from a utopian dream to a consumer reality?

Indeed, researchers are racing toward a new hydrogen-powered reality. Ballard Power Systems claims to be on track for achieving the US Department of Energy’s targets for fuel cell cost of $30 USD/kW and cold weather reliability, two major barriers to commercialization. Other research focuses on more practical elements, like service life, less expensive catalysts and robust design.

Now, it seems the biggest barrier to the hydrogen car isn’t technology – it’s consumer adoption. As with any technology adoption, hydrogen cars must reach that all-important tipping point, the point where a new technology becomes the standard, before it makes it to the mainstream.

The problem is the classic ‘chicken and egg’ conundrum. Without the proper infrastructure for refueling, consumers are reluctant to purchases a hydrogen vehicle. But without consumer demand for refueling stations, governments and policymakers won’t invest in developing the infrastructure.

Without a clear solution in sight, researchers developed H2VISION, a computer-based model that simulates the dynamic relationships between consumer adoption and infrastructure development. The program gives policymakers recommendations for getting hydrogen technology over the adoption hump, which include building refueling stations in urban centers and home refueling options.

It’s just a matter of time, say experts, before we’ll see hydrogen vehicles hitting the roads on mass.