Forget hydrogen and buy a hybrid. That’s what the editors of MIT Technology Review recommend. Though they agree that fuel cells have no emissions, researchers worry about where the hydrogen for the fuel cell comes from. Right now, natural gas is the source of most commercially available hydrogen, and today most natural gas comes from fracking, a method of extraction so damaging to the environment it is almost as dirty as burning coal.

Some time in the future, solar energy could be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. That would solve the environmental issue, but not the cost of hydrogen, significantly. For now, the editors recommend getting a hybrid vehicle. They point out that an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists shows producing hydrogen from natural gas for the Hyundai Tucson fuel cell vehicle emits about as much carbon dioxide as a car that gets 38 miles per gallon.

While that’s better than the gasoline-powered version of the Tucson, which only gets 25 miles per gallon, a hybrid Toyota Prius V gets 42 miles per gallon and is far cheaper than the Tucson FCEV. The Hyundai leases for $499 per month, which includes the cost of hydrogen fuel, but you can lease a Prius V for as little as $159 per month. With the Prius, you can drive anywhere there is a gas station. If you get a Tucson FCEV, you won’t be able to drive more than 150 miles from home because there are only about a dozen hydrogen refueling stations in the entire country and most of those are in Los Angeles.

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Tags: hydrogen vs hybrid, Hyundai Tucson FVEV, MIT Technology Review, Toyota Mirai

About the Author

Steve Hanley I have been a car nut since the days when articles by John R. Bond and Henry N. Manney, III graced the pages of Road Track. I know every nut, bolt and bullet connector on an MGB from 20 years of ownership. I now drive a 94 Miata for fun and the occasional HPDE track day. If it moves on wheels, I am interested in it. Please follow me on Google + and Twitter.

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