Been reading this, this morning --- aside from the plug for hydrogen cells, he makes a good point in this --
The fault lies with the very concept that Government Knows Best. Nothing is proving that tautology wrong more than the plethora of alternatives to BEVs – including a wide variety of hydrogen-powered engines and a new self-rotating engine– that are emerging on the world scene. None of these have been “blessed” with massive subsidies, and none would require a heavily subsidized nationwide charging station network.
It may be surprising to some, but even The New York Times back in 2021 questioned the wisdom of Biden’s bold BEV plunge. Niraj Chokshi wrote both that the $174 billion “might not be enough to push most Americans toward EVs.”
And that's just it - just as so many were putting all of their eggs in one green basket during Obama - windmills and solar panels - the intelligent path to a working alternative SHOULD have been a wide net - including technologies not only OTHER than BEVs - battery-run electric vehicles - but AT LEAST an alternative where we aren't totally dependent on resources coming from our adversaries, like China (e.g. LITHIUM).
I must admit, I've been skeptical of hydrogen as a fuel source for - well, decades. People were discussing it even in high school (for me) when I was growing up in the 70's. I sneered at my friends, because I couldn't see the value in CREATING hydrogen - using electricity powered by fossil fuels - only to turn around and BURN IT again, and losing eificiency during the process.
Well, I was wrong. Mostly. Some time in the 90's, I heard Newt Gingrich propose an idea that nuclear plants could be configured to load balance the output by redirecting the "extra" electricity to make hydrogen. While not knowing the logistics, practicality and to be fair, a bit of the science - it sure seemed like a good idea. I don't work at a power plant, but I do know that balancing load is crucial, and this seems to help that.
BUT - there are other less expensive ways to make hydrogen, and of course, hydrogen CELLS don't really "burn". But - a significant and inexpensive way to produce hydrogen - is - wait for it - natural gas. Probably THE cheapest, and - of course, hydrogen is ZERO emiisions. It creates - water. The next one - and it's not - awesome - is that it's already created via many industrial processes, such as ones to create ammonia and fertilizer. We produce a lot of it already, but not nearly enough to power a country. It is however, the most plentiful element in the universe - and I now realize that if green methods can be harnessed to PRODUCE it, you have the middle solution between a car you can use, and a recharge/refill that takes a minute - that isn't gas.
chargefinder.com
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24733284/1F11A77C_B1E5_4CD4_8A92_4A61A220EF10.JPG)
