Hydrogen has been advanced as the ideal fuel. It is abundant in nature, and when burned with oxygen it emits only water vapor. Unfortunately, earthly hydrogen is not found in its pure state. It can be produced from water, but that conversion requires energy from somewhere -- whether from hydrocarbons, nuclear energy, hydropower, the sun, or wind. Nonetheless, it can be produced easily and has many desirable properties. Some scientists say it will be the preferred automotive fuel of the future, at first in the internal combustion engine and eventually in fuel cells. This book has everything the reader needs to know about hydrogen -- its discovery, the numerous attempts to use it as a fuel, its (quite good) safety record, and the practical and economic difficulties that must be overcome if hydrogen is to realize its potential as a nonpolluting, non-carbon-emitting fuel.
