A huge obstacle to broader use of fuel cells is storing hydrogen onboard a vehicle. General
Motors reports that it is moving away from producing hydrogen with an onboard reformer,
which is basically a mobile refinery that generates hydrogen from conventional liquid
fuels.
GM has used gasoline on its experimental vehicles, whereas other manufacturers such
as DaimlerChrysler use methanol. GM, which found that the bulky devices pose a variety of
problems, will work instead on hydrogen production systems that produce hydrogen at
refineries or filling stations.
The company predicts that viable fuel-cell technology could
first reach the public by the beginning of the next decade.
