Fuel Cells are considered by many people to be a very real possible fuel option to replace gasoline run engines. They are very attractive because they lower our dependency on foreign oil, but more importantly, they release far less Co2 into the environment.
A Fuel Cell engine can be compared with a battery powered one, with the main difference being that the energy that powers the battery in a Fuel Cell is added at fueling stations like gasoline. This energy source is Hydrogen, and these cars would rely on it as today’s cars rely on gasoline. The main products of a Fuel Cell engine are energy and water.
Fuel Cells still produce Co2 however, but not in the same obvious ways gasoline engines produce it. One way Co2 is produced is during the actual production of the fuel, which requires electricity, which in the production of this causes Co2 to be released into the environment. In addition to this, the production of other components of the car, such as the wheels and other necessities release Co2 into the atmosphere as well. To add to this, the paint used on all cars releases Co2 into the environment during its drying stages, which is a problem that cannot be solved by changing a car’s engine. In addition to these problems, the heaters in these cars still produce Co2. Furthermore, people driving them obviously add Co2 to the environment…so the the car system is not perfect, but it is far better than any of our other options
http://www.greenerchoices.org/globalwarmingsavecarbon.cfm
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=27760
http://www.bio.ilstu.edu/Armstrong/syllabi/rubber/rubber.htm
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/production/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/03/030311074526.htm
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/zevprog/factsheets/fcell_fs.pdf
