Francis Plourde

The hydrogen highway is perhaps one of the most intriguing projects related to the 2010 Olympic Games, alias the “green Games”.

According to Wikipedia, “a hydrogen highway is a chain of hydrogen-equipped filling stations and other infrastructure along a road or highway which allow hydrogen powered cars to travel.”

In Nov. 2006, the provincial government committed $10 million to the first phase of developing the world’s first fleet of hydrogen buses, supporting the Hydrogen Highway project. Stephen Harper’s $200-million announcement on Tuesday also aimed at funding this clean highway.

The project is supposed to be a “metaphor for our route to the future”. In other words, a future powered by reliable, clean and high-tech energy. The project is supposed to advance the commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies for vehicles.

In the long run, the hydrogen highway is supposed to go all over the west coast. Even if there’s no hydrogen highway there yet, California has already built hydrogen fueling stations. But Californian citizens should have access to hydrogen fuel along the state highways by 2010.

Yes, all these initiatives are related to global warming. But apart from being clean, hydrogen is safe. It can be produced at point-of-use, making it suitable for refueling stations on the way.

But hydrogen is more expensive. Moreover, the product needs to be more reliable. And there’s no market demand at this point for hydrogen-fueled vehicles.

We might not see hydrogen-fueled vehicles on the market until 2012, 2015. But by that time, consumers might be ready to pay more for a fuel that is carbon-neutral.

One can only wonder if the hydrogen highway will join the Skytrain at the pantheon of these transport ideas that are good, but not as good as it seems. (The Skytrain was built for the Expo 86, held in Vancouver. But many consider it a weaker transit system than light trains)

I certainly hope not.