When will fuel cell operated cars be available for mass use?

Dear marinibug-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. With
blooming technology in this areas and increased unpredictability about
world issues that can have a dramatic impact on the urgency of fuel
cell vehicles, it is difficult to say for certain precisely when fuel
cell vehicles will hit the commercial market. What we can do however
is sample what some major manufacturers have said and predicted and
use that information to get a glimpse at some of the tentative target
dates and expectations.

DaimlerChrysler is quoted as having said that its fuel cell are not
likely to be commercially available in quantity until at least 2010.

FUEL CELL CAR COASTS ACROSS U.S.
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,52877,00.html

Ballard, a Canadian/U.S./German fuel-cell manufacturer, says the same thing:

?The next generation of fuel-cell autos will be tested in 2007/2008 ?
but the first vehicles will not be available for purchase until after
2010?
FUEL-CELL AUTOMOBILES: NOT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE UNTIL AFTER 2010
http://www.initiative-brennstoffzelle.de/ibz/live/nachrichten/show.php3?id=105&nodeid=0&art=e

General Motors is also shooting for 2010 while Honda and Toyota are
believed to try to get on the bandwagon somewhat earlier in order to
get a fast foothold on the market:

?GM's models won't be commercially available until 2010 but that's
part of its strategy. Honda and Toyota's game plan, in comparison, is
to take the losses up front in order to jump in front of the fuel cell
race.

On the other hand, the American vehicle manufacturer Vectrix plans to
launch a fuel cell motor scooter in 2006.
FUEL CELL SCOOTER SCHEDULED FOR MARKET LAUNCH IN 2006
http://www.initiative-brennstoffzelle.de/ibz/live/nachrichten/show.php3?id=129&nodeid=0&art=e

More realistically perhaps comes this information from the Alternative
Fuel Cell Vehicle Institute, which is probably the most knowledgeable
and credible source on the subject, which says, ??the reality is that
fuel cell vehicles will not be commercially available until 2020 at
the earliest.?

ALTERNATIVE FUEL CELL VEHICLE INSTITUTE
http://www.afvi.org/


I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

Defined above


SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

Fuel cell

Alternative

Vehicles

Commercially available

---

Request for Answer Clarification by marinibug-ga on 09 Dec 2005 11:29 PST

I heard that automakers want to maximize profits with the current
technology so the 2020 forecast seems more likely.  But the industry
has to get its act together because we are burning a precious resource
needed for the manufacture of other items - tires, plastics and
chemicals for example.  Do you know if there's pressure on the
industry to bring this technology to the public?

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 09 Dec 2005 11:41 PST

Environmentalists are certainly leading the way where pressure is
concerned. Entities such as the California Air Resources Board and The
FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership which includes the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE), United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR),
are also actively encouraging the technology:

California Air Resources Board 
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/zevprog/fuelcell/fuelcell.htm

H2CARSBIZ
http://www.h2cars.biz/artman/publish/article_775.shtml

tutuzdad-ga

Actually, the Honda FCX fuel-cell car first hit the road in California
in 2002.  Now they have about 20 or so in service in the US, but only
for lease at about $500/month.  Supposedly these are production fuel
cell vehicles.

Search for Honda FCX to find more info:
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=honda+fcx&btnG=Google+Search

The following possibly spurious info was found in a sample form for
the Department of Energy's SBIR solicitation just closed for small
busineses wanting to apply for grant funding of inventions.

http://www.science.doe.gov/sbir/solicitations/FY%202006/sample_form2.pdf

To paraphrase, it states that heat is excessive and the fuel cells degrade.

Never, unless we find a source of energy other than oil. Don't even
think that this is just an opion, it is actually more serious than the
other answers.

Politics pushes many technologies which have no logical cause in this
country. For example, BPL, fuel cell cars, RFID, etc.