Ford close to producing hydrogen-powered vehicles

With fuel prices increasing and some consumers seriously considering alternative sources of powered vehicles, Ford announced today that they are very close to being able to produce hydrogen powered vehicles for sale on the general market.

This Excite Money article has more details:

Lapetz said Ford has the ability to bring internal combustion hydrogen technology to market in cars within five years. But that's only if fuel storage limitations can be solved, public fear of hydrogen can be allayed, filling stations set up, and gas prices stay high.

"The technology is there at a sufficient level, in the three-to-five year window, if all things were perfect, we could reasonably think this is a solution we could draw on," Lapetz said. "We're not really talking about invention, that's the thing. We know how to manufacture this kind of technology in high volumes."

That time frame is reasonable, Gurpreet Singh, team leader for engine and emission control technologies with the U.S. Department of Energy, said Tuesday.

"You're taking the base gasoline engine and modifying that. You don't need to have anything that's very exotic," he said.