In fact, I am quite impressed now by the Welsh since I’ve found out that they are planning on building a hydrogen highway system in South Wales, UK along the M4 highway. The University of Glamorgan just off the M4 will be one of the stops since they already have a hydrogen fuel station for testing purposes.

The cities involved in this venture will include Swansea, Cardiff and Newport. The hydrogen fuel network will also be linked to Bristol, Swindon, London and the Midlands. And in some unknown time in the future I’m thinking the Brits will go all the way and link the stations to the three being built in Scotland as well.

One of the kickers to this whole proposal is that the hydrogen fuel is to be created by renewable energy. Of the hydrogen fueling stations in California, about 1/3 use renewable energy under the State’s mandate (which by the way has held back the creation of more hydrogen fuel stations).

But, in Wales, they are taking the bull by the horns so to speak and dictate that all hydrogen fuel produced will come from renewable means. One must wonder how much Scotland will play a role in this since they are already producing hydrogen using wind energy.

In a world now enamored with battery electric cars, it’s a relief to see that some people still see the value of hydrogen fuel and its critical role in a greener environment.

The Obama Administration and DOE have just decided to cut the hydrogen car budget by 60-percent. While it’s not traditional for an administration to pick winners and losers when it comes to emerging technology, the Obama Administration has done just this.

If the President would have lived a few years back perhaps he would have picked Betamax over VHS and 8-track over cassettes as well? Perhaps the President would like to setup a hydrogen car crusher on the White House lawn to symbolize the end of this zero emission vehicle and hydrogen advocates could hold a funeral just as the EV advocates did?

Now, who else is getting the nod from the Administration? Biofuels, that is who. Biofuels create emissions, not zero emissions like H2 cars do. Biofuels also won’t make a big dent in the overall fuel usage for many years to come.

So, why is the Obama Administration bent on picking winners and losers when it comes to energy technology? This is anyone’s guess. What is certain is that reducing and eliminating competing technologies is not the way to foster competition and quick results. With less competition comes more lethargy and this is not the change we are looking for.

The body style seems to be more formula 1, so they won’t have to worry about the BMW HR2 hydrogen racecar that achieved 180 mph or the Ford 999 that set the land speed record for hydrogen cars at 207.297 mph. They also won’t have to compete with the Formula Zero racing carts that haven’t scaled up to formula 1 size yet.

No matter what the outcome is, this will be Australia’s fastest hydrogen racecar to date. Besides the benefit of promoting clean, green hydrogen technology in a venue attractive to many, the building of this H2 racecar also has a side benefit as well.

This Formula H car also gives the students real world, hands on experience of building a cutting edge, ecologically friendly vehicle from the ground up. The green jobs of tomorrow start within the classrooms of today, and the RMIT Formula H car may just inspire many students and many green jobs to follow.

The Honda FC Sport is a three-seater with the driver in the middle of the vehicle and each passenger slightly behind. The fuel cell powertrain is exactly that of the Clarity so don’t get too excited over the innovation here.

This design study, though reconfigured what goes where with the FC stack behind the passenger seats, the electric motor just ahead of the rear axel and the hydrogen tanks visible from the rear windows. The concept was commission to the Honda Advanced Design Studio in Pasadena, California.

This green meets mean Honda FC Sport will most likely never see the light of a showroom floor. Its purpose is to gauge public reaction and the amount of ooh’s and ahh’s will give the automaker some marketing direction.

Perhaps Honda will give a little of this marketing direction to GM, Ford and Chrysler who were on Capitol Hill yesterday with their pitch to stay solvent in this recessed economy.

Then again, perhaps the Honda FC Sport is a breath of fresh air meant to shed a little light on all of the possibilities that the future of automobiles holds regardless of current industry realities.

For several years now, Kia has been making the hydrogen car shows and green car circuits with their Sportage FCEV. But, Kia thought they needed to upgrade a bit and they are right.

The Kia Borrego doubles the range of the Sportage from 215 miles to 426 miles, using three onboard compressed hydrogen fuel tanks. The fuel cell is upgraded and now paired with a bank of supercapacitors, which supply a 47-percent boost in power.

The high end speed of the Kia Borrego FCEV now tops out at 100 mpg, compared to 93 mpg for the Sportage. Kia see this as a step towards commercial production as they expect by 2010 to produce a limited rollout of FCV’s in South Korea and perhaps even beyond.

Due to the lack of competition this year from most other fuel cell car manufacturers (GM and Honda being the exceptions) the Kia Borrego is en fuego and will give a well needed spark to the green car section of this annual event.

Well, if you buy into the “Who Killed the Electric Car?” movie you may buy into the idea that hydrogen cars and electric vehicles are natural competitors. After all both are in fact, electric vehicles, with different kinds of battery systems.

But, long time online electric vehicle advocate EV World actually decided to confront the myth about hydrogen cars being so much more dangerous than gasoline-powered vehicles. In fact, they have re-released an article from January 18, 2003 titled, “Hydrogen Car Fire Surprise” in which both a gasoline-powered car and hydrogen car are set on fire on purpose.

The point of this experiment is to see which vehicle would be the most dangerous to drive if it were to catch fire. The photos show a minor gas leak from both vehicles set to flames and how this plays out.

As one would expect, the gasoline car’s leak pools, spreads out and flames finally engulf the vehicle making it the equivalent to a Molotov cocktail. The flame from the hydrogen car, however, simply burns upwards. In a little over two minutes the flame has burned itself out with little damage done to the vehicle or presumably anyone that would have been in it.

This was no Hindenburg disaster. This was no H-bomb experiment. The critics and naysayers of hydrogen play the fear card over and over when talking about the safety of hydrogen cars. The photos on the EV World website are a wonderful example of what would happen if a hydrogen car caught on fire and nowhere near the imaginative ramblings of these who don’t want fuel cell vehicles to succeed.

On one of John Campbell’s several websites he says, “My most important achievement as president will be transforming the American economy from oil to hydrogen. The crown jewel of my administration will be the hydrogen car. By December 31, 2012, every new car that leaves a showroom in America—will be hydrogen-powered. I will take the lead in helping you—the American people—to get us there. Then on New Year’s Eve 2012, we will truly have something to celebrate and be proud of. We will have cracked the hydrogen code.”

The official name of Campbell’s project is called “Cracking the Hydrogen Code.” Now, while the other lead candidates are talking about the war in Iraq and the economic recession that we’re trying to claw our way back up from, I find it refreshing that one candidate has a singular, transformative platform as his agenda.

This isn’t to say that a person should endorse a candidate one any one platform alone, but at least we know where John Campbell stands on this issue. There is no flip-flopping or taking back what he has said. Now, if he only had a shot at Vice President, we could team him up with Al Gore and truly make a difference in this country in the realm of an alternative energy shift in this country.

Some will say the Hydrogen President is full of hot air. I will say that he is just a little ahead of his time.

This can also be seen on the inside of the vehicle as the interior also boast aluminum and wood, though a more classy take than some other vehicles may have. The Morgan LifeCar is a zero emissions fuel cell vehicle as well.

The fuel cell, manufactured by British defense company QinetiQ, is smaller than most, but aided by powerful ultracapictors that give the vehicle a quick burst of energy as needed. The fuel cell vehicle can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 7 seconds and has a top speed of 90 mph.

The Morgan LifeCar also uses regenerative braking to recharge its electrical system and electric motors are mounted in each wheel for independent acceleration. This zero emissions sports car may be a novelty in its field, but it does show the flexibility of fuel cell technology and the design that can spring forth when an internal combustion engine and transmission is noticeably absent.

The Cadillac Provoq uses General Motors’ newest fifth generation fuel cell system coupled with their E-Flex hybrid system already in use on the Chevy Volt. In fact, the Cadillac Provoq has a 300 mile range with the first 20 miles achieved by the lithium-ion battery power of the E-Flex system alone and the next 280 miles driven using the fuel cell and two 10,000 psi hydrogen tanks.

The Cadillac Provoq also has remarkable power for a crossover concept nearly the size of an SUV with 0 to 60 mph acceleration in only 8.5 seconds. Take that Chevy Equinox FC and your 12 second acceleration!

The Cadillac Provoq also has a few other environmentally friendly features such as the solar rooftop that supplies power to interior lighting, audio system an other auxiliary accessories. The interior headliner is even made from soy products and the carpeting is made from recycled polyester.

As a zero emissions vehicle, the Cadillac Provoq is not blowing smoke. Now, if we can just get all the presidential candidates driving one we’d really be in business.