In fact, I tend to suspect that it’s the fossil-fuel industries that have been ultimately behind most of the H2 push that has happened in the last decade or two, to try to head off any other solutions. Fortunately, they seem to have failed, given the number of car companies planning battery-based EVs.

But right now, the un-changed game is such that a “hydrogen economy” is just not going to be competitive vs. battery technology. For example, the top-end version of Tesla’s Model S, due out late this year, will have the same 300-mile range as this article mentions as possible for an H2 car. Only it’s done with a battery pack only an inch or two thick that fits neatly under the floor. Yes, it’s a $70k+ car — but I think similar H2 cars would likely be at least as expensive, if not much more. And we’re talking about battery tech, with plenty more room to increase power density, already matching the near-theoretical limits of on-board H2 storage.