Hydrogen fuel station in Reykjavik
By Eileen Gunn
Special to TheStreet.com
12/6/2007 11:42 AM EST
REYKJAVIK — Owning a car not powered in any way by gasoline seems about as likely as using a jet pack to fly to work.
Sure, it might happen, but not anytime soon.
The day when gas-powered cars disappear completely from our roads is probably decades away. But changing a nation’s transportation and fueling infrastructure happens gradually, not overnight. And the time when hydrogen cars and hydrogen fuel stations are common might be closer than many think.
This means that car shopping could get increasingly interesting in the next few years as we not only get to choose between sedans, hatchbacks and SUVs, but between gas-powered, hybrids, more hydrogen cars and who knows what else.
Short of strapping on a jet pack, I can’t imagine a more exciting opportunity for a country infatuated with cars.
Visiting Iceland has opened my eyes to the real possibilities of alternative fuels and compelled me to take a closer look at what’s happening with these innovations in the U.S.
Electric fuel cells powered by hydrogen have only water as a byproduct while internal combustion engines release some nitrogen oxide — about one-fourth of what a gas-fueled engine does — and that’s about it. Auto makers are putting cars that use both technologies on the road today.
In Iceland, the 28% of energy that still comes from fossil fuels is entirely transportation-related. But the country would like to see more than 30% of its cars running on hydrogen by 2025 and no gasoline tanks anywhere in sight by 2050.
Icelanders are spending this decade introducing hydrogen fuel to one mode of transport after another to see how well it works, where the problems lie and what users like and don’t like about it. Then they’ll compare the data and decide whether it will be cars or ships or public transit or something else where they’ll focus their first efforts.
To kick-start things in 2003, Royal Dutch Shell’s (RDSA – Cramer’s Take – Stockpickr) hydrogen division opened a fueling station in Reykjavik, and soon after, three hydrogen-fueled buses from Daimler (DAI – Cramer’s Take – Stockpickr – Rating) began circling through the city for about two and a half years. Three conventional buses would have gobbled 70,000 liters of diesel and spewed 200 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over that time, but these buses released only water vapor. A blogger on Grist describes the experience of riding on one.
Late this fall, a dozen hydrogen cars began making their way around the island nation, two Mercedes Benz A-Class fuel cell cars from Daimler Chrysler, and the rest of them conventional Toyota (TM – Cramer’s Take – Stockpickr) Priuses that Quantum Technologies (QTWW – Cramer’s Take – Stockpickr – Rating) in California had converted to hydrogen-powered hybrids.
Some are being test driven by employees at local power companies including Icelandic New Energy, a company created to manage these science projects and evangelize about hydrogen. But a handful have gone to the local Hertz (HTZ – Cramer’s Take – Stockpickr) office, so that locals and tourists can drive around the country on carbon-fuel-free day trips (they can go about 180 miles on a full tank).
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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