The research and development has been funded, so now what we have to do is fund the education to let the world know about it, Cromwell said. According to the Department of Energy, if 10 percent of automobiles nationwide were powered by fuel cells, dependency on foreign oil would drop, regulated air pollutants would be cut by one million tons per year and 60 million tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide would be eliminated. By eliminating the carbon atom in fuels, you eliminate smog. This is the future, said Dr. Robert Zweig, chairman emeritus of Clean Air Now. The educational component will help to eventually commercialize hydrogen as an alternative, clean-burning vehicle fuel, say proponents.
People are tired of dirty.
They don t want to have to check the ozone level before going outside, Cromwell said. Exposure drives demand. So by educating them, we are encouraging people to pick up the gauntlet.