President Obama Kills Development of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles

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Washington DC May 11, 2009; The AIADA newsletter reported that George W. Bush's $1.2 billion plan to develop cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells was eliminated by President Barack Obama on Thursday, with the intention of saving the government $100 million a year.

Citing the high costs and technical issues associated with developing a viable solution for hydrogen powered vehicles, and the subsequent inability to deploy them among the general population in the next decade, the administration decided to redirect the money toward other programs.

According to Automotive News, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the government preferred to target more immediate energy-saving solutions. In his 2003 State of the Union address, Bush proposed spending $1.2 billion to develop hydrogen-powered automobiles, and spent $500 million on research into producing and distributing hydrogen so it could be used in cars powered by fuel cells.

Obama's fiscal 2010 budget proposal calls for $68.2 million to be spent on fuel-cell technologies, down from $169.0 million last year. The savings comes from cancellation of funds for the vehicles' development. The Energy Department will continue to pay for research into stationary fuel cells that could be used for non-automotive purposes.

To read more about President Obama's decision to cut federal funding for the development of hydrogen powered vehicle technology, click here.

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