Originally Posted by 98CoupeV6
I really think we'll see a day when we have, say, 20% cars using gasoline, 15% diesel, 20% hydrogen, 30% ethanol, etc. We'll have so many different fuel sources competing (just like in the early 1900's) that the prices of all of them will come down to a similiar low level.
How do you figure this? Coal was the primary source of fuel for industrial and power generation well into the 1950's. Oil made it's mark through cars and plastics. Wood was used in rural areas. That's about it. The reason costs were low was because a) there was still a lot of easily mined/drilled fuel around b) many industries/companies owned their own mines and provided themselves with fuel c) concern for things like emissions and economy were not yet there and d) we weren't using that much of it.
Having 4 different types of fuel infrastructure, two of which cannot be transported via pipeline and don't exist, will only make matters worse. Add on to that gas and ethanol may be run in the same engine, but hydrogen requires a different fuel storage and feed system, and diesel requires a different block and head. Just the manufacturing cost to offer four lines of engines that will be sold at relatively low volume will be enormous.
I already said this in my previous post; in urban environments, electric cars are the answer. The electrical infrastructure exists, and battery technology has improved to the point were it is possible to drive 200-300 miles on one charge and recharge cars in 2-3 hours. We eliminate the energy loss from processing fuel and the associated costs. Sure, electrical generation will need to increase to keep up, but there are many more generation options (coal, oil, gas, nuclear, hydro, solar, etc.) than there are transportation fuel options, and all of these options are available right now, not 10 years from now.