Hydrogen Fuel Supplies? Options

[Blake]

As part of my overall commitment to reducing my carbon footprint and moving evermore toward living sustainably, I am looking to buy a hydrogen-powered car like a Toyota Mirai.

Does anyone know any gas stations in West Berkshire that currently supply hydrogen to the consumer?

[Rdg]

The thing is that every barrel of crude that comes out of the ground is split into different types of hydrocarbon (factions) form the heaviest Tar to the gaseous bits, whilst there is differences in the make up of different crudes (Brent crude has a lot of lighter factions and alberta oil shales a lot of the heavier) they are all mixes - the reason diesel became comparatively more expensive per litre than petrol (it used to be cheaper) was because of supply and demand (we bought lots more diesel cars) it came back to parity with the worldwide reduction in transportation due to the economic slump. If you banned diesel cars completely then the oil companies (refinery part) would have to charge more for the petrol element to make the same profit out of each barrel they refine.

Diesel cars are also on average a lot more efficient per mile than a petrol as well as pumping out less naties per litre burnt - Although I will admit PM10'S from worn diesels are very bad for lungs.

Hydrogen cars will compete with agriculture for Hydrogen as EVERY farm in the uk and I would guess europe uses Ammonia based fertilizers; that ammonia is made by reacting Nitrogen in the atmosphere with Hydrogen N2 + 3H2 => 2NH3, if you increase transportation use of hydrogen you will push up food prices as farmers will have to pay more for fertilizer (a major input cost). All of these uses of hydrocarbons are interconnected - if you want to make it last we need to get away from hydrocarbon based transport and that is NOT hydrogen fuel cells until you can generate the H2 by splitting water using non hydrocarbon generated electricity or you are robbing peter to pay paul

[JeffG]

Hydrogen cars will compete with agriculture for Hydrogen as EVERY farm in the uk and I would guess europe uses Ammonia based fertilizers; that ammonia is made by reacting Nitrogen in the atmosphere with Hydrogen N2 + 3H2 => 2NH3,

That sent me off to Google and this site because I thought Ammonia/Ammonium was NH4.

According to that site, NH3 is a toxic gas, and is the unionised form of NH4. (Who'd have thought there was a union for ammonia? )
NH4 is a non-toxic salt and is the ionised form of ammonia.

I'm guessing that it's NH4 that is used to make fertilisers, but I am happy to be corrected.