LowEmissionAsphalt-136pg-WhitePaper-May2023

P a g e | 84 Another new energy vehicle option developing is hydrogen (H 2 ) fuel cell (FCEV) vehicles. H 2 burns clean at the end use as the only byproduct of spent hydrogen is water and this has attracted attention for net zero applications. There are, however, lifecycle carbon footprint and lifecycle cost (LCCA) hurdles to hydrogen fuel in transportation (Figure 54) . Toyota Motors leads the auto industry in FCEV production, but they have to offer $15,000 prepaid hydrogen fuel cards to buyers. FCEV also has the same infrastructure issues that EVs have only EVs are well ahead of the game. FCEVs also cost about 30% more than already pricey EVs. Figure 54 – Cost Per Mile for Fuel Cell, Hybrid Gasoline, and Conventional Gasoline Vehicles 2013-2021 Source: EPA; U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Department of Transportation; IEA Hydrogen is not mined or extracted directly, it must be synthesized using other scarce natural resources and some form of mechanized oxidation or electrolysis. The most common process is coal or natural gas gasification or steam reforming, which are carbon intensive for power generation needs and inefficient as the coal and gas used is no longer of much value. So, hydrogen production from fossil fuels does not resolve the greenhouse gas issue. Electrolysis of water is the other method and only makes sense if water is cheap and widely available. This is a problem in many parts of the country. It is also inefficient. The conversion rate is far less than one on electric energy (kW-hr) versus hydrogen