There has been a lot of media attention and speculation as to the future of hydrogen powered cars a vehicles - however one thing which hasn't been talked about very much is whether or not the same hydrogen based power system can be implemented in trucks and larger vehicles. As we already know, cars are much lighter than trucks, and hence need less power to be generated to get them moving. Just listen to the engine differences between a car and a truck. One is incredibly loud - the other is much quieter.
This is purely the difference in the number of horsepower which is being generated when the accelerator pedal is pushed down. So, do we need a special hydrogen based system for trucks designed apart from cars, of will the current power plant suffice? This is a very interesting question - and one which we will have to look a bit closer at.
If you are not so familiar with hydrogen power already, here is a quick lesson to get you up to speed. Basically, a hydrogen powered car is filled with water, and then this water is vaporized to create steam. The steam is then harnessed and used to propel the car either forwards or backwards depending on the drivers actions.
This is a highly complex system - and one which requires a number of different parts to be installed in a car to ensure that the steam and vapor is captured efficiently and then used to propel the car forwards.
Knowing this information, it certainly does seem plausible that the exact same system could be employed to power trucks and heavy vehicles - if only it could be replicated on a bigger level. So has this already been done? You bet it has. In fact, some of the trucks used by NASA actually use hydrogen based technology even as we speak!
Clearly, the world is ready for hydrogen powered technology to go mainstream. Now, it is only a matter of years until we begin to see the first signs of commercially manufactured hydrogen cars hit the market. However, it certainly wont be without competition. The electric vehicle and the hybrid cars already on the market will certainly put up a fight.