The public press seems to be revisiting hydrogen in a positive light.  We’ve seen several articles willing to take another look at hydrogen fuel cell cars, the best example of which was on CNN.com today.  So why are automakers continuing to invest? Why are reporters and the public still interested in this technology? We think it’s obvious, but here are a few solid reasons.

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For one, the Congress has reconfirmed their support.  Thanks in part to all of your supportive letters, the Senate and the House restored the DOE FY 2010 budget for hydrogen.  That commitment to hydrogen shows the industry and the public that there is interest and demand for these technologies.  Therefore, manufacturers continue to develop and invest.

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Secondly, as shown in DOE’s most recent vehicle stack cost estimate,  costs continue to significantly decrease. DOE estimates that in volume production, 2009 technology would yield a fuel cell vehicle engine at $61/Kw, within sight of the DOE 2015 cost target.  An affordable fuel cell vehicle can be built at these prices, though the auto industry now sees the path to lower precious metal loadings and other improvements sufficient to achieve the 2015 cost target of $30.

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Third, automakers see that the benefits of fuel cell technology are greater than bridge technologies, and there are fewer and fewer hurdles toward commercialization.  For example:

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“Although batteries are evolving, I don’t think they can catch up with fuel cells,” says Honda CEO Takanobu Ito.

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Toyota Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada stated at a Frankfurt Auto Show press conference, “Electric vehicles of today are less costly than in 1990s, but if you compare them with the other vehicles out there they are still too expensive.  Unless there is a very big breakthrough in battery costs I don’t think electric vehicles can take a large market share.”

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And last but certainly not least, people like them.  Fuel cell cars are easy and fun to drive.  We’ve told you all about our experiences, and those of some of GM’s Project Driveway participants.  In the aforementioned CNN article, actress Jaime Lee Curtis gushes about the Honda Clarity she leases for $600 a month.  ”I am not the most light-footed driver, and this thing is like a rocket ship,” says Curtis, who leases the car for $600 a month. When asked what she will do when her three-year lease expires, Curtis pauses a moment. “Cry,” she says. “Sob uncontrollably, and beg them to extend the lease.”